R/I ~ AA
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The Genesis story of creation begins in Genesis 1: 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. This verse doesn’t tell us how long ago creation began nor does it tell us how long it took or in what order things unfolded.
God wrote more than one book. God wrote a book in nature (science) and God wrote a book by apostles and prophets (Scripture). Materialistic scientists have tried to separate these 2 books as much as possible by pointing out what they see as contradictions. Now the church set itself up to be punched at by claiming the universe was created 6000 years ago in 6-24 hour days. Now looking at the first 2 verses in Genesis 1 that information is just not there.
Genesis 1: 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was (Definition: to fall out, come to pass, become, be) without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
On the six-day God created man.
In 1997 science came out with an age of mitochondrial Eve studying the unique DNA of mitochondria which is unique between man and woman they traced back the apparent first woman based on current human mutation rates. There appears to be only one line of mitochondrial DNA in females which would make sense if we started out with one female. If we started out with multiple females as evolutionists theorize, there should be more than one type of mitochondrial DNA in females, apparently, there is not.
Plus given the mutation rate, if there’s a claim that mitochondrial Eve is 157,000 years old there should be roughly around 535-1000 DNA differences today. But if she was about 6000 years old there would be between 20-79 differences. When we look at mitochondrial DNA databases we only find 77 actual differences. This would be more consistent with Eve being around 6000 years ago not 157,000 or 500,000 as some evolutionist guesstimate.
The reason why there’s such a large range of possible dates is trying to fit it into evolutionary theory. Back in 1997 scientists who were working with the mitochondrial DNA in women came up with mitochondrial Eve being 6500 years ago but of course, that sounded too biblical so in 2009 they guesstimated 108,000 but in 2012 incorporating assumptions of human and chimp ancestry they came up with 250-300,000 years ago and then in 2013 they came up with 157,000 years ago but the original 6500 years was based only on human ancestry without the theoretical human-chimp ancestry.
The bottom line is with current mutation rates the original couple was around 6000 years ago. Based on the genealogies in the bible from Adam, that would put Adam around 6000 years ago.
This is one of many ways that true science bends itself to scriptural truth claims. It has been said from Aristotle to Hubbell the consensus was for an eternal universe but when Hubble presented his findings his colleagues criticized him for teaching Genesis. Now we know the universe did have a beginning. An honest evaluation of the evidence in mitochondria DNA supports the idea Adam and Eve were 6000 years ago.
We have no idea what timeframe there was between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2. There is evidence in Scripture for life during this time but it would have been wiped out in Genesis 1:2. So that can account for fossils long before 6000 years.
Presuppositions can lead to corrupt science.
What presuppositions do you have that would make you resist this information?
John Keefe