The Science of Creation and the Flood. Introduction to Lesson 3

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1 The Science of Creation and the Flood Introduction to Lesson 3 Discussion of various radiometric dating methods and evidences for a young earth is presented. Discussion of how evolutionists and creationists interpret observed data based on assumptions is presented. The Assurance of an Old Earth In the public school system children are assured that the earth is billion years old. They are told that dinosaurs roamed the earth more than 65 million years ago, and that man (Homo sapiens) has been around for at least a million years. In fact, anatomically modern Homo sapiens fossils are found in strata on the evolutionist's time charts back to 4.5 million years ago. 1 In fact all modern animals appear in the fossil record abruptly and fully formed. This fact speaks against Darwinian evolution, since no missing links can be established. The textbooks are full of such claims for an old earth. Because the textbooks say so, most children assume that it s true, and never question these dates. Even children raised with an understanding of the Scriptures believe that science has confirmed these ages and therefore they must be true. Because of this, many accept alternate explanations for the creation account given in the first few chapters of Genesis. Also, because they view the creation account of Genesis chapters 1 and 2 as myth, they come to believe that the Bible cannot be trusted. Many children abandon their faith after high school, and many more during their college days. Many of these never attend church again. The question becomes, has the dating methods proven that the earth is old, and that the Biblical creation account is myth? The answer to this question may be the most important answer in your life, and the ability to share that answer effectively to a friend or loved one may make a huge difference in acceptance of the free gift of salvation. The Meaning of Day An understanding of Genesis chapter 1 must include an understanding of what is meant by the Hebrew word yom, translated day in the first few verses of Genesis. Many, assuming that an old earth has been proven, have advocated the belief that it refers to long ages rather than a literal 24-hour day. As we will see, the word day, supported by the usage of the same word throughout Scripture, means a literal 24-hour day. It will be shown that the word day in Genesis chapter 1 represents a tight chronology revealing a 6-day creation. Dating Methods This lesson may seem the most technical and difficult. But, this subject is extremely important to many that doubt the trustworthiness of the Bible. The technical aspects of the dating methods are presented so that the student will be able to understand the many assumptions that are made in order to achieve the desired dating numbers. Grasping an understanding of how the dating methods achieve the dates is necessary to show that the dates obtained do not necessarily indicate the actual age of a fossil or rock. The evolutionist presents his proof that the date he obtains supports his claim that the earth is 4.5 million years old. What is never reported is whether the assumptions made to obtain the date are valid, and we certainly never hear about how many dates were rejected because they did not line up with the assumed model. 2 John Eddy, one of the world s leading Solar Astronomers, has said that there is nothing in the observations of the Sun to enable us to discriminate between the 4.5 billion-year age the evolutionists have given and the date of 4004 BC given by Bishop Ussher in the King James Bible. There is no way to 1 Marvin L. Lubenow, BONES OF CONTENTION: A Creationist Assessment of Human Fossils, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1992, pp Harold R. Booher, Ph.D., ORIGINS, ICONS AND ILLUSIONS, Exploring the Science and Psychology of Creation and Evolution, St. Louis, MO: Warren H. Green, Inc., 1998, p Scott Freeman and John C. Herron, EVOLUTIONARY ANALYSIS, Boston, MA: Pearson Custom Publishing, 1998, 2001, 2004, pp. 668, Harold R. Booher, Ph.D., ORIGINS, ICONS AND ILLUSIONS, Exploring the Science and Psychology of Creation and Evolution, St. Louis, MO: Warren H. Green, Inc., 1998, p

2 determine from observation whether the Sun is just thousands of years old or 4.5 billion years old. The cosmological model a person adopts determines the Sun s age. He also said that solar physics gets its time scale from paleontology, that is, from the fossils. 3 The student is encouraged to realize that whether he or she fully understands the technical aspects, an understanding of the assumptions made in order to obtain the dating numbers is the most important. Each of the dating methods must use assumptions in the application of the method. The results are far from sure. Interpreting Data? The problem facing the evolutionist, as well as the creationist, is how to interpret the data they see. This includes the dating methods. The evolutionist and the creationist interpret data in accordance with certain preconceived beliefs. The evolutionist believes that the earth is old and that evolution occurred, and therefore looks for data to support that belief system. The young earth creationist believes that the earth is young and that God created, and views the same data with this in mind. Hopefully, the lessons in this course will show that the theory of evolution is bankrupt, and that there is sound evidence for special creation. 3 Lubenow, BONES OF CONTENTION (A Creationist Assessment of Human Fossils), pp

3 CREATION NOTES LESSON 03 DATING THE EARTH Genesis 1:4: 1. "And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness." - a. "Light" - "Ore," the substance of light; energy in all its forms. b. "God divided the light from the darkness" - This defines the word "yom" (day) of verse 5. This sets the boundaries for the 24-hour day. "Divided" - infers that the earth is rotating on its axis, and that there is a source of light, but not yet the Sun, Moon, and stars. (Isaiah 60:1-3, 19, 20; Revelation 21:1-4, 22-27) Genesis 1:5: 2. "And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day." - a. "Day" - The "light" when God worked. "Night" the dark time when God did no work. b. Gerald Schroeder, in his book, GENESIS AND THE BIG BANG, indicates a possible translation of the words translated evening and morning as: c. "Evening" (erev) - The Hebrew, erev, means mixed up; stirred together or disorderly. d. "Morning" (boker) - The Hebrew, boker, means discernible; able to be distinguished or orderly. e. The idea, and the order, of evening and morning, besides establishing day and night, suggests the creative act of disorderly to orderly. f. Most lexicons indicate the translation of the words for evening and morning indicate a literal 24-hour day. 3. Exodus 20:9-11 establish the pattern of labor and rest, "Six days shalt thou labor the seventh day is the sabbath For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth and all that in them is and rested the seventh day " a. The word "day" (yom) of Genesis 1:5 occurs 2291 times in the Old Testament, and almost always refers to a literal, 24-hour, day. When modified by a number (numeral, 1, 2, 3 or ordinal, first, second, third ), such as in Genesis chapter 1, it always refers to a literal day (359 times outside of Genesis chapter 1). When modified by the words "evening" and/or "morning" it always refers to a literal day (38 times outside of Genesis chapter 1). 4. If the days of creation are literal 24-hour days, then what about the radiometric dating results giving "proof of long ages?" a. What about the certain evidence of long time periods supported by various dating methods? All dating methods have problems that are not usually discussed. Again assumptions play a major role. Carbon 14 is used to determine the age of dead organic matter. The carbon 14 method depends on the conversion of C-14 from N-14, which takes place in the atmosphere by bombardment of neutrons from space. The concentration of C-14 builds up until the amount of C-14 being produced is equal to the amount of C-14 decaying to N-14. (C-14 is radioactive). The problem is that it takes 30,000 years for steady state (equilibrium) to be reached. Living organisms take in C-14, and the ratio of C-14 to C-12 is believed to be in steady state. Since dead organisms cease intake of C-14, and C-14 decays over time, the 3

4 ratio may be obtained in dead organisms and compared with the assumed ratio at the time of death. Because of their belief in long time periods scientists assume that steady state (30,000 years) has been reached, ignoring existing evidence to the contrary. There are problems with the other methods as well. We assume long time periods; therefore those tests that show too short of time periods for evolution to work are simply not discussed and are ignored. Wood taken from growing trees, using the Carbon-14 method, has been dated to be 10,000 years old. A living snail was dated to be 2,300 years old by the Carbon-14 method. 5. A half-life can be illustrated by the example of a candle. If we burn a new candle and time it until its length is half of what it was when we started. We have determined the half-life of the candle. Depletion of radioactive material is the same principle. Different radioactive elements have different half-lives, or decay rate. 6. Recent studies done between 1997 and 2005, by creation scientists [RATE* Team], show that some C-14 is still present in diamonds and coal. Since diamonds are assumed to be at least a billion years old, and coal is dated at between 34 and 311 million years there should be no Carbon-14 present. The findings of the RATE team conclude that after 100,000 years there should be no detectable C-14 present in either coal or diamonds if they are as old as assumed. a. All diamonds and coal tested showed the presence of C-14. b. Diamonds have not previously been reported for C-14, since diamonds are assumed to be a billion years old, and should be free from all C-14. [25;26;27] c. Therefore, the earth must be younger than 100,000 years based on the half-life of C-14. d. All coal tested showed the same level of C-14, whether in the top layer, or at the bottom. This is evidence that the organisms that formed the coal all died at the same time. e. Detectable levels of C-14 is found in all levels of fossils throughout the earth, including diamonds. Diamonds are the hardest substance, resisting contamination. This is strong evidence that all were formed at the same time a worldwide flood. 7. Carbon 14 dating is not an exact science. Wood taken from growing trees, using the Carbon-14 method, has been dated to be 10,000 years old. A living snail was dated to be 2,300 years old by the Carbon-14 method. The Earth can easily be 6-10 thousand years old instead of 4.6 billion years. 8. Carbon 14 is used to date material that was once alive. Other method must be used to date fossils (which have turned to stone) and rocks. Other radiometric dating methods, relying on the decay of a radioactive element, must assume that there has been no outside contamination of the sample measured, either in nature, or exposed to migration (How can we be sure?); as in the case of the Potassium-Argon method that depends on the radioactive decay of Potassium to Argon, there must be only Potassium present, no Argon, at the beginning of the Potassium-Argon decay series (How can we be sure?); and the decay rate must have been the same over the length of time measured (How can we be sure?). Potassium dissolves easily in water. Washing of rocks with water (rain or underground streams) could dilute the amount of potassium, causing the rocks to appear much older than they are. Excess argon present would also cause assumptions that the rocks are much older. There is no way to be certain that daughter elements were not present in the beginning since these elements are found widely distributed in the earth s crust. Water percolation, heating, and deformation of rocks can cause migration of both daughter and parent atoms. We 4

5 cannot be sure of the validity of any of the dating methods. The process is the same for the Uranium-Lead method. Uranium (parent) decays to Lead (daughter). A problem with this method is that both Uranium and Lead migrate in shale. Widely diverging results can be obtained from samples from the same location. Neutrino, neutron, or cosmic radiation may alter the rates of radioactive decay according to recent research. The Radioisotope dating clock starts when a rock cools. During the molten state it is assumed that the intense heat will force any gaseous daughter elements like argon to escape. Once the rock cools it is assumed that no more atoms can escape and any daughter element found in a rock will be the result of radioactive decay. 9. Stephen Austin, PhD geology, and member of the RATE team, had a rock from a newly formed 1986 lava dome from Mount St. Helens dated. Using Potassium-Argon dating, the newly formed rocks gave ages between 0.5 and 2.8 million years. These dates show that significant argon (daughter element) was present when the rock solidified. This shows that you cannot assume that there is no daughter element (argon) present at the beginning. a. Eleven lava samples taken from the 1949, 1954, and 1975 eruptions of Mount Ngauruhoe in New Zealand were tested at the Geochron Laboratories in Cambridge, Massachusetts and returned dates between million years old. b. In order to get these dates, sufficient daughter elements must have been present. If we can t get it right with samples of known dates, how can we be sure of samples of unknown dates? c. The Radioisotope methods are used to date fossils as well as rocks. 10. Scientist attempt to eliminate errors of unknown starting conditions, but the method used, the Isochron method, is still based on fallible assumptions. DATING AND ASSUMPTIONS 11. The RATE team found evidence for accelerated radioisotope decay in the past, and compared it to diffusion of helium trapped in zircon crystals produced as a by-product of uranium decaying into lead within the crystals. A high level of Helium was found still contained within the zircon crystals. Zircons are tiny crystals found in granite rock. a. Within the zircon crystals, any helium atoms generated by nuclear decay in the distant past should have long ago migrated outward and escaped from these crystals. One would expect the helium gas to eventually diffuse upward out of the ground and then disappear into the atmosphere. To everyone s surprise, however, large amounts of helium have been found trapped inside zircons. The RATE team s tests concluded that over a billion years of nuclear decay occurred recently, between 4,000 and 8,000 years ago. b. Comparing the diffusion rate of helium leaking from zircon samples to the radioisotope decay rate of the uranium contained within the zircon sample, they discovered that while the helium leakage rate produced an age of 6,000 years, the uranium decay (lead) produced an age for the zircon of 1.5 billion years. The zircon crystals were obtained within mica flakes trapped within granite rock. c. The conclusions of this study suggest that the rate of radioisotope decay for the uranium sample within the zircon had been at an accelerated rate in the past not at a constant rate throughout history as assumed by the secular scientific community. d. Due to constant leak rate of helium, there should have been no helium present after billions of years. The age of the earth is 6,000 years, not billions. e. The radioisotope decay rate was not constant throughout history as supposed. The RATE scientists believe that accelerated decay took place at least twice in history, during creation week and during the Flood. It is also known that there are circumstances, such as 5

6 catastrophic events, that can result in changes to the radio isotopic decay rates (half-lives), but science ignores them in their assumptions that the decay rates remained constant throughout history. 12. Polonium Radio Halos They have short half lives (the time for polonium to decay). The range of half-lives for different radioactive polonium elements is from 164 microseconds ( 214 PO) to days ( 210 PO). In order for the halos to leave their marks, the rocks must have cooled fast, for the oldest rocks have halos. Evolution theory demands that the earth s earliest rocks cooled slowly. If they cooled slowly, we should see no halos since their short half-lives would have depleted them. This is strong evidence that the earth s oldest rocks cannot be more than a few thousand years old. 13. Helium is pouring into the atmosphere from radioactive decay of Uranium and Thorium, but not much is escaping. The total amount of helium in the atmosphere is only 1/2000 th of that expected if the atmosphere is really billions of years old. Also, so much helium is still in rocks that the earth could not be billions of years old; otherwise more of it would have escaped. The amount of Helium in our atmosphere would account for the age of the earth being only 10,000 years old. 14. The Rotation of the Earth - The rotation of the earth is gradually slowing down due to gravitational drag forces of the Sun, Moon, and other factors. If the earth is billions of years old and has been slowing down uniformly then its present rotation rate should be zero. 15. The Recession of the Moon - The Moon is gradually receding from the earth. If the recession rate has been uniform and the earth is 4.6 billion years old, the Moon should be much further away from the earth than it is now. 16. Meteor Strikes - If the earth is billions of years old, why do we find meteor strikes only on the surface of the earth and not in the subsurface geologic deposits? 17. Earth s population - Today s population is what one would expect if man has been around for 6,000 years. If man has been on earth for millions of years the population should be vastly larger. If the population increase was ½ of 1 percent over one million years, the population should be That is 1 followed by 2,100 zeros. 18. The following table taken from Dr. Edward F. Blick's CORRELATION OF THE BIBLE AND SCIENCE, (an expansion of Dr. Henry Morris' table in THE BIBLICAL BASIS FOR MODERN SCIENCE), shows that using uniformatarian estimates, the age of the earth is vastly younger than the 4.5 billion years currently proposed, and I might add, hoped for by evolutionists. In fact, evolutionists would like even an older earth, otherwise they prefer to look for life having formed elsewhere, and the earth "seeded" by aliens or "Mars rocks." 6

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8 ASSUMPTIONS 19. Evolution is a religion that many scientists use to design their scientific models to match. They will reject any theory that implies that God may exist. They often use circular reasoning to support their theory. When dating fossils, they ignore or disclaim any dating that does not support their theory. 20. Creation scientists look at the world to determine if there is evidence that it matches their model of creation found in the Biblical account. 21. Most people, scientists included, interpret data based on assumptions that support our worldview. 22. Some predictions of the Evolution Model are: transitional forms, beneficial mutations, things should be seen getting better, and we should expect to see new species. 23. Some predictions of the Creation Model are: separate, distinct kinds, intelligent design in nature, tendency for decay, and extinction of species. 24. Many Christians have succumbed to evolution, thinking that the faulty interpretations by secular scientists are facts. Therefore they apply these faulty interpretations to the first few chapters of Genesis, and come up with new theories that support both God and evolution. Some of these theories are Theistic Evolution, The Day Age Theory, Progressive Creation, The Gap Theory, Framework Hypothesis, and Local Flood. THEORIES 25. Attempts to harmonize the theory of evolution to the Bible takes many forms, including Theistic Evolution, the Day Age theory, the Gap theory, Progressive Creation, and the Framework Hypothesis. 26. Theistic Evolution - An attempt to harmonize the Bible to the theory of evolution by saying that God used evolution to develop the Universe and man and put His image (spirit) in him when the ape that became man was ready. Major problem - violence and death were in the world before the fall. Many Catholic theologians and liberal Protestants hold this view. 8

9 27. The Day Age Theory - This suggests that the six days of creation represent ages, long time periods, rather than literal days. The Day Age Theory dates from the rise of geology in the early 1800's. This theory allows long time periods for each day of Genesis. The advantage of this theory is that it allows geologists the sequence he wants, but ignores the sequence presented by the Bible. This theory also allows the biologists time for evolution. Problems with the theory include: a) If so, how do the fruit trees created on the third day survive through the long age without the sun, which was created on the fourth day? b) Also the fruit trees depend on pollination by either birds (fifth day) or insects (sixth day). 28. The Gap Theory - This suggests that Genesis 1:2 should read Now the earth became (instead of was) formless and empty. The theory postulates that the original creation came to a sudden and cataclysmic ruin, usually associated with the fall of Lucifer. This gap is considered to be between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2. This is said to account for the fossils that we dig up. A major problem with this theory is that while attempting to reconcile evolution to the Bible, and to provide the long time frame, it doesn t address the fact that the theory brings into the universe, and the earth, sin and death before the fall of man in the Biblical narrative. 29. Progressive Creation - This represents the belief that the days of creation in Genesis 1 refer to long ages of death and suffering. The theory believes that creation was progressive, that God created different creatures in different succeeding time frames over many years. A problem with this theory is that it allows death before sin. This is the theory proposed by astronomer Hugh Ross. 30. Framework Hypothesis - Attempts to allegorize Scriptures that make reference to facts about the past. Genesis presents only spiritual implications, not historical or scientific implications. 31. The Big Bang theory is used to explain origins, and may be used by some in an attempt to explain time from God's vantage point, while adhering to the 6-day creation from man's vantage point. Problems exist with this theory. 32. The Literal Historical theory is the theory that takes God at His literal word, accepting that catastrophism, such as the Noahic Flood, accounts for what we see in the world today. This is the method we use in this study. 9

Creation vs. Evolution

Creation vs. Evolution The Biblical Creation Model 1. Special Creation of all things by God in six solar days. 2. The Curse on all things because of sin. All things are dying. 3. The global Flood of Noah