From: bivalve <bivalve@mail.davidson.alumlink.com>
> Although appreciating Burgy's questioning of the word "uncritically", I
think that the attribution of naturalism is a more basic problem of this
claim. If Genesis 1 is correct in asserting that God created us to rule
over creation and that He created everything according to His plans, then we
are created with the capacity to study and understand how creation works.
Furthermore, if there is only one God, sovereign over everything, then
creation should behave in an orderly manner, as there is no risk of e.g.,
Zeus and Poseidon getting mad at each other and disrupting the natural
order. Although He does work miracles, they serve a particular purpose, not
whim. Thus, the scientific reconstruction of past events may be firmly
rooted in Christian presuppositions. In contrast, naturalism gives no a
priori reason why creation should behave in an orderly manner, even though
it is empirically obvious that it does.
>
> The fact that many of the early geologist were evangelical believers, yet
rejected a young earth likewise shows that accusations of naturalism are
false.
>
> In contrast, the claim that non-miraculous explanations of earth history
supports a naturalistic world view requires a god of the gaps approach. By
denying God's general providence, Mortenson and Roy accept naturalistic
presuppositions.
In trying to decipher your argument, it has become obvious that Naturalism
and Creationism should be defined:
NATURALISM is the assumption taken by faith that matter/energy/motion
originated and continually operates according to natural laws by which they
interact that is inherent within them. Nature is all there is and has ever
been or ever will be.
Vs.
CREATIONISM is the assumption taken by faith that nature and all its laws
originated as invented, designed and created "Ex Nihilo" by God. As
the inventor, designer and creator, God has the option to work within or
without the natural order of things. However, since we only partially
understand the workings of nature, we are not in a position to tell if God
does or does not work within or without the natural order of things.
(Furthermore, God has promised to tell us what his plans are. Amos 3:7
"Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his
servants the prophets.") This has been done with respect to the origin of
the universe and life, and the Flood catastrophe.
------------------------------
COROLLARY 1
UNIFORMITARIANISM (sometimes AKA "Actualism")
1. Uniformity of law over time* and space.
2. Uniformity of process over time* and space (Actualism).
3. Uniformity of rate over time* and space (Gradualism).
4. Uniformity of state of matter over time* and space (Steady-statism).
* Based on experience over a length of time as short as a few
generations to at best a few thousand years. Time is considered
to be unlimited.
The use of the word Actualism is confusing. Actualism should primarily
refer to uniformity of process, however, it is also used to refer to the
type of Uniformitarianism used in practice in the field as defined below.
(To make it more confusing Uniformitarianism and Actualism are often used
synonymously.)
"ACTUALISM"
1. Uniformity of law over time* and space.
2. Uniformity of process over time* and space (Actualism).
3. Primarily uniformity of rate, but also occasional and
unpredictable non-uniformity of rate over time* and space.
(hiccuping Gradualism or catastrophic Gradualism)
4. Uniformity of state of matter over time* and
space.(Steady-statism)
* Based on experience over a length of time as short as a few
generations to at best a few thousand years. Time is considered
to be unlimited.
Vs.
CREATIONARY CATASTROPHISM
1. Uniformity of law over time* and space since origin.
2a. Non-uniformity of process concerning origins of matter/energy/motion
and life forms, and
2b. Uniformity of process over time* and space since origin.
3a. Uniformity of rate over time* and space since origin, and
3b. Non-uniformity of rate over time* and space on occasion as
delineated by God.
4. Uniformity of state over time* and space. (although directionalism is
possible)
* Based on limited human experience augmented by the unlimited
experience of God as he has told to us. Time is limited to that
defined by God's word.
----------------------------
COROLLARY 2
ABIOGENESIS
Since life exists now, and since there is no means other than through
natural laws for life to originate, life had to originate through the
natural laws.
Vs.
CREATION
All life was originated from and is sustained by Jesus.
---------------------------------
COROLLARY 3
EVOLUTIONISM
All life forms which now exist had to originate from a single abiogentic
source by genetic variation, applied over time, by means of natural laws.
Vs.
GENETIC VARIATION
All created kinds modify and adapt through genetic variation of the
intelligently designed information that is encoded in the genes.
----------------------------
Now to address your comments:
"If Genesis 1 is correct in asserting that God created us to rule
over creation and that He created everything according to His plans, then we
are created with the capacity to study and understand how creation works.
Furthermore, if there is only one God, sovereign over everything, then
creation should behave in an orderly manner, ....
Although He does work miracles, they serve a particular purpose, not
whim. Thus, the scientific reconstruction of past events may be firmly
rooted in Christian presuppositions."
Creationary Catastrophists agree. This is in accord with Corollary 1,
Creationary Catastrophism, points 1, 2b, 3a and 4 which deal with nature
SINCE it's origin. Unlike Evolutionary theorists who focus their study on
developing theories of origin of matter/energy/motion, Abiogenesis and the
origin of species from common ancestory according to natural law,
Creationists start with knowing how the universe and types of life forms
originated. They have no need and, indeed, will not even attempt to
develop
theories of origins. Creationists study nature not to discover how it got
here, but how it functions as designed by the Creator. The origins were
singular events which have no relationship to the day-by-day functioning
thereafter.
"In contrast, naturalism gives no a priori reason why creation should behave
in an orderly manner, even though it is empirically obvious that it does."
Naturalism is based on the concept that "Order" is inherent in the
matter/energy/motion of nature as it abides by inherent natural laws.
"The fact that many of the early geologist were evangelical believers, yet
rejected a young earth likewise shows that accusations of naturalism are
false."
What the rejection of Noah's Flood as the cause of the geologic record by
these early Christian geologists shows is that the Flood Models with which
they attempted to interpret the geologic record were inadequate. Rather
than consider that their flood models inaccurately reflected what the Bible
actually said and that the model needed to be modified, they rejected the
Biblical account because of their inaccurate flood model. It is likely that
they thought that the acceptance of 1.) Uniformity of law and 2.)
Uniformity
of process (Actualism), demanded that 3.) Uniformity of rate (Gradualism)
and 4.) Uniformity of state of matter (Steady-statism) be accepted on equal
footing (as vigorously promoted by Hutton and Lyell). But the Biblical
Catastrophe demands that Gradualism cannot be accepted as the status
quo continually.
"In contrast, the claim that non-miraculous explanations of earth history
supports a naturalistic world view requires a god of the gaps approach. By
denying God's general providence, Mortenson and Roy accept naturalistic
presuppositions."
The concept that God invented, designed and made the natural laws by which
creation functions eliminates the silly notion of 'a god of the gaps.' Man
may have discovered some of the laws by which nature works, but that does
not mean that God has been eliminated from the explanation of how nature
functions. It simply means that we have discovered some of the laws that
God invented, designed and made. In this way, the more that man discovers
about nature and how it works, the bigger God gets. Our gaps in
understanding simply reflect the finiteness of man, not the smallness of
God.
Creationary Catastrophism does not in any way deny God's general providence.
Neither do Creationary Catastrophists accept all naturalistic
presuppositions. There are assumptions which Creationists and Evolutionists
have in common, but there are distinct differences which are especially
noticeable in Corollary 1.
Allen
PS.
I highly recommend the Neo-Catastrophist (Non-Creationary) book
"Catastrophism: System of Earth History" by Richard Huggett, 1990, as a
great source for understanding the world views of both Evolutionists and
Creationists of the 17th and 18th centuries.
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