Re: An approach to Creation Science
Massie (mrlab@ix.netcom.com)
Mon, 01 Mar 1999 06:29:21 -0800
Moorad Alexanian wrote:
>
> Dear Gordon,
>
> I must say that I do not have that much interaction with people with YEC
> ideas. However, if such people look at people with your views as "enemies"
> then there is something wrong somewhere. I would expect that if there is
> indeed true Christian love and trust between believers, then those who are
> in science ought to be humble enough to realize that no matter how sure they
> feel about their views, such views can be wrong. We truly do not know what
> really happened in the past. There is much speculation and no knowledge of
> the totality of past event that is solid enough to be so dogmatic about it.
> One must view the whole tapestry of life--the totality of all human
> experiences and not merely the scientific aspect of it--and not bury one's
> nose in one small segment of it and claim infallible knowledge of the whole
> message depicted on it.
>
> Take care,
>
> Moorad
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: gordon brown <gbrown@euclid.Colorado.EDU>
> To: PHSEELY@aol.com <PHSEELY@aol.com>
> Cc: asa@calvin.edu <asa@calvin.edu>
> Date: Sunday, February 28, 1999 8:29 PM
> Subject: Re: An approach to Creation Science
>
> >Paul,
> >
> >I very much agree with your thesis that we should expose creation science
> >on its own grounds. Scientific arguments are unlikely to get very far with
> >people who view science and scientists as the enemy. Many of us in
> >`Bible-believing' churches are not prone to search the scriptures as the
> >Bereans did to see whether or not what we have been taught is true, but
> >rather tend to assume that what we have heard from a pulpit or in a class
> >or have seen in a picture in a Bible story book is biblical. Most
> >evangelicals had never heard of some of the major claims of creation
> >science before 1961, when Whitcomb and Morris published their book, and
> >now it seems that in many circles adherence to these assertions is viewed
> >as a test of orthodoxy. That would imply a low view of the doctrinal
> >soundness of just about every believer before that date.
> >
> >
> >Gordon Brown
> >Department of Mathematics
> >University of Colorado
> >Boulder, CO 80309-0395
> >
> >
> >On Sat, 27 Feb 1999 PHSEELY@aol.com wrote:
> >
> >> I have been thinking about Blaine's experience with the "conservatives"
> and
> >> their YEC ideas; and thought I should share my own approach to them, an
> >> approach which usually does not change their minds, but makes them less
> >> willing to be vocal.
> >>
> >> My approach is to expose creation science on its own grounds. That is,
> the
> >> YEC's claim to be following a straight forward interpretation of the
> Bible;
> >> but, in fact, at crucial points they take the Bible out of context. My
> past
> >> papers in the Westminster Journal show that they are reading a global
> earth
> >> into Gen 1-11, are rejecting the historical-grammatical meaning of
> "firmament"
> >> as a rock-solid sky, and are reversing the Bible's description of water
> above
> >> the firmament into a canopy of water below the firmament.
> >
It seems to me that you have not had the real opportunity to speak with
YEC people. While we want to treat each individual individually, as a
rule, they accept not any possibility of error and view the old earth
folks (I quote) "those who twist the Holy scriptures". In the places I
have spoken it has been a not kind discussion and indeed a meeting with
the senior people of the congregation to get me ousted. Bert Massie