Science and Genesis chapter 1

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Science and Genesis chapter 1
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Do you think the creation account in Genesis
chapter 1 is compatible with modern scientific
knowledge?

• Aztec, Chinese, and Greek, creation myths

2. Modern scientific account of creation
3. Creation account in Genesis chapter 1
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How can Genesis chapter 1 be compatible with
science if it says that the earth was made in 6
days?
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Definitions of day
Websters New World Dictionary 1 the period of
light between sunrise and sunset 2 the time (24
hours) that it takes the earth to rotate once on
its axis 3 also pl. a period era 4 a time of
power, glory, etc. 5 daily work period an
8-hour day
Definitions of Hebrew yowm translated day in
English 1 from sunrise to sunset 2 from sunset
to sunset 3 a segment of time without any
reference to solar days (usually several years)
4 an age or epoch
If youm refers to an age or epoch rather
than from sunset to sunset then why does the
text mention evening and morning?
Definitions of Hebrew ereb translated
evening in English 1 sunset 2 night 3 ending
of the day
Definitions of Hebrew boqer translated
morning in English 1 sunrise 2 coming of light
3 dawning 4 beginning of the day
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How does science determine the age of the earth?
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At present, the Colorado River is eroding about
one half a foot every 1,000 years. That means it
takes 2,000 years to erode each foot of rock. If
there are 6000 feet of rock missing and it takes
2,000 years for each foot, then the time to erode
the Canyon is 6,000 feet x 2,000 years per foot
or 12,000,000 years.
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1.5 Seconds
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4.5 Minutes
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5 Hours 20 Minutes
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2.2 Million Years
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10 Billion Years
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If the sun and moon were created on the fourth
day then where did the light come from in Day 1?
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and the Spirit of God was hovering over the
waters. (Genesis 12)
Here
Here
OR
What is the vantage point for viewing the rest of
the creation process?
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Genesis 114-19 reveals that in the fourth
creative stage God parted the cloud cover enough
for direct sunlight to fall on the earth and for
accurate observation of the movements of the sun,
moon, and stars to take place. Verse 16 should
not be understood as indicating the creation of
the heavenly bodies for the first time on the
fourth creative day rather it informs us that
the sun, moon, and stars created on Day One as
the source of light had been placed in their
appointed places by God with a view to their
eventually functioning as indicators of time
(signs, seasons, days, years) to terrestrial
observers. The Hebrew verb wayyaas in v.16
should better be rendered Now God had made the
two great luminaries, etc., rather than as
simple past tense, God made. (Hebrew has no
special form for the pluperfect tense but uses
the perfect tense, or the conversive imperfect as
here, to express either the English past or the
English pluperfect, depending on the
context.) --Gleason Archer, Encyclopedia of Bible
Difficulties
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Genesis 114-16 elohim
maor raquia
shamayim 14) And God said, Let there be
lights in the firmament of the heaven
badal yom layelah, layil
oth to divide the
day from the night and let them be for
signs, and moed yom
shanah
maor for seasons, and for days, and years
15) And let them be for lights
raquia shamayim or
erets in the firmament of the heaven
to give light upon the earth and it
elohim asah gadol maor
gadol maor was so. 16) And God
made two great lights the greater light to
(or had
made) memsheleth yom quaton
maor memsheleth layelah,layil asah rule
the day, and the lesser light to
rule the night he made


(or had made) kakab the stars also.
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ORDER OF CREATION EVENTS IN GENESIS CHP. 1 11
Creation of the physical universe (space, time,
matter, energy, galaxies, stars, planets, the
earth, and the ocean) 13-5 Transformation of
the earths atmosphere from opaque to
translucent 16-8 Formation of hydrologic cycle
(evaporation and precipitation) 19 Formation
of the continents 111-13 Establishment of
plants on the continents 114-19 Transformation
of the atmosphere from translucent to
transparent 120-23 Creation of marine animal
life and birds 124-25 Creation of land
animals 126-27 Creation of man
SCIENTIFIC ORDER OF CREATION EVENTS 1) The Big
Bang, galaxy formation, star formation, solar
system formation, earth formation 2)
Transformation of the earths atmosphere from
opaque to translucent 3) Formation of hydrologic
cycle (evaporation and precipitation) 4)
Formation of the continents 5) Establishment of
plants on the continents 6) Transformation of
the atmosphere from translucent to
transparent 7) Emergence of marine animal life
and birds 8) Emergence of land animals 9)
Emergence of man