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Bad Reasons to be a Creationist

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen  Biblical creation science is in a special niche of evangelical Christianity, and is not extremely popular. Many people who do follow it are enthusiastic and attentive. Because creation science is more intellectual than other areas that interest professing Christians, many people have little use for it. Take a look at the name: It has Bible, creation, and science. Another name that is commonly used is young-earth creation (YEC), but many of us are using that much less than before because we follow what the Bible teaches, and are not trying to force-fit science into Scripture. Creation, Pixabay / Karin Henseler It seems reasonable to assume that those involved in a smaller area of interest would be glad to have other people join us. Sure, it's great to fellowship with like-minded individuals, but this is not just a religious social club. Someone who identifies as a creationist isn't necessarily a Christian. In fact, there are a few reasons that people shou

Genesis and the Waters Above

Genesis 1:6-8 has caused controversy for a mighty long time, and God is under no obligation to give us a full explanation for everything he says. We try to figure out things with science and theology. Sometimes we are successful, and other times debates continue. Let me say again that models and hypotheses come and go, but biblical creationists hold to the Word of God above all else — as it should be. People often have to delve into the original languages and the contexts of biblical passages. Some sections are very difficult to translate correctly, such as in this subject. ESA / Hubble & NASA, Sarajedini et al (Usage does not imply endorsement of site content) Creation scientists, like secular scientists, debate models and such. F'rinstance, the water vapor canopy over the earth was popular for a few years but was mostly abandoned because of both scientific and theological considerations. It doesn't help that some people believe that Genesis teaches Earth has a solid dom

Biblical Interpretation and Proper Context

When dealing with professing atheists and other religious groups, we expect them to take passages of the Bible out of context. These things can often be refuted quickly by examining the larger context. Sometimes it may require digging into the contexts of history, culture, language, and so on, but not always. (Indeed, most alleged contradictions in the Bible that were refuted by Veritas Domain were based on context tampering.) Some atheists object to our pointing out how they take things out of context, but it happens a great deal. Genesis and reading glasses, FreeDigitalPhotos / Janaka Dharmasena Christians tamper with the context as well. Those who actually believe the Bible probably do not do this intentionally, but it can easily happen. Especially when someone is teaching and mislead his hearers. (James 3:1 has a warning for teachers of God's Word — I reckon those who use bad hermeneutics make the Bible about us are in big trouble.) We should ride up on the hill for the bigger

Why Sin is Serious

It is common to hear people make an appeal to a form of religiosity by declaring something is a sin. Presumably this is done to give their declaration some form of power or impact, but it usually just sounds trite. My wife's parents said it was a sin to throw away food. I say it's a sin to eat Brussels sprouts. Anyone can make such a claim, but can seldom support it with Bible verses or scriptural principles. This is not surprising, since most professing Christians are biblically illiterate. Worse, t hey are functional heretics and are unsaved ! To say that something is sinful without having knowledge is trivializing sin and the death of Jesus on the cross. Kneeling at the Cross, PxHere When posting material that refutes the idea that Christmas and Easter are of pagan origin, I see many professing Christians clinging to their uninformed opinions and traditions rather than examining the well-researched material. They were judging knowledgeable Christians and acting like they wer

The Bible Teaches Recent Creation

No, the Bible does not explicitly state that the world was created on October 23, 4004 BC, nor does it give a number of years. That date is the result of calculations by Archbishop James Ussher , and many people believed it until secularists began to force millions of years into Scripture and call it mythology or allegory. What Ussher and others have done was to calculate the biblical chronogenealogies. This is not just a listing of "the begats" and making assumptions, since the writers were very precise. If you study on it, fairy tales, mythology, tall tales, or whatever are vague; the Bible has detailed accounts, times, places, and so on. God created the world, Pixabay / Alfons Schüler There are some people who believe that the world is closer to 10,000 years old, but that cannot be justified by claiming gaps in the genealogies. Even if they were correct, it is not possible to legitimately stretch the biblical timeframe that far. It is also pointless. The Bible teaches an a

Christmas and the Big Picture

At this writing, we are in the final days before Christmas 2022. From the condition of the formerly United States to other parts of the world, and even in the lives of individuals, some people are not feeling it. Put up the tree, watch some movies, buy presents. Depression is rampant at Christmas. We get focused on our obligations, our problems, our ailments. All those songs about feeling happy seem to make things worse for some of us. I reckon that the problem is not with Christmas (how can it be?), but with our focus. Bible and Christmas, Pixabay / congerdesign It's time to saddle up and ride to the top of the hill and get the big picture. The big stores, songs about "the most wonderful time of the year" (which are nonsensical outside certain latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere anyway), other trappings are add-ons or even corruptions of the true meaning of Christmas. It is far, far greater in its scope and impact than people can imagine, and prophesied back in Genesis!

Refuting an Atheist Assault on the Middle Ages

While this post would have been a good fit at one of my other weblogs, the content was in reference to the article featured in " Big Space, Little Planet, and God ." The article featured below has several things that echo my own experiences dealing with professing atheists. Those who read it may remember a previous article was about why God bothers with Earth — and with us. The author mentioned the Middle Ages, and an atheopath decided that he should write to Creation Ministries International and set them straight. It did not go well. Nativity. Birth of Jesus / Giotto di Bondone,  c.1304 - 1306 The first thing worth noting is that the complainant is avoiding the main point of the article and focusing on one area so he could make hay with it. This is something that is a bane of authors and people active on social(ist) media: We try to make a point, then someone zeroes in on something else and hijacks the discussion. Keep in mind that misotheists display traits of narcissism ,

Sharing the Gospel in Unfriendly Cultures

Sadly, many professing Christians will see that the subject is about evangelism and read very little, or skip it. People are dying and going to Hell, a place of unimaginable torment. Do you care? Jesus commanded his followers to share the gospel of God's love. Paul, Peter and others also emphasized it. Do you care? Evangelism is not just a job for the professionals, but all of us must be ready to share the gospel on some level. It can be done in groups or teams, but we must be able to do it by ourselves, which can be daunting. Outdoor conversation, Unsplash / Priscilla Du Preez Others may laugh, get angry, ridicule us ("Atheists will say mean things about me!") — but what did Jesus endure for us, again? There are ministries to help equip Christians to share the gospel, and creation science ministries exist to help us remove stumbling blocks that others have regarding origins. Of course, it is vitally important for professing Christians to be more than just professing  Chr

Big Space, Little Planet, and God

It is indeed unfortunate that Christians can have their faith negatively affected by atheists spouting things that sound sciency, but are essentially hooey-laden personal opinions. Although other people make fact-free assertions, most of those are not directed at our faith. One of these speculations involves our place in the universe. When misotheists say things like, "We know the universe is unfathomably huge. Religious people believed it was small, but Earth is actually insignificant. If God exists, he would not care about it, or us." There are several problems with such remarks. ISS above Earth, NASA (usage does not imply endorsement of site contents) First of all, it is prejudicial conjecture; the scoffer already suppresses the truth of God (Rom. 1:18-23) and uses this presupposition to spread unbelief. He or she has no logical basis for thinking that the Creator of the universe would not care about us. Next, the claim that people thought the universe was small is errone

Rising Hostility to Creation from the American Scientific Affiliation

The American Scientific Affiliation provides an example of what happens when an ostensibly Christian organization begins with an uncertain foundation and continues to compromise on Scripture. Not to be confused with other groups with similar names, it had an interesting approach to science and religion working in harmony. People of varied religious persuasions were members. Unfortunately, they did not seek the authority of the Word of God, but wanted validation from secular science. It did not go well. Secularists insist on naturalism. Sure, it's great to have those st00pid djumb theists promoting evolution and pretending it came from God, but that's not enough. The ASA had a "big tent" approach, but that turned into a circus. It has drifted into not only theistic evolution, but also open hostility toward biblical creation and its proponents. Note that the god of TE is not the God of the Bible, and numerous compromises and scriptural tap dancing are constantly requir

Adam, Made from Dust

When reading the beginning of the Bible, people who actually believe it reach Genesis 2:7 and see where God made Adam from the dust of the ground. Okay, that is interesting, another miracle during the week that was full of them. Then they move on without further thought. Same with me. There are some owlhoots  that claim to believe the Bible but somehow reject what it plainly says. These types generally take a liberal view of Scripture, and that most likely includes evolution — which is taught in seminaries. Some views merging Adam and evolution are...truly bizarre. Hands with dirt, Unsplash / Gabriel Jimenez (cropped) Sometimes Adam and Eve are relegated to mythology or symbolism, but there are people who don't want to so blatantly dismiss parts of the Bible, though they still reject its authority. These will force in something resembling magic where Adam was some evolving creature, then God made it fully human. Well, if someone truly believes the Bible, the wording in the account

How to Approach and Understand the Bible

As many professing Christians claim, the Bible is essential for Christianity. It contains the words of life everlasting and the love of God — but far too many cannot be bothered to read it. When it is pointed out that all of us  are to be able to present the gospel, people clutch their pearls and walk away. They cannot present or defend the gospel message, just like far too many professing biblical creationists do go beyond reading picture captions. Those folks try to stand up to atheists but get their clocks cleaned because atheists and evolutionists know their talking points. The very basis of it all is understanding basic Bible interpretation. Reading the Bible , N.C. Wyeth, 1920 Christians must presuppose several things, not the least of which is that the Bible is true. It is also necessary to respect its authority, which is something that other biblical creationists and I have stressed many times. In addition, rational thinking (which has practical applications in every area of li

Taming the Monsters we Face

The season of fear. Although people watch horror movies throughout the year, many put a great deal of effort and money into celebrating images of evil and death on Halloween. Long ago, this child was into it. Now I dislike it, and I reckon part of the reason is that I hate fear. Have you ever watched a movie about werewolves, demons, or other monsters of darkness and then glanced around your home with unease? We know they are imaginary, but we still get the heebie-jeebies after watching a show. Pixabay /  Lothar Dieterich When people prepare for the "zombie apocalypse", I think most consider it as fun, but it seems that some really believe it's possible. (Are they really unaware that the zombie mythos is based on movies, and that it has little resemblance to zombie folklore based on Haitian voodoo?) The Centers for Disease Control used the fad to promote the more serious subject of disaster preparedness . Nothing to fear here, Horace. Speaking of mythologies, there are se

Canceling Women?

In U.S. Supreme Court hearings, Kaiju — I mean, Ketanji — Brown Jackson claimed to be unable to answer "What is a woman" because she is not a biologist. Well, I am not a biologist, medical doctor, or whatever, and I know a woman when I encounter one. But it is becoming more difficult nowadays. While atheists and evolutionists like to call those of us who deny and refute fish-to-fool evolution as "science deniers", those who say that people can have their genders changed are science deniers. They cannot transform chromosomes, skeletal structure, and many other features. Woman on dock, Unsplash / Drew Colins Self-styled "progressives" are blurring the lines, and greedy doctors are going along with them. Such things were unthinkable just a few years ago, and someone who had bodily mutilation surgery and was given hormones in an effort to change sexes made normal people uncomfortable. There was never any need to define man and woman . The world is sliding down

The Problem with God Begins at Creation

Many people claim they have a problem with God, or that God has a problem, because they think he is wicked or incapable. They are making their case from a limited perspective. We are human and God is infinite; the created cannot fully understand the Creator. In addition, people are in rebellion against him. Misotheists pretend God does not exist, then absurdly ridicule Christians who say that there is plenty of evidence for him (Romans 1:18-23). Read or listen more and they are condemning God to justify themselves (Job 40:8). The most common complain is evil in the world. Question mark and big door, Unsplash / Jac Alexandru Of course, things God considers evil are often accepted by these people. They are working from personal preferences and arbitrary standards. There's a prairie schooner-full of speculation, guesswork, uninformed opinions, prejudicial conjecture and all that good stuff used to contemplate and "explain" God. Very disrespectful. How about his point of view

Awe is Unique to Humans

For Bible-believing Christians, there are times when we become keenly aware of the blessings of God and a sense of awe overtakes us. We can respond in praise and thanksgiving for what we have, and for the majesty of creation. If you study on it, we could even thank God for the laws of nature that allow us to appreciate things. (In my view, the universe has been damaged by the Fall of Man and the Flood, but God made it so that even after all that, we perceive amazing beauty.) Romans 8:20-21 tells us that all creation has been subjected to futility. Unsplash / Joshua Earle Psalmists poetically say that all creation praises God and sings. Such language is probably based on the coming release from futility after the return of Jesus at the consummation of all things at the end. Animals generally don't express a sense of awe. Our alleged evolutionary cousins just go about their ape business. No, awe is unique to humans and helps us relate to our Father. Materialists may have a sense of a

The Foundation of Creation

A fairly common remark that biblical creationists hear is something like, "Creation, evolution, the age of the earth — all those things are side issues. We need to focus on preaching the gospel." I had one of these a spell back, only this one was amazingly sanctimonious. Unfortunately, because so many people misrepresent us, we need to frequently point out that believing in a young earth and rejecting evolution are not salvific (required for salvation) issues. This does not mean that they are unimportant or even irrelevant! Creation Tiles, Unsplash / Alex Shute One simple reason to refute evolution as well as affirm creation and the young earth is that those things have been stumbling blocks to many people. Also, it should make an impression on Christians how the church fathers as well as the way people in the Bible viewed the importance of creation. Irenaeus (c. 130–202 AD), a significant leader in the early Christian Church, wrote Against Heresies to counter wrong ideas in

Jesus Pictures and — Idolatry?

Years ago, the forerunner of this weblog was called A Soldier for Jesus . There was a drawing of Jesus on it. Someone accused me of being an idolater because of it. Also, I joined a Christian-based humor group on Fakebook  that prohibited posting images of Jesus because some people got upset. Probably that idolatry thing again. Where do they get such ideas? Eisegesis from the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:4-6 and other places. I am going to be blunt here. People who sanctimoniously accuse others of being idolaters because they use images of Jesus (or God the Father, such as  Michelangelo  and  William Blake ) have no basis for their pride. They are showing ignorance of scriptural context. It's not a difficult theological context, either, because they are not even reading the rest of the verse. Jesus Pictures ( source here ) as Gallery Exhibit, PhotoFunia (cropped) Pictures can be used as a way of praising God and giving him glory, and possibly a means of focusing in worship. I hav

Refuting the Solid Dome Sky Idea

Both misotheists and liberal scholars who profess to be Christians saddle up and ride together, attacking the Genesis narrative. (As I have said before, if Christians receive support and applause from enemies of God, that should prompt self-examination about their faith .) In this case, the hard sky. These tinhorns figure that the ancient Hebrews had a view of the universe similar to their pagan neighbors, and it was apparent in the Bible. A many things are implicit in this accusation. It can also be considered  poisoning the well . Early Hebrew Conception of the Universe (misrepresentation, modified), WikiComm / Tom-L ( CC BY 4.0 ) Obviously, materialists reject the inerrancy and authority of the Bible, but so do many liberal Christians. One "error" is the sky vault dome shell thing. If the Hebrews had hairbrained views of cosmology, why should we believe Genesis when it says "windows of heaven?" For that matter, the Lexham English Bible refers to a solid dome . B

Training for Spiritual Warfare

No, this is not one of those posts about singing feelgood songs and chanting, or "binding" demons hiding under every bush. Stay away from that stuff. This is about a fact that I bring up here every once in a while since this weblog began in 2011. (Originally, it was "A Soldier for Jesus.") We are in a spiritual war. We do not have to go looking for trouble, it comes for us. Satan wants Christians eliminated or at least neutralized. Those who want no part of the spiritual warfare that we are in every day  are actually doing service for the enemy. Whoever is not for  Jesus is against  him. Soldiers, Pixabay / Defence-Imagery "But Cowboy Bob, if I speak up, atheists and others will say mean things and hurt my feelings!" Cowboy up, little buckaroo, and decide whose side you're on (Luke 9:62). Jesus died on a cross for your sins and rose again on the third day, and a Christian is no longer an enemy of God but adopted as one of his children, indwelt with the