Theories of the Earth

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Theories of the Earth

• Thomas Burnets Sacred Theory

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Title Page and Frontispiece
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Stages of the Earths Development

• Chaos. A turbulent mixture of water, earth, etc.
• Paradise. A smooth sphere of fertile soil, with
  the waters (waiting) beneath.
• The Flood. Brought about by natural (secondary)
  causes, even though it served a Divine purpose.
  The soil dried out, cracked and foundered in the
  depths.
• The Present (a wreck). The natural world seen
  as in decay, mountains seen as horrible
  threatening rather than beautiful. Explanations
  of various geological phenomena are offered here.
  

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The Changes to Come

• Destruction by Fire. Armageddon coal fires. A
  link between volcanoes the Catholic Church.
• Paradise Restored.
• The Earth becomes a star.

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The Relationship between Religion and Science

• At this point (late 17th Century) the idea that
  science and religion could wind up in opposition
  to each other is strongly resisted
• No truth concerning the natural world cannot be
  an Enemy to Religion for Truth cannot be an
  Enemy to Truth, God is not divided against
  Himself

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Two Books

• One important tradition in Christian theology
  emphasizes the notion that we have received two
  principle sources of knowledge, in effect two
  books
• The bible, of course, is one.
• The world is the other.
• Burnet clearly belongs to this tradition.

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Push-back

• Other views of the present earth Providential
  accounts of the present state of the earth are
  coupled with more generous aesthetic opinions.
• In particular, a more positive take on mountains
  begins to emerge (for example, in the work of
  John Ray an important English naturalist.)

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A Wider Concern

• For some, the act of mixing scientific ideas and
  explanations with the stories of Genesis was
  itself sacrilegious.
• But similar views and alternative positions
  continued to emerge despite the condemnations
  (and ridicule) Burnet encountered.
• Still, the attempt to bring scripture and
  scientific/causal stories together clearly caused
  serious difficulties for Burnet.

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Where to from here?

• Others would take a different tack, treating the
  scientific story in its own terms, without any
  direct attempt to link it to the bible.
• But efforts to link the two remained significant
  in geology up until the diluvialists of the early
  nineteenth century.
• The main leader of the Diluvialists (Buckland)
  finally recanted around 1830, declaring the
  attempt to link geological evidence to the flood
  A scientific heresy. But we have a few more
  stories to tell before we get there.