Ever since science has attempted to determine the age of the universe there has been an intellectual battle between the forces of science and creationism. I tend to believe that there doesn't have to be such a war between the two camps. There are genuine approaches for reconciling the two accounts of creation.
An example of one possible approach was set forth by Dr. Gerald Schroeder. He argued that seven days from the outer rim of the universe can equal billions of years within the universe.
His approach is based on Einstein's time dilation theory.
The gist of it goes like this:
When the big bang happened the outer rim of the universe ballooned outward with such a tremendous burst of energy that it approached the speed of light. Time dilation theory teaches that the faster you go in space the slower you go in time. Therefore by reaching such high speeds, time greatly slowed down at the outer rim of the universe when measured relative to clocks within the universe.
So while the outer rim experienced only seven days, the interior of the universe could have experienced 15 billion years.
Once the framework of a seven day creation has been paradoxically greatly expanded while simultaneously being very literal, there is room to discuss a protracted process of creation, along with what tools might have been in the Creator's "tool box" to bring this about. Without any knowledge to the contrary, evolution should be as good a tool as any other for the Creator to slowly make the various species.
I'm not personally saying that this is how it happened or that I throw my full support into Dr. Schroeder's theory. (Actually, I personally believe in an entirely different mechanism for creation based on Lurianic Kabbalah, which for the moment I consider outside the scope of this blog.)
However, the very fact that such a neat reconciliation exists should bring both camps to question whether the argument is really worth it?
For those who are interested in further exploration of Dr. Schroeder's teachings, the following link will take you to his official website:
http://www.geraldschroeder.com/AccordingToGod.aspx
There is a simpler way to reconcile the Genesis account in the Bible with the evidence of fossils and genetics. The Bible does not say that God first created the earth in six days, even when you take Genesis literally. A careful reading of the Genesis account shows that the earth already existed BEFORE the six days of creation began. The six days were literal 24-hour days, but they describe a renewing of the surface of the earth, a restoration from a condition of chaos brought about through a disaster that ruined the earth's surface. But the earth already existed, and could have existed for millions of years, and during that time there could have been life on the earth, all the species that produced the fossils scientists have found.
ReplyDeleteGod could have designed the species over millions of year through a process of guided modification and branching (GMB), a form of intelligent design. This would mean that the design of the species came about over millions of years from a common anscestor, but it would not be evolution through natural forces only because it would be guided by God.
There could have been millions or billions of years between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2. I can see how science & creation could go hand in hand.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I'm not a great fan, Neale Donald Walsch explained it this way. The Hindus believe the nothing which holds everything is what some call God. This is not entirely accurate because God is all things--seen & unseen. God is a combination of all that is and all that is not.
In creating that which is "here" & that which is "there," God made it possible for God to know God. In the moment of this great explosion from within, God created relativity. Therefore relationship is the greatest gift God gave us.
The nothing came from everything--a spiritual event consistent with "The Big Bang Theory."
I want to thank the person who made the anonymous first comment for illuminating me with a very simple possibility that I have never before seen. It is very consistent with the strain of Rabbinic tradition that claims that the Genesis story was already preceded by six other 7,000 year cycles. According to at least one version of this tradition one day in this cycle is really 1,000 years. This is based on the verse in Psalms (90:4) which states, "For a thousand years in Your eyes are but as yesterday when it is past...". Work out the math on this and you get about 15 Billion years.
ReplyDeleteTo Angela, I have a couple questions:
1) When you refer to God as also being all that is not, do you mean all that is still in a state of potential?
2) In the Jewish view God is perfect. Being perfect, means that He does not require any any change or evolution. So at least according to where I am coming from how can God get to know Himself?
Thank you Angela
Choni
The Book of Enoch states there are five earth ages. Very interesting. Although I'm unsure of how many cycles, (the rabbinic tradition could very well be true. I have faith in that) some state we're in our fourth earth age; then, there will be a period of 7000 in which God will make the new heaven & earth before souls begin to emerge--just like with Adam & Eve. (2 Esdras talks of this--the holding place where souls are kept).
ReplyDeleteIt's my belief that God is continually creating. We're continually creating. In my opinion, God has to experience Himself thru us. We're a part of Him--it's like He has us on a leash and never lost us. In order for God to know Himself, He had to create an extreme opposite from Himself--hence, the straying (fall) in Genesis. Each of us is a vessel, a part that will return to Him. Then we'll truly appreciate what we had--after overcoming. We'll know what joy & peace really are.
Isaiah 45:14 (the last sentence of that verse states) "Surely God is in you, and there is none else. There is no other God". Imo, many of us do our own judging but are guided from above.
The Book of Enoch (true regardless whether it's in the Tanakh, or not, imo) states that God is the God of all the ages. There is One God. Getting to a Mormon belief, each age has a God who is over it. We're all a part of the Oneness of God. God includes everything that is & is not in my opinion. We're here to overcome & eradicate evil and return to the One God.
All this reminds me of "The Blind Man and the Elephant". All religions have their part of the Body or the Tree. Hebrew souls are the Head. True Christians are the Heart. The Hindus are another part of the Body/Tree. Same is true of true Muslims. And so forth. It takes all of us working together as One. We're all joined. All connected.
And the ones who aren't true--whose heart hasn't yet overcome--will be purified as thru fire, as mentioned in the Tanakh. Afterwards their souls will be kept in a holding place until they come out in the new heaven & earth.
That's the way I see it. I'm open to improvement.
The way I see it is that the Creator being perfect has perfect (Self) knowledge and therefore already knows Himself, simply as a fact of His Beingness.
ReplyDeleteAll this just logically follows from the notion of the Creator's Infinity, meaning "no limits". Therefore, from my perspective the Creator does not need to go through an extra step(s) to get to know Himself.
In my understanding of the Torah's teachings, mankind's creation was for an entirely different purpose. In short, it was because the Creator was looking for someone to do kindness with. However, for the kindness to be meaningful it needed to be earned. Otherwise, it would feel like charity. Yuk! So the Creator gave people free choice and via their choosing, often against the odds, to do good, they "earn" the Creator's kindness.
Judaism also has a notion that we're in a 7,000 year cycle and at the end of the cycle there will be a new heaven and earth. However, according to some of our ancient Sages this cycle is part of a series of seven cycles. I've heard a couple of different traditions of which 7,000 cycle we're in.
I know I need God to guide me, and I sincerely wish it's as you say, but there are questions still open (in my mind) about this if it is, in fact, true. When my mother was reading Bible stories to me as a toddler, I had a question why God would need to rest. I wondered why God was sorry he made man and destroyed those in the Flood. I also wondered why he had a need to express Himself with love/goodness as if we're His artwork. To me, I thought He was probably lonely to create us (but our Creator lonely)? The answer is becoming clearer & clearer to me, but all has not been revealed to me. I will wait & be ready though.
ReplyDeleteI do believe if the way is hard & narrow we'll truly appreciate what we have when we finally find Him/become like Him. Then we can just "be". We become the "I am". No one appreciate things freely given.
In Judaism both the spiritual and physical are equally creations. Contrary to popular notions, in Judaism God is not "spiritual". Rather He's the Creator of all, including the spiritual.
ReplyDelete"His resting" is really the resting of the spiritual forces that He invested into creation. These forces being finite needed the rest - the recharge. He Himself didn't.
I'm sure that "His regret after the flood" was not fickleness of mind. I need to investigate what it was.
Oh, of course. I should have understood the "rest" part, but I didn't until now.
ReplyDeleteThat's OK. I didn't understand it either until it was explained to me in a book.
ReplyDeleteI think God was not tired and did not need to rest, but He is able to rest if He wants to, and He is able to enjoy resting just as He can enjoy working.
ReplyDeleteWhy did He rest if He didn't need to? He set an example for mankind. He rested to create the seventh-day Sabbath by His example. He made the Sabbath for mankind, and that seventh day after the six days of creation was actually the first Sabbath day. God creating the Sabbath by resting that first seventh day.
This is an interesting idea that carries many implications. Thank you.
ReplyDelete