The Unscholarly Rubbish Of Answers-In-Genesis

By David J. Stewart | August 2012

Psalms 102:25, “Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands.”

       I am writing this defense of the Christian faith so that you may be indeed “Rooted and built up in him [Jesus Christ], and stablished in the faith” (Colossians 2:7). Beware of Answers In Genesis (AIG)!!! According to Charity Navigator, Ken Ham gets paid a 6-digit salary and AIG took in over $22,000,000 in revenues in 2010. Good luck finding the plan of salvation on Ken Ham's website. Paul Taylor (former manager of AIG) now heads up CSE with Eric Hovind. Paul Taylor and Eric Hovind of Creation Science Evangelism (CSE) are joining up with Ken Ham during their “PROOF OF GOD” conference to be held in October 12-13 of 2012. 

In a ridiculous article authored by Paul Taylor and Mark Van Bebber of AnswersInGenesis.org (AIG) titled, “Six Days or Billions of Years... Does it Make Any Difference?,” they reveal their woeful ignorance (or intentional dishonestly) of what old-earthers believe and what the Bible actually teaches. They begin their article by asserting that there are two major theological problems with an old-earth view...

"As a Christian, do you clearly understand why young-earth creationists believe that a billions-of-years-old earth is incompatible with the Bible? Most Christians do not. Yet, there are major theological problems with positions that reject the literal six-day creation week of Genesis 1-2."

SOURCE: Six Days or Billions of Years... Does it Make Any Difference?; article by Paul Taylor and Mark Van Bebber; AnswersInGenesis.org

First, most Christians who hold to an old-earth view DON'T reject the literal six-day creation week of Genesis 1-2. That is a false allegation by Answers In Genesis (AIG). Now let's take a look at their two alleged “theological problems.”
 

First Alleged Major Theological Problem Refuted

Their first alleged major “theological problem” is dishonest in that it places ALL Christians who hold to an old-earth view into one or more of only three limited categories; namely, “evolutionism, theistic evolutionism, and progressive creationism.”

Rejection of paradise and the global Flood

Old-earth theories such as evolutionism, theistic evolutionism, and progressive creationism all reject the existence of an original paradise...

SOURCE: Six Days or Billions of Years... Does it Make Any Difference?; article by Paul Taylor and Mark Van Bebber; AnswersInGenesis.org

This is simply not true. I believe in an old earth; yet I reject all three views of evolution, theistic evolution and progressive creationism (as they define it). Thus, their article is not fair, nor is it scholarly. In fact, the authors of the article (in my opinion) have deliberately limited their rebuttal of an old earth view to these three false doctrines in a malicious attempt to discredit ALL Christians who hold to an old-earth view. It is this type of intellectual falsehood that makes it easy to expose these false prophets who teach doctrines of devils, desperately grasping for straws and employing thug-intellectualism to prove their heresies. It is clear that AIG are not being honest in their views.

Since they have laid the false foundation that ALL old-earthers fit into three categories, they now wrongfully attack all old-earthers by alleging that we “ALL reject the existence of an original paradise — a world in which all beasts of the earth and all birds of the air lived peaceably together as plant-eaters.” And then notice how they finish the quote by referring to “old-earthers”; thus attributing this false statement to ALL Christians who hold to an old-earth view...

Rejection of paradise and the global Flood

Old-earth theories such as evolutionism, theistic evolutionism, and progressive creationism all reject the existence of an original paradise — a world in which all beasts of the earth and all birds of the air lived peaceably together as plant-eaters. Rather, old-earthers teach that death has ruled our planet from the beginning.

SOURCE: Six Days or Billions of Years... Does it Make Any Difference?; article by Paul Taylor and Mark Van Bebber; AnswersInGenesis.org

The plain truth of the matter is that MOST Christian old-earthers (such as myself), DO in fact believe the literal account of a 6-day creation in Genesis. I believe that God created the Garden of Eden, with animals and Adam and Eve, who lived in peace and harmony without violence nor any afflictions until sin came into the picture. The heretics at Answers In Genesis (AIG) and Creation Science Evangelism (CSE, where Paul Taylor now works) are dishonest, unscholarly, and prey upon the naivety and ignorance of Christian believers who are not yet “Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith” (Colossians 2:7).
 

Second Alleged Major Theological Problem Refuted

Paul Taylor and Mark Van Bebber wrongfully attack ALL old-earthers on the false premise that we all believe in progressive creation, which we do not. I certainly don't believe that God progressively created anything. God created the universe by the Word of His mouth (2nd Peter 3:5). At some point the Bible plainly teaches that God in His anger destroyed the earth. In the literal six-days of creation in Genesis God remodels the universe. The word “created” only appears in Genesis 1:1 and not again until Genesis 1:21.

Even without having the advantage of the Hebrew language available, anyone can see that the word “created” is not mentioned again after Genesis 1:1 until the 5th day of creation in Genesis 1:21 when He “created” the whales and beasts. Everything on the second, third and fourth day of creation were “made” the Bible says, which means that they previously existed and God simply remodeled them according to His fashion.

Taylor and Bebber maliciously attack Christians who hold to an old-earth view, alleging that we are accusing God of being cruel, sadistic and an ugly wrongdoer...

Confusing God's Character

Starting with the 'big bang', progressive creationists weave a tale that pictures God using billions of years to create the universe and develop new varieties of animals. Instead of forming a paradise planet for them, He inexplicably makes a world full of fuming, exploding volcanoes, exploding stars, and horrific impacts from asteroids and meteorites which sometimes wipe out whole populations. Rather than being peaceful vegetarians, the animals aggressively seek out and kill other living flesh for food. Before man's creation, earth's animal world is subjected to violent earthquakes, lethal floods, deadly hurricanes, massive extinctions, vicious predators, and pestilence.

In this 'progressive creation' view, the Creator does not choose to make this brutal and sickening scene as short as possible; rather, it is supposedly extended for millions or even billions of years prior to man's creation. One might rightly wonder, for what purpose is all of this? Old-earthers have never offered a satisfactory explanation.

What a horrible thing some Christians are wrongly accusing God of doing! What a cruel, sadistic, ugly way to produce the animal world for Adam.

SOURCE: Six Days or Billions of Years... Does it Make Any Difference?; article by Paul Taylor and Mark Van Bebber; AnswersInGenesis.org

Nothing could be further from the truth! This entire article is based upon the false basis that ALL old-earthers reject the Garden of Eden and a six-day literal creation. The old-earth view held by most Christians is NOT evolution. I do not believe in any of the three “isms” mentioned by Paul Taylor and Mark Van Bebber. I don't believe any of the garbage they've alleged. The Bible teaches that God destroyed the world in His anger (Jeremiah 4:23-28).

Ezekiel 28:13-19 teaches that Lucifer was stripped of his heavenly position, authority and glory when he rebelled against God in seeking equality. Earth became Satan's new home. It is commonly believed (and I disagree) that Satan in his anger and rage destroyed the earth. In fact (and you're about to be amazed), God destroyed the earth in His own anger. Yes, that's right, GOD DESTROYED THE EARTH IN GENESIS 1:1...

Jeremiah 4:23-28, “I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger. For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end. For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black: because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it.”

Animals as we know them today didn't exist prior to the creation in Genesis. However, as evidenced by the amazing fossils at the Labrea Tar Pits in Los Angeles, there were prehistoric mammals that lived upon the earth. We do NOT know what the conditions of the time were, but we DO know that it all came to a sudden stop. God destroyed the earth and laid it waste. Jeremiah 4:23-28, “I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.”

Nothing about holding to an old-earth view even remotely suggests that God's character is confusing. One could apply the same objective reasoning to the Godhead. Why would one God divide Himself into three Persons? Yet, we know that the Godhead (Trinity) is Biblical. Or how about the Rapture and the Second Coming? Why would the Lord return twice? From reading numerous articles authored by young-earthers, it becomes quite obvious that they really don't have any solid evidence to support their claims of a young-earth; so instead they make baseless allegations, twist the facts, and falsely accuse old-earthers of espousing the same beliefs as unbelieving evolutionists. The truth is that Christians like me who hold to an old-earth view simply believe the Bible at face value.
 

A Dishonest Popular Tactic Used By Young-Earth Advocates

One thing which has become quite obvious to me while studying both the Answers In Genesis (AIG) and Creation Science Evangelism (CSE) ministry websites is that they both deliberately confuse the reader by placing ALL old-earth advocates (such as myself) into the same boat as evolutionists, theistic evolutionists and progressive creationists. They deceitfully do this in a malicious attempt to discredit old-earthers. Most Christians who believe in an old earth DON'T believe in any form of evolution. But by labeling ALL old-earthers as evolutionists it makes it much easier for young-earthers to discredit them, and thus strengthen their own unbiblical position in the minds of those who are ignorant of the facts.

I mean, why not just teach the truth about a young earth if you have the proof. Why constantly attack old-earthers, errantly accusing them of being evolutionists and believing in a progressive creation? Why stoop to lies and fraudulent claims? That term “progressive creation” doesn't say much when young-earthers use it, because it took God 6-days to make the world as we know it today. Is that not progressive?

Paul Taylor and Mark Van Bebber accuse ALL old-earthers of rejecting the Genesis account of creation, but that's not true in the least. Old-earthers believe in an old earth, but a young human race. It is clear that mankind didn't exist prior to 4,000 BC. If God is guilty of progressive creation then tell Him, because He wrote the Bible. There's no logical explanation of Jeremiah 4:23-28 except an old earth. There's no account of God destroying the cities of the earth, when darkness came upon the earth as we learn in Jeremiah 4:23-28. Even the flood didn't cause the sun to stop shining. Clearly, a pre-Adamic creation is the only sensible conclusion (which is in perfect harmony with the entire Bible).

It is a big issue, because a lot of unsaved people refuse to listen to the Gospel when presented by those who reject legitimate science and embrace science falsely so called (which is what a young earth view really is). 1st Timothy 6:20 warns against embracing false science. Just as evolutionists, young-earthers exploit legitimate science in an attempt to support false doctrine. Young-earthers put forth a mixture of true and false science, making the truth harder to decipher. Thus, the saying is ever true that the best place to hide a lie is between two truths. That is exactly what Answers In Genesis (AIG) and Creation Science Evangelism (CSE) are doing.

The truth is always more difficult to find amongst lies (which are intended to mislead us). But the way to know the truth is to always focus on the truth. Young-earthers put forth all sorts of information intended to deceive people. They have all sorts of true articles about other scientific matters, which deceives the web visitor into thinking that they must be correct about a young earth too. These deceptive practices are easy to notice when you visit their websites. But if you strip away all the issues that have nothing to do with a young earth verses an old earth, then their argument quickly falls apart. I would recommend that anyone who is still confused or undecided on this matter of an old earth verses a young earth, look at the cold hard facts in the Scriptures.

Ken Ham has a degree in biology, but not theology. Without a thorough understanding of the Word of God, it is all too easy to be led astray, as Colossians 2:8 warns. That's not to say that you have to have some type of formal Bible training to be doctrinally sound; but realistically, nearly every heretic I can name has never attended Bible college. Colossians 2:8, “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” The word “spoil” in Colossians 2:8 is the Greek word sulagogeo which means “to lead away as booty, that is, (figuratively) seduce.” Booty is goods or money obtained illegally.

Hence, Satan wants to seduce us away from Jesus Christ through philosophy and vain deceit, through worldly established principles (such as humanism and evolution) and the traditions of men. Notice that the Bible directs us to Jesus Christ. Amen! We learn about Jesus in the Scriptures, which is exactly what Jesus said in John 5:39, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.”

Now you understand why it's so important for each and every Christian believer to abide (live) in the Words of God. The Bible is our spiritual milk and meat, our nourishment. That's why we ought to listen to lots of Bible-preaching by godly men who walk with God. Beware though, because a lot of preachers are only interested in making money instead of genuinely helping you come closer to God. You cannot tell a false prophet by what he says, because they'll say anything to make money. You CAN tell a false prophet by what he DOESN'T say! A lot of false prophets teach the basic gospel message that Jesus died, was buried and rose from the dead; but they'll NEVER tell you that adding anything to the Gospel corrupts it and leads to Hell forever. Roman Catholic priests add keeping the seven sacraments. They are false prophets, leading people into Hell. Most religions pervert the Gospel. Sadly, CSE perverts the Gospel, adding human effort in order to be saved. They claim that a person must ENDEAVOR to live for God in order to be saved. That's a false gospel.

Colossians 2:7-8, “Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.”
 

There Are Major Theological and Scientific Problems With A Young Earth

There are numerous problems with the theory that there was no pre-Adamic world. Here are several reasons that a young earth simply cannot be true (or you could call these facts, evidence of an old earth):

1. If there was no prehistoric world, then how did the earth end up void and darkened. The Bible says that God's Word NEVER returns unto Him void? Isaiah 55:11, “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” God made man upright. God made the angels and Lucifer upright. Sin ruined them. Throughout Genesis 1 we read repeatedly that everything God made was “very good.” So why would God make a void and empty frozen wasteland? Clearly something happened. Jeremiah 4:23-28 tells us that God in His anger made the earth void.
    
2. The Bible mentions over 200 different animals and yet not one mention is made of any of the hundreds of prehistoric species in museums today. Surely if sabertooths, mammoths, dinosaurs (tyrannosauruses, brontosauruses, stegosaurus, et cetera), pterodactyls and hundreds of other prehistoric and terrifying creatures had lived amongst men, they would have been mentioned in the Bible. Clearly these creatures lived in a time before time.
    
3. The Bible says that Adam named all the animals (Genesis 2:19), but modern scientists have named 1047 different species of dinosaurs as of September 17, 2008. Adam couldn't name the dinosaurs (a term that didn't exist until the 19th century) because they were not there, that is, dinosaurs weren't a part of the remodeling of God's creation. You can trace the name of every animal and bird back through history, but dinosaurs you cannot.
    
4. Where did Satan come from? Clearly he was already in the Garden of Eden, so he existed before man.
    
5. When did the angels fall? There is no Biblical record of the angels falling during Old Testament times, so clearly they must have been cast down to earth for their rebellion BEFORE Genesis 1:2.
    
6. When did God cast angels into Hell? 2nd Peter 2:4 says that God cast some of the angels that sinned down to Hell (Tartarus, only mentioned once in the New Testament, a special place in Hell just for demons). The logical conclusion is that God cast the angels down BEFORE Genesis 1:2.
    
7. In view of Jeremiah 4:23-28, when did God in His fury destroy the cities of the earth? The Bible tells us, that is, after Genesis 1:1 but before Genesis 1:2.
    
8. In view of Jeremiah 4:23-28, when did God make the earth dark without light to shine? Again, the Bible tells us, that is, after Genesis 1:1 but before Genesis 1:2.
    
9. In view of Jeremiah 4:23-28, when was there NO MAN? Clearly this passage of Scripture refers to a time before mankind existed. Although some scholars would argue that this passage doesn't specifically say it refers to creation, I think it would be irresponsible to ignore Jeremiah 4:23 and 26, “I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. ... I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger.” There is no other way to conclude this passage, except as concerning the origins of the world. At no time in history has it been dark upon the earth as Jeremiah 4:23-28 says, except between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2.
    
10. In Genesis chapter 1, why does the Bible make a distinction between the word “create” (meaning absolute creation) and the word “made” (which means “to make” in the broadest sense of the word)? Clearly something different was going on. God absolutely created the universe, then made it void in His anger, then remodeled the universe in Genesis 1-2. This is not progressive creation as some call it. God created life as we know it 6,000 years ago, but the universe is millions (if not billions) of years old. A young earth cannot explain any of these things.
     
11. When did dinosaurs live? There's no Biblical evidence to show that dinosaurs co-existed with man. The word “behemoth” in Job 40:15 (which some ignorantly allege to be a dinosaur) in the Hebrew means a hippopotamus. Some young-earthers claim that legends of fire-breathing dragons is proof of dinosaurs, but historians have never verified nor even spoken of such creatures (which are as real as Greek mythology).
     
12. A young earth rejects legitimate scientific evidence. There is plenty of fossil and carbon dating evidence to show that dinosaurs lived millions of years ago. The skeletal remains themselves of thousands of dinosaurs are clear evidence that dinosaurs lived long, long ago before mankind was created. Numerous scientific methods are used to determine the age of bones and soil. A young earth laughs in the face of legitimate science. Granted, evolution is based upon bad science and fraudulent claims, which is quite the contrary to proven methods of testing the age of materials. Although scientists may not be able to determine whether the earth is hundreds-of-millions verses billions of years old, they certainly can very easily prove that the earth is much older than 6,000 years.
     
13. In Isaiah 14:12-14 Lucifer said he wanted to rise above the clouds to be equal with God. When was Lucifer below the clouds? I believe this logically explains why God destroyed the earth, that is, to punish Lucifer.
     
14. Psalms 102:25 says “Of old” God laid the foundation of the earth. David penned this around 1,000 BC.
     
15. Is radioactive carbon dating that wrong? I read an article today which tried to prove an young earth, saying that newly formed lava rocks tested to be millions of years old. Of course they did, the old rock turned to liquid and back to rock. It is millions of years old. Melting ice to water doesn't change it's chemical composition.
     
16. Where did sin originate? Clearly sin did not originate in the Garden of Eden.
     
17. God gave man dominion over the earth. A young earth would mean that all the dinosaurs and gigantic and ferocious mammals (like sabertooth tigers and huge mammoths) lived amongst men. People would have been dinner. It is quite obvious that these beautiful but frightening creatures did not live with mankind. Clearly they are prehistoric creatures. The pterodactyls (gigantic reptile birds) would have been a major threat to humans, and certainly the Bible would have mentioned these creatures if they existed in the Old Testament.
     
18. In Genesis 6:19 God told Noah, “And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female.” The Bible doesn't exclude dinosaurs as some foolish scholars claim. If you believe in a young earth, and that dinosaurs lived amongst men, then you can only foolishly conclude that Noah left them behind as excess baggage. Clearly dinosaurs didn't exist during Noah's time. Noah couldn't have fit dinosaurs on the ark if he had tried. God didn't tell Noah to leave behind certain living flesh; but rather, commanded Noah to bring two of every sort of all flesh into the ark. This is further evidence of an old earth.
     
19. 132 times throughout the Old Testament we find mention of the lion. In many cases the lion is mentioned as a symbol of strength and ferocity. Job 4:10, “The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lions, are broken.” Proverbs 19:12, “The king's wrath is as the roaring of a lion.” The Bible even says in plain language that the lion is the strongest among beasts. Proverbs 30:30, “A lion which is strongest among beasts, and turneth not away for any.” Surely if tyrannosauruses had dwelt amongst men, then they would have been the strongest among beasts and mentioned instead of lions. No lion would be a match for a Velociraptor, one of the most aggressive and predatory of the dinosaurs. T-rex were meat eaters, but likely scavengers; not hunters like the Velociraptor.

These are 19 proofs I have thought up off the top of my head why a young earth is not possible. I'm sure there are hundreds more. The Bible, common sense, science, archaeology, paleontology and history all testify of an old earth.
 

The Bible Supports An Old Earth

Psalms 102:25, “Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands.”

Contrary to the young-earth gang who have no Scriptural support for their heresies, the Bible contains MUCH evidence of an old earth.

For example: Satan was already in the Garden of Eden. The Bible plainly tells us in Isaiah 14:12-14 that Lucifer was cast down and desired to be above the clouds, equal with God. Thus, he must have been below the clouds when he said that, that is, upon the earth.

The life of Job happened during the same time as Genesis (but that's a different Bible study) Job 1:6-7, “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.” Here we learn that Satan travels not only vertically, but also horizontally through the earth. I don't believe that Satan is restricted to the earth. Ephesians 2:2 calls Satan the prince of the power of THE AIR, but I believe that Satan as a spirit also has the capability to descend into the earth. Revelation 17:8, “The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition...” In order for the Beast to “ascend” out of the bottomless pit it must first be in the pit.
 

The Love Of Money Is The Root Of All Evil

I am writing this defence of the Christian faith so that you may be indeed “Rooted and built up in him [Jesus Christ], and stablished in the faith.” I make no money and never will serving the Lord. I even hate the thought of money, because once you have money it has you! I am leery of any so-called ministry that makes substantial profits, especially when they corner a niche in the theological market and fail to preach the truth about many other issues.

I've learned that anytime and anywhere money is involved there is most often corruption, and that includes theological corruption as well. Mr. Bible-prophecy, Jack Van Impe sold out to Roman Catholicism years ago. He openly praised the Pope and told millions of viewers that the doctrines of the Catholic catechism are right on. Jack Van Impe preached at Hyles-Anderson College decades ago when he still believed the Bible. I've got his tapes. My how the love of money changes a preacher. For a guy who boasts of having spent 70,000 hours studying the Bible, how could he be so irresponsible as to elevate and promote the biggest demonic cult in the world? It's apostasy!

Even Walter Martin in his “Kingdom Of The Cults” book (that is still very popular today) left out the biggest satanic cult in the world, which is Roman Catholicism!!! Hank Hanegraaff took Martin's place at the Christian Research Institute, aka, “The Bible Answer Man” on the radio. Hanegraaff is also biased toward the Prisonhouse of Catholicism.

Dr. John R. Rice once said in the 1950's that he thought Billy Graham would be the next Billy Sunday. Wow, was Brother Rice wrong! Billy Balaam (Graham) totally sold out to the Roman Catholic religion, fornicating in a spiritual love affair with the popes of Rome.

Answers In Genesis raked in $22,000,000 in 2010. That's not bad for arguing how old the earth is! It became obvious to me what The 700 Club, TBN, Benny Hinn, Christian International Ministries in Florida and other reprobates (partners in deception) were doing—all promoting one another, sharing platforms and conferences, making tons of money, spreading the filthy lucre around. As Ron Hubbard (founder of Scientology) has stated and proven, there's money in religion! Jesus plainly taught in Matthew 6:24 that men cannot serve God and mammon (wealth). It's one or the other.

I'm not against selling books and videos, not at all. In fact, I encourage it. It's quite obvious that it costs money to publish books, videos and learning resources. Someone's got to pay the bills. Albeit, I am against such things turning into a multi-million dollar business where so-called ministers (which means “servants”) are making 6-digit salaries and living lavishly by exploiting Christianity as a business. Someone once said that Christianity is the greatest business in the world. No doubt, plenty of greedy preachers would agree; but the Bible never teaches that Christianity is a business. That's a terrible thing to call Christianity. Christianity is about Jesus Christ and the truth, not running a business and making money.

If you repeat nonsense often enough for long enough, it becomes proven fact—It's a proven fact!

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