Creation: Myth or Miracle?: If There Is a God, Shouldn’t He Be Able to Get the Creation Story Right?

By Dr. Barry A. Bunting

The question this work addresses is this: given our current state of knowledge, are any of the major religion’s creation accounts accurate, or are they all myths and fables that don’t hold up to close examination? This work makes three assumptions.

Assumption no. 1—If there is a creator and he provided a creation account, then he should be able to get it right. After all, he was supposed to be there!

Assumption no. 2—If there is a creator, then one of the four major religions, each of which has survived a thousand years or more, is the most likely place to look for a legitimate creation account, a message from our creator. It is safe to say any creator capable of creating us and the universe we live in should be capable of accurately revealing his existence.

Assumption no. 3—If we do find an ancient (pre-science) creation account that makes a substantial number of scientific, factually accurate statements—not just a few lucky guesses—but facts that were unknowable at the time the account was written, then we can reasonably conclude there must be a creator who revealed these facts.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Mar 11, 2019
• ISBN: 9781973653165

Dr. Barry A. Bunting

Dr. Bunting is an award winning author of over a dozen scientific biomedical journal articles and brings that scientific perspective to a study of the “conflict” between science and religion on the subject of creation.

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Copyright © 2019 Dr. Barry A. Bunting.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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ISBN: 978-1-9736-5315-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-5314-1 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-5316-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019901358

WestBow Press rev. date: 3/14/2019

Contents

Brief Chapter Summaries

Introduction

Chapter 1     Creation According to Hinduism and Buddhism

Chapter 2     Creation According to Islam

Chapter 3     Creation According to Judaism and Christianity

Chapter 4     In the Beginning

Chapter 5     The Lifeless Earth

Chapter 6     Let There Be Light

Chapter 7     Earth-Time

Chapter 8     Yom

Chapter 9     Lord of the Rings

Chapter 10   Relativity

Chapter 11   Preparing the Nursery

Chapter 12   The Power of One

Chapter 13   Earth Goes Green

Chapter 14   Earth Goes Solar

Chapter 15   The Animal Planet

Chapter 16   The Age of Man

Chapter 17   It Is Finished

Chapter 18   My Cousin Vinnie, The Neanderthal

Chapter 19   Old Earth – New Man

Chapter 20   Alpha and Omega - The Beginning

and the End

Chapter 21   The Problem of Evil

Chapter 22   What’s Love Got to Do with It?

References

Appendix I: A Shorter Version

Appendix II: The Even Shorter Version

Study Guide

Brief Chapter Summaries :

Chapter 1: Creation According to Hinduism and Buddhism

-Summarizes the Hindu and Buddhist creation accounts and comments on the small number of scientifically supported claims these accounts make.

Chapter 2: Creation According to Islam

-Summarizes the Islamic creation claims and comments on a larger number of scientifically supported claims.

Chapter 3: Creation According to Judaism and Christianity

-Provides an introduction to the Genesis creation account and begins a review of a large number of scientifically supported claims. Points out the Genesis account is the most detailed of the major religion’s creation accounts and notes that none of the creation details provided in the Qur’an are totally unique to the Qur’an, they also appear in the older Hebrew/Biblical account.

Chapter 4: In the Beginning

-This chapter considers whether the Genesis account was even intended to be (scientifically) accurate. Then we begin to consider a large number of details which appear to be scientifically accurate – details this account described several thousand years before science discovered them – starting with cosmology’s theory of the beginning of the Universe – the Big Bang. Other scientifically accurate details discussed in this chapter include Biblical statements regarding the Earth hanging on nothing, time itself having a beginning, the Universe containing revolving celestial bodies, and visible objects being made from invisible matter.

Chapter 5: The Lifeless Earth

-Thousands of years ago the Genesis account described early Earth as a desolate, chaotic, lifeless orb floating in the vacuity of space, which was transformed into a completely water covered (landless) world. We explore how closely these details match current Earth science theories on Earth’s early existence.

Chapter 6: Let There Be Light

-According to the Genesis account the first words spoken by the creator were, Let there be light. So, according to this account, there was light at the very beginning of the Universe. But the Genesis account doesn’t mention stars or our Sun until after this. How can the Biblical claim for light at the very beginning of the Universe be true before there were stars? Did the Bible get this wrong? This chapter explains how the improbable description of light in the Universe, before stars, matches what cosmologists tell us about the early Universe.

Chapter 7: Earth-Time

- If we accept the Genesis account’s creation sequence as literal it says dawn and dusk began occurring on planet Earth prior to the Sun’s existence! How can this possibly be true? Did the Bible get this wrong? This chapter explains the improbable scenario of a dusk and dawn on Earth prior to our Sun becoming a star. A scenario supported by current science!

Chapter 8: YOM

-The most important test of the (scientific) credibility of the Genesis creation account is the reference to the days of creation. This chapter details how the English word day was translated from the ancient Hebrew word yom. An easy to follow overview of the gap theory, the day-age theory, Old-Earth Creationism and Young-Earth Creationism is provided.

Chapter 9: Lord of the Rings

-There is a significant amount of scientific evidence for Earth and the Universe being very old. Some Biblical scholars, those who believe creation took place just a few thousand years ago, believe the catastrophic Noah flood could explain the scientific findings which appear to indicate the Earth is very old. But how can a world-wide flood, for example, be reconciled with findings like the 800,000 layers of ice discovered in Antarctica and pollen trapped in the top 40,000 layers? Is there an explanation? This and other geologic and cosmologic findings are reconciled with the Genesis account.

Chapter 10: Relativity

-The Bible tells us, A day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as a day. Is it possible this is more than just a figure of speech? Did God created a relative Universe and Einstein was simply the first scientist to discover it? A layman’s explanation of relativity is provided. As illogical as it may sound, if we do live in a relative Universe, one can be correct in believing the Universe was created in 6 days, about 6,000 years ago, and at the same time also be correct in believing the Universe began its existence about 14-15 billion years ago! Chapter 10 explains this apparent contradiction!

Chapter 11: Preparing the Nursery

-The 3,500-year-old Genesis account accurately describes, in the scientifically correct sequence, the stepwise conditions created on Earth which were necessary to support life.

Chapter 12: The Power of One

-Geologists tell us land first appeared on Earth as a single continent rising up out of a global ocean which completely covered our early world. Thirty-five hundred years before geologists came to this conclusion the Genesis creation account told us, out of a global ocean, land first appeared (ground came out of water). And, there was only one ocean ("waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place"). It is hard to exaggerate the importance of the implications of a 3,500-year-old Biblical description of an early one-continent world!

Chapter 13: Earth Goes Green

-Life begins on Earth. The order in which God created the various forms of life are the same general order of development which has been proposed by science.

Chapter 14: Earth Goes Solar

-Genesis, based on one possible interpretation of the original Hebrew text, suggests the Moon may have been cut off from the Earth. The Genesis account also tells us in a specific act God precisely positioned the Sun and Moon at their current distances from Earth. Science also supports the idea that the Moon may having once been a part of the Earth and that the position of the Sun and Moon relative to Earth is critical to life on our planet.

Chapter 15: The Animal Planet

-Genesis tells us life began in water, birds were among the earliest land creatures, and the sequence of created life was from simple life forms to more complex life forms. Science, ditto. The theory of evolution is discussed.

Chapter 16: The Age of Man

-God creates man in his image and breathes into him his very Spirit.

Chapter 17: It Is Finished

-God ceases his creative acts. Man exercises his free will, disobeys God, and the consequence is separation from his creator. Adam becomes mortal and Adam’s ~6,000-year genealogy begins.

Chapter 18: My Cousin Vinnie, The Neanderthal

-How can we reconcile a creation of Adam, which Genesis appears to indicate took place a few thousand years ago, with 100,000-year-old cave paintings and stone tools, and the recent discovery of Neanderthal DNA in the human genetic code? The Genesis account provides answers!

Chapter 19: Old-Earth, New-Man

-Putting it all together. So, taking all the evidence presented in this study into account, what is a person to believe? Is there a true-to-the-text understanding of Genesis which reconciles the differences science has had with the account, and which has made this account controversial, and unacceptable, for so many people?

Chapter 20: Alpha and Omega, The Beginning and the End

-The Genesis creation account provides dozens of scientifically accurate facts which were not only unknown, they were unknowable at the time they were written – over three thousand years ago. The large number of scientifically accurate details in Genesis, that predate man and science, point directly to a Creator who, alone, could have provided these details!

Chapter 21: The Problem of Evil

-Why would an all-powerful creator create an imperfect world? Why would a perfect creator allow evil to exist? Even if evidence points toward a Creator, if he is evil, would we be better off rejecting him?

Chapter 22: What’s Love Got To Do With It?

-The Bible’s message is that our Creator sent his Son to us with a message, I love you and I want to give you a second chance to love me back.

Appendix I: A Shorter Version

-A condensed version of the work is provided for the reader who would like a concise summary of the material.

Appendix II: An Even Shorter Version

-An even more concise table lists each scientifically testable point made in the Genesis account and the corresponding scientific findings supporting it.

Introduction

How is it that I exist?

Am I the unintended consequence of purely natural forces? Or, am I created?

The material presented in this book is intended for individuals who are searching for the answers to these questions.

If you believe we are created – the Creationist view - have accepted this by faith, but have never seriously examined your accepted creation story for accuracy, then you should find this material of value because, if the creation account you believe in is supported by the evidence, then it will support your view and help you defend it.

However, if you think it doesn’t matter if there is a creator - the Agnostic view - you should still find this material of value because if we can find no accurate creation stories it supports your view that a creator is unlikely, or, at the very least, irrelevant and uncaring.

And, if you are among those who are completely convinced there couldn’t possibly be a creator - the Atheistic view - then you should also find this of value because if we can find no accurate creation story it lends support to your there is no god view and will help you defend your position that all creation stories are myths.

The premise of this examination is very simple: Given our current state of knowledge, are any of the creation accounts scientifically accurate, or are they all myths and fables which don’t hold up to close examination?

Much has been written on both sides of the creation vs. natural origin debate. However, in my experience, most of the writings on creation, whether pro or con, are academic type position papers which focus on justifying the author’s particular intellectual beliefs. Also, much of what has been written on the subject tends to be, in my opinion, so technical they are of little interest to everyday people. Most of us are not interested in academic debates on the subjects of theism vs. atheism, natural selection vs. intelligent design, or arguments between Old-Earth Creationist and New-Earth Creationists. We simply want to know, what is reasonable, what is rational, what is accurate? Instead, much of what is published on the subject are volleys across the bow of fellow academics on the opposing side. What typically ensues is an academic war of words. A war which most people are only vaguely aware of and, frankly, don’t even care about. This area of study is referred to as apologetics, which, by the way, isn’t what it sounds like. It isn’t apologizing for one’s opinion. Quite the opposite, it is arguing for one’s position.

This work, on the other hand, is intended for everyday people and is simply a look at the major creation stories to see how accurate they are. Is there a winner? Or are they all losers? This work will contain some theological stuff and some science stuff. However, what there is will be theology and science written for the everyday person.

You don’t have to have a doctorate to follow this. We won’t be wading through the nuances of random DNA mutations, or examining the structural complexity of the eye, or of bacterial flagella, or trying to picture a blind watchmaker – as interesting as those might be to people like me who enjoy digging into such detail. Also, we won’t be exploring things like irreducible complexity. Or the theory of decent from common origin - evolution. In fact, you don’t even have to understand the arguments for or against evolution to consider the evidence presented here. The average person has little interest in diving into such (boring) detail. However, at some point in our lives, even if it is for just a fleeting moment, most of us do wonder about questions, like; How did I get here? Does my existence matter? And, Is there, or isn’t there, a Creator? Because these are potentially very important questions, I believe this is a subject worthy of your time.

So, which is it, am I a creature or a creation?

If I am a creature, then it is unlikely life has a meaning beyond continuation of the species and possibly leaving the world a bit better than when I came. But if I am a creation, it is possible there is a deeper meaning to my existence, and, if so, it is important I find out what that deeper meaning is.

Most creation stories indicate a Creator made us, that acknowledging our Creator’s existence is important and rejecting the Creator’s existence has consequences - potentially eternal consequences. So, if you are one of those who have not previously considered the evidence for creation, perhaps it is time you did. This subject may be too important to leave to others, or to simply ignore. Why? Because operating under the wrong assumption could have some very personal, even eternal, consequences. If there isn’t a Creator then, fine, live your life as you see fit. From nothing you came and to nothing you go! Eat, drink, and be merry. However, if there is a creator and there actually is life after this life, you best hope your first conscious thought after you die isn’t; Oh ****!

Put it this way: Eternity is a very long time to spend somewhere you don’t want to be!!

However, if you are still inclined to pass on this subject, before you entirely dismiss it, please at least take the time to ask yourself the following question: If there is a Creator, would I want to know? Yes, or no? Be honest with yourself. Don’t dodge the question. If there is a Creator, do you want to know it? And if your honest answer is, no, then this is where you are in your life and there is no reason to examine the subject further. But some day if life throws you a curve ball you can’t hit and you find yourself wondering, Is there a reason I exist?, please consider picking this subject back up. This may be the most important question you will ever ask.

Although this is a critical look at the major creation stories from a scientific perspective, the assumptions of this examination are very simple and easy to follow:

Assumption #1: If there is a Creator, and he did provide a creation account, then he should be able to get it right. After all, he was supposed to be there, right?!

Assumption #2: If there is a Creator then one of the four major religions, each of which has survived a thousand years or more, is the most likely place to look for a legitimate creation account, a message