[asa] Advice for conversing with YECs

[This is a bit long, but time will not allow me another shot at this.]   Many statements have been accurately given that epitomize the heart of the problem.    Ian: On another occasion one YEC pastor told me "if I believed, as you do that the world is billions of years old, then I would leave the faith and become an atheist".  It didn't give me much incentive to go on and try and persuade him the earth was billions of  years old!   Yep, notice there is no hint that their interpretation involves interpretation.  They are quite comfortable taking the more exciting zealous warrior position of defending God’s Word (no matter what the evidence or alternate interpretation; "a day is a day is a day".   To not accept a 24 hour day period will bring, quoting Ken Ham in his video, “the collapse of Christianity”.  [Ham's statement was very annoying and it speaks very poorly of the leader of Christianity, Christ Himself.]    I see the YEC antiscience position as religious hubris and not unlike that found in the Pharisees.  This is not a condemnation on YEC individuals that I am making, however.   My YEC friends and fellow church members are truly wonderful folks that, indeed, do wonderful things for others, and I take pleasure in working with them in any project.   Wisely, we simply avoid this area of contention.  [Guess to whom I can do my venting? :)]   It also makes some sense that some of the more faithful (no sarcasm meant) could be more susceptible to adopting positions that are strong literal views.  The most direct and simplistic reading of Genesis does favor their position, given that all scientific evidence be deemed unfit to allow any sway to this literal interpretation.  Adding science to the mix is like adding oil to holy water.      Ian said: I was accused of being "incompetent" at one point, for example.  There are certain people on the list who seem to froth at the mouth at the sight of a YEC, and who think it's perfectly acceptable to indulge in ad hominem attacks.   This is unfortunate and ad hominems can come from both camps as both are convinced the other is wrong and damaging to their belief.   Murraysaid:My only suggestion is to find out what reasons the person concerned has - from their own perspective - for holding to a YEC position.    Good advice.  This makes you a listener who is showing respect for other's views.  Respect begets respect.  "...before honor comes humility." (Proverbs 15:33 NAS). Moorad said: We are inundated with people who profess the Christian faith and are doing all sorts of damage by bearing a false witness and so driving people away from the Lord. Those who take Genesis literally ought to be the least of our worries. As a science forum, it should not be the least of our worries, though you are right in keeping our focus on more spiritual aspects of our faith.  Yet, anything that demonstrates the Bible should not be believed has enormous consequences if left unchecked.  The Bible should be in accord with scientific “fact”, especially when science supports itself with many lines of evidence that brings these into an elegant confluence that is so powerful.  When someone is seeking the Truth, Biblical concordance with science could make our witness so much more effective if these seekers are affected by scientific evidence.  If this could be found in one or more literal interpretations, so much the better, though I admire TE views, too.  [This is why I hope scientists will consider M-Genesis’ claims and tackle them in the “back room” to see if it has merit.]   Mike said: If he is not interested in looking at any evidence, then you need to either agree to disagree or agree to look at the evidence.  Perhaps you should gently inform him that you have looked at the evidence, and if there was good evidence for YEC, you, as a fellow Christian, would gladly embrace it.   Nicely said.   One bit of evidence that you may wish to point out is found in comparing two of the same Biblical genealogies.  In Ezra 7 we find nine generations from Aaron to Amariah.  Yet, in 1 Chronicles 6, there are fifteen generations; six more than in Ezra.  This alone opens the door to the idea that many more generations may exist where we don’t have an account.  Thus, the idea that “6000” years is cast in stone, now has a crack.  They may suggest you are the one cracked, but you are at least arguing from scripture and you are being literal, too.  That isn't suppose to happen.   Dennis said: Alas, he has said that he does not want to read “anything from my side” of the debate because he already knows that it will be in conflict with Scripture.   Yep, that’s it in a nutshell.  Interpretation is no longer considered applicable.  They have the pure version, and you don’t.  At least you won’t be placed under house arrest, like Galileo was.   Coope

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Received on Sat Oct 25 13:45:26 2008