Re: [asa] Mark 10:6 -- "beginning of creation"

Since the creation of spiritual humans (wherever one places that into
the history of hominids) would seem to be the relevant point of
reference rather than the creation of the universe.

> I thought I'd hear all the arguments, but this got me thinking maybe I
> haven't. What other arguments are commonly made that the New Testament
> requires a young earth / 6 day view, and what are the common responses (or
> are there any others)?

I know there are a few bad arguments for a global flood from the NT.
Jesus comparing the parousia to the flood (Mt. 24:37-39; Lk. 17:26-27)
has been claimed to indicate a global flood because the second coming
will be a global event. However, the context is about suddenness and
unexpectedness. In particular, Luke goes on to add a comparison with
the destruction of Sodom, which was not global. Geographic extent is
not in view.

II Pet. 2:5 describes the flood as coming upon the world (kosmos) of
the ungodly. I know of no young earth scenario that invokes a flood
affecting the whole cosmos, so they are using a very restricted sense
of the word. Most NT usages of kosmos mean "world" in the negative
figurative sense, i.e. humanity (and possibly other spiritual forces)
in opposition to God and His people. Thus, it's not very convincing
to infer any geographic extent from this verse. The world of the
ungodly is not primarily a geographic region.

A bad antievolutionary argument invokes I Cor. 15:39 as proof that
vertebrate classes are of inherently separated "kinds". However,
Paul's point is merely that, if I order the hamburger, chicken
sandwich, and fish sandwich and can't tell which is which, I have
reason to complain. More importantly, 15:51 is not a warning to
prospective nursery workers but rather an assertion that God will
transform our weak, sinful, earthly natures into heavenly natures.
Inferring that God can't change one earthly kind into another from the
passage is therefore counter to the whole point of the passage.

There are other arguments that use NT citations of the Pentateuch as
evidence that the Pentateuch is authoritative; therefore the
young-earth misinterpretation of Genesis 1-10 is authoritative. E.g.,
mention of the Flood proves that Jesus believed the Flood was a real
event, therefore it was global.

-- 
Dr. David Campbell
425 Scientific Collections
University of Alabama
"I think of my happy condition, surrounded by acres of clams"
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