Views on Creation
The Young Earth Creationists interpret the Bible literally and base much of their
beliefs about how the world came to be solely on Biblical interpretation and timelines.
They believe that the world was created in six literal days and is only around 6,000 to
12,000 years old. This timeline is derived particularly from the genealogies given to us
in Genesis, which are used to trace the timeline of creation. God is believed to have just
spoken creation into existence and everything was formed instantly. Meaning that all
plants, animals and humans were made fully functional and there wasn't any
evolutionary process involved.
There are many positive merits of YEC. To start, this theory is in line with all
biblical accounts and remains consistent throughout the Bible. YEC also upholds the
idea that physical death only happened after Adam’s sin. Additionally, while many
scientists use the fossil record to prove that the world is much older than 12,000 years,
the Biblical flood that covered the world is believed to explain the fossil record. For
example, there are massive fossil graveyards found around the world, with land and
marine creatures buried together. Many of the fossils are also preserved perfectly, and
that is believed to be due to how quickly a flood could bury the creatures in that many
layers. Another piece of evidence that the flood occurred, is the erosion we see in rock
layers, which formed quickly due to the massive flood, as opposed to millions of years.
There has also been soft dinosaur tissue discovered, and YEC scientists argue that
since we have discovered soft tissue and dinosaur fossils, it tells us they can't actually
be millions of years old as nothing can exist that long without disintegrating.
However, there are a few challenges for the Young Earth Creationism Theory.
For one, most scientists date the Earth as being as old as 4.5 billion years old, based on
radiometric dating used on rocks from Earth, the moon and meteorites. Also, the fossils
that many scientists find suggest progressive complexity over time for several animals,
which doesn't align with Young Earth Creationism as the fossils point to macroevolution.
Individuals who believe in Intelligent Design usually accept the scientific theory
that the universe is approximately 13.8 billion years old and the Earth is as old as 4.5
billion years old. They focus on the complexity and perfection that can be found
throughout life, which suggests a designer behind it.
​
Some who believe in ID accept progressive creationism, which means that God
created life and the world in different stages over long periods of time. This means that
they consider Genesis 1 to be more poetic, rather than taking it literally. They do not
believe that the 6 days of creation are literal 24-hour days, partly because they believe
that before day 4, when God created the moon and sun, there is no way of telling how
long the previous days were, meaning that it could’ve taken millions of years between
“days”.
​
Another idea from ID is the gap theory, which theorizes that there was a long
period of time between the first 2 verses of Genesis, where they believe there was a
creation that occurred and then was destroyed, leaving the earth “void and empty”.
They believe what happened on the 6 days of Genesis wasn’t the creation of the world,
but a reconstruction.
​
A positive of this theory is that it goes alongside science as well as the Bible. It
knows that the universe is too complex to be formed by just chance, but believes the
science estimates, making it a middle-ground between Youth Earth Creationists and
Theistic Evolutionists.
​
While ID theorists don’t have a unified opinion on the global flood, many believe
that the flood was just local instead of global. Science uses fossils and rock layers to
defend the age of the earth, and the Bible teaches that there was a large flood, so
believing that the flood was local allows for both views to be correct.
​
There are some negatives to ID theory and some inconsistencies. For example,
there isn’t a cohesive belief surrounding what actually happened during the Earth’s
creation. There are many different views within this theory, and views seem to be very
individualized so it’s hard to point out the clear negatives. However, I think both Young
Earth Creationists and Theistic Evolutionists would see flaws in this view, as it takes
aspects of both sides and aims to be a middle ground.
​
Theistic Evolutionists agree with the scientific findings that the universe is 13.8
billion years old and the earth is about 4.5 billion years old. They believe that God is the
creator who set up the universe to form. God used evolution to create life and develop it
over time. Theistic Evolutionists view Genesis as poetic and mythical, and just interpret
it for its lessons rather than as a historical document. The days of creation in Genesis
are not interpreted as literal 24-hour days but instead are representative of long periods
of time. They line up the stages of creation in Genesis with scientific understandings.
​
One of the positives for theistic evolution is that people can put their faith in God,
but also trust the scientific findings, as theistic evolutionists found a way to align the two
beliefs. There is evidence that suggests scientific findings such as macroevolution and
radiocarbon dating that point scientists to how life has developed and how old it is. For
example, modern whales still have small pelvic bones, which suggests that they used to
walk on land, supporting that they could have evolved from land animals.
​
The main negative with this view is that it undermines the Bible’s authority at
many points. This belief is inconsistent because it believes in some parts of the Bible,
but not others. For example, they trust that many miracles in the bible were real, such
as the virgin birth and the resurrection, but do not trust the creation story. They say they
can reconcile their beliefs with science, but many of the miracles science can’t explain.
​
After looking at all of the different perspectives on how the earth was formed, I
found myself leaning towards Young Earth Creationism. Obviously, I do acknowledge
there are very valid arguments and scientific perspectives on all sides. YEC stands out
to me because it has a straightforward interpretation and aligns with biblical accounts of
the world. YEC takes the Bible literally and maintains God's character as it supports him
being all powerful and capable of creating the universe instantly. If God is really all
powerful, why wouldn't he just create it in six days? Why would he choose to wait
billions of years?
​
Even more, YEC continues to remain consistent with the Bible as death only
entered the world after Adam sinned. While there are some scientific challenges such
as radiometric dating and fossil records, many of these scientific findings aren't actually
proven and YEC offers some plausible explanations with the global flood to account for
many of these findings.
In conclusion, I do understand many of the appeals of integrating modern
science with faith, however I'm more drawn to YEC because it embraces God's power
without any compromises, or having to reinterpret scripture.
References
Davis, Ted. “Theistic Evolution: History and Beliefs.” BioLogos, 19 July 2022,
biologos.org/series/science-and-the-bible/articles/theistic-evolution-history-and-beliefs.
Glick, Thomas F. “Intelligent Design.” Intelligent Design, Encyclopædia
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GotQuestions.org. “What Is the Gap Theory?” GotQuestions.Org, 20 July 2014,
www.gotquestions.org/gap-theory.html.
“How Did Scientists Calculate the Age of Earth?” Education,
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Keathley, Kenneth D. “The Confessions of a Disappointed Young-Earther.”
Peaceful Science, Peaceful Science, 7 Mar. 2013,
peacefulscience.org/prints/confessions-disappointed-young-earther/.
Mortenson, Dr. Terry. “Young-Earth Creationist View Summarized and Defended.”
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2024,
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tic%20evolutionists%20are%20generally%20professing,nature%20that%20scientists%2
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Sheposh, Richard. “Theistic Evolution: EBSCO.” EBSCO Information Services,
Inc. | Www.Ebsco.Com, 2023,
www.ebsco.com/research-starters/religion-and-philosophy/theistic-evolution.
Stewart, Don. “What Is the Gap Theory? (The Ruin and Reconstruction
Theory?).” Blue Letter Bible,
www.blueletterbible.org/faq/don_stewart/don_stewart_654.cfm. Accessed 4 Apr. 2025.
Society, National Geographic. “How Did Scientists Calculate the Age of Earth?”
How Did Scientists Calculate the Age of Earth?, 19 Oct. 2023,
education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/how-did-scientists-calculate-age-earth/.
Tomkins, Jeffrey P. “Six Biological Evidences for a Young Earth.” Six Biological
Evidences for a Young Earth,
www.icr.org/article/six-biological-evidences-for-a-young-earth/. Accessed 4 Apr. 2025.
Understanding Evolution, June 2020,
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more%20 aquatic%20 whales%20
showed,back%20and%20tail%2C%20in%20locomotion.
What Is Old Earth Creationism?, 25 Apr. 2009,
www.gotquestions.org/old-earth-creationism.html.