Originally posted by Artimaeus:
Thanks, Craigbythesea and Deacon, now that's the kind of thing I was looking for. (I think? ) I am not an endrologist nor am I an Egyptologist. Let's assume for a moment that what they say is accurate, as opposed to their best estimate. That would mean that the Bible is not accurate and is only some sort of mystical mythology that only an elite teacher can decipher.
[SNIP]
By proving the Bible inaccurate, you will succeed only in undermining Biblical truth and reduced it to nothing more than a philosophy whose interpreters may or may not be right because there is no standard for me to compare with what they say.
One of the strengths of Christianity is its connection with historical events. The empty tomb confronted the Jews and Romans of Jerusalem with the fact of the resurrection. The splendor and wonder of the world confront the world with the might of the Creator.
I’m disappointed your response Artimaeus.
Simple dismissal of physical evidences leaves one with a weakened Christianity divorced from the physical world. You must defend your beliefs using the
“appearance of age” concept, much of the evidence of an old(er) earth becomes an
illusion of age (based upon the idea that at creation Adam would have had a belly-button and tree’s would have had rings, therefore the universe would be created all grow’d up too).
It reminds me of Mary Baker Eddies Christian Science cult; they live in their own “spiritual cocoon” denying the world around them. IMO, the appearance of age argument is unsatisfying.
I personally enjoy critically examining my beliefs and searching out truth.
Interpretations are based upon data. Those that choose to date creation as older than 4004 BC have biblical data that makes this a possibility. I've shown you where the Bible has gaps within it's geneologies. It doesn't weaken the Bible to know that this was an acceptable practice for the Hebrew authors.
Good starting principles regarding the integration of physical evidence into the study of theology might include:
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- God is the author of all truth. All truth is God’s truth.</font>
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- There is a harmony of special with general revelation.</font>
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- The Bible speaks truth when it touches on matters pertaining to nature, history, or anything else.</font>
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- In some cases extrabiblical data has value in clarifying what Scripture teaches and prompting correction of faulty interpretations.</font>
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- Extrabiblical views will never disprove the teaching of Scripture or hold priority over it.</font>
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- There are no genuine scientific facts that are inconsistent with the true meaning of any passage of Scripture.</font>
Those that believe in an earth older than 6000 years hold the Scriptures in as high esteem as those that believe that the earth was created in 4004 BC. The issue is not who holds the Bible in higher esteem but who interprets the biblical data correctly.
Rob