From: Dick Fischer (dickfischer@earthlink.net)
Date: Sat Mar 29 2003 - 19:09:34 EST
Jason Alley wrote:
>Therefore, if God did create with an appearance of age, that action is not
>deceptive or wrong, as it is an action of the perfectly righteous
>God. Even if it is deceptive, that deception is not wrong; it is righteous.
>
> What are your thoughts?
The notion that the universe was brought about with an apparent age, or
that it looks old but is really young, crumbles under its own weight. How
ironic it would have been for God to have commanded the Israelites, "Thou
shalt not bear false witness," and have expected us to adhere to a
criterion that He would have violated from the very beginning.
From Romans we find we are held accountable by the evidence of
nature. "For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world
are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his
eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse" (Rom.
1:1:20). Had an artificially-dated planet been palmed off on us by a
clever sleight-of-hand artist we would not be without excuse, we'd have a
great excuse!
Inherent with the appearance of age argument is a classic "Catch-22." If
the world is old in complete agreement with the way it looks, then why
would God give us a book telling us it is young? And if the world is
young, then it had to be manufactured deliberately and cleverly to look old.
Thus, the orthodoxy of young-earth creationism poses an insane dilemma; if
the world is old, God would be a fibber, and if young, He would be a
counterfeiter! Taking young-earth dogma to its conclusion, if we could not
trust God to give us a true history of the world we live in, how could we
trust Him to give us true history and true prophecy in His Book? A god who
could falsify nature might falsify a resurrection!
Ironically, these implied allegations raised by those who profess to be
believers call God's very credibility into question. True words demand
true works. "For the word of the Lord is right and all his works are done
in truth" (Psa. 33:4).
Dick Fischer - Genesis Proclaimed Association
Finding Harmony in Bible, Science, and History
www.genesisproclaimed.org
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