Overview
Influenced by many modern day evolutionary scientists, a common worldview of the history of the earth and mankind goes something like this. About 4.5 billion years ago, the earth came into existence. More recently, about a million or two years ago, mankind came into existence after a long period of biological evolution beginning in the primordial oceans.
Much of this thinking draws its roots from the search for an explanation of the existence of the universe and all life, including mankind, without the need for a creator God. If one can’t accept the reality of an all powerful creator God, then they gravitate to other avenues of thought even if it takes them further from the truth.
This is why evolutionary science starts and ends with the proposition that should the evidence logically lead to a creator God, that evidence must be disregarded and the search go on. This is why renowned evolutionist Sir Arthur Keith says in his 1972 book, Did Man Just Happen?, “Evolution is unproved and unprovable. We believe it because the only alternative is special creation, and that is unthinkable.”
So let’s explore the evidence for a worldwide flood of biblical scale and what the fossil evidence really tells us.
What’s at Stake?
What is at stake is our understanding of the history of the earth and its influence on our modern day worldview.
Evidence of a Worldwide Flood
- Recorded History — Global flood stories handed down through the generations exist in every part of the world. Cave drawings depicting a great flood occur all over the world.
- Catastrophic evidence exists worldwide that point to a global flood — Sea fossils in limestone layers are at the top of the Grand Canyon and large deposits of oil and tracts of coal formations are scattered all over the earth. These deposits and the fossils we observe all have the characteristics of rapid burial of animals and plant vegetation, which are what we would expect to see in a global flood.
- Worldwide Flood — Fossils are preserved during catastrophic events causing quick burial. A worldwide flood is such an event. Creatures buried in sedimentary layers all over the earth is a perfect description of a worldwide flood.
- Tunnels — We find vast tunnels in every part of the world that are the product of fast flows of underground water.
- Sedimentation — Sedimentation layers cover 66% of the earth’s surface. Sedimentary layers exposed in the Grand Canyon walls characterize a catastrophic flood. The layers are of different sediments laid down one on top of the other. This identifies with sediments carried by ocean currents from different locations and then being laid down one on top of the other. We observe that where the Rio Negro river flows into the Amazon river, the two flows don’t mix. Then as the Amazon flows into the Atlantic ocean, the sediments don’t mix with the salt water either — often for months. Instead, they float with the ocean currents. Looking at the layers in the Grand Canyon, you can often see curved unbroken patterns. These pliable layers are consistent with flood geology.
- Source of Water — Genesis describes the earth’s surface as being relatively flat in topographical terms. Assuming that topography, it would not require as much water to cover the earth as one might otherwise expect. The Bible describes the springs of the deep in Genesis 8:2, and again refers to the deep springs in Job 38:16. In recent years, researchers have found springs miles under the ocean’s surface. Some scientists suggest that deep valleys and high mountains were the result of the shifting of the earth’s crust during and after the catastrophic flood event.
- Some scientific evidence points to there being more water in the mantel of the earth than in all oceans, lakes and rivers of the world combined. The theory gains support from Nasa’s Cassini Mission to one of Saturn’s moons, Enceladus, which suggests that a global ocean exists under its entire surface.
Reasons to Question Old Age Geology of the Earth and Mankind
- The geologic column is the product of evolutionary thinking. Life forms appeared fully formed and suddenly in so called the Cambrian period. That speaks for special creation, not evolution.
- Evolution theory reeks of deception — Piltdown Man was a hoax; Nebraska Man was contrived from an extinct pig’s tooth; Java Man was 100% human; Ramapithecus was fabricated from a few teeth later discovered to be from a modern orangutan; Lucy was an ape; Peking Man was a hoax, fossils since disappeared; Cro-Magnon Man was indistinguishable from modern man; Neanderthal Man was human and primitive features due to pathological conditions or disease; Archaeoraptor was highly publicised by National Geographic as the missing link between birds and dinosaurs. This was later discovered to be a Chinese farmer’s hoax.
- Evolution theory contends mankind evolved from primates. At least 61 primates make up the total primate population today of 1.6 million. There are 7.3 billion humans living today, 4550 times the primate population. If evolution theory were valid there should be about 277,500 new species spawned from humans. There are none.
- Radiocarbon or C14 dating of plants and animals is not consistent with either the assumptions or the most recent calculations of scientists. The age of plants and animals are consistent with biblical age, not billions of years.
- All coal samples still have C14 in them and can’t be that old. Even diamonds still contain evidence of C14.
- Trilobites are among the oldest forms of life on earth according to evolutionists, yet they have more complex eyes than humans. How is that possible in an evolutionary world?
- Grand Canyon — Either the Grand Canyon was formed by a lot of water over a short period of time (aftermath of the flood) or by a little water over a long period of time (evolution). There is clear evidence for the Grand Canyon being formed in a short period of time after a worldwide flood. Some of this evidence is listed in the points to follow.
- In 1980, water from Spirit Lake, below Mount St. Helens, broke through the sediment layer around it and almost instantly created a canyon comparable to the Grand Canyon except 1/40th the size. The topography of the Grand Canyon area shows three massive lake basins at the head of the Grand Canyon known as Hopi, Canyon lands, and Vernal Lakes. Mount St. Helens is a good example of how a breach of a large body of water could carve out the Grand Canyon leaving the delta we see today at the base of the Colorado river.
- The Missoula Flood in eastern Washington makes the point even more compelling. It is a realistic example of how the Grand Canyon was likely formed due to a catastrophic event in recent times.
- Evolutionary Dating is unreliable — The Precambrian layer at the bottom of the Grand Canyon (oldest rocks), dated by Rb-Sr isochron, produces ages which are almost the same as that of rocks from top layer (youngest rocks) using the same method. When the Rate Group had the same rocks tested using a variety of Isochron methods and using different labs, the dates varied significantly.
Assumptions of Evolutionary Explanations
- The earth has to be billions of years old to support old age evolutionary thinking. Life had to develop slowly over a long period of time with no God needed.
- The Bible’s history must not be correct.
- Age dating methods such as Radiocarbon and Radiometric dating are brimming with assumptions. The results they give are remarkably overstated compared to when dates of the rocks being tested are actually known.
Logical Fallacies of Evolutionary Explanations
- Rivers — Water alone flowing in a laminar motion does not typically cut deep into solid rock. If it did, there would be sizable canyons everywhere there are longstanding rivers. That is not what we observe. The type of river bed plays an important role in dissolution. However, a key factor is the turbulent rate of flow and type of sediment being carried. To carve out the Grand Canyon and create the delta we observe would more likely be the result of a catastrophic event, not millions or billions of years.
- Transitional Fossils — In order for one species to change into another species there must be a legitimate mechanism for change. Since there is no legitimate mechanism for change that accounts for the variety and complexity we observe, it should be no surprise that there are no agreed upon transitional fossils.
- The actual fossil record shows life arising quickly and fully formed.
Fatal Flaws of Evolutionary Explanations
- There are no agreed on transitional fossils confirming evolution theory. As New Scientist magazine put it in their May 20, 1982 issue, “The main problem in reconstructing the origins of man is lack of fossil evidence: all there is could be displayed on a dinner table.” If evolution were true, the world should be flush with trillions of intermediate and malformed fossils, but they simply don’t exist.
Conclusions
Science is a fascinating field of exploration. It is highly rewarding for those who are the explorers in the field. Yet, it is not without controversy. The controversy has nothing to do with testable and observable scientific discovery. It has everything to do with historical science that considers the past, but can’t be similarly checked out. Although important, historical science is speculative in nature especially in dealing with origins.
Origins offer only two agreed upon paths to follow. First, is that a creator God purposefully designed everything that we observe around us including humankind about 6000 years ago according to the Bible. Second, is that the universe and everything in it began about 15 billion years ago in the big bang that sent matter and energy expanding in every direction. The earth and our solar system is claimed to be 4.5 billion years old. Life on earth is argued to have formed perhaps as early as 4 billion years ago according to popular evolutionist Francisco Ayala. Many feel this was accomplished without the need for a supernatural creator.
Our Christian view is framed by a purposeful creator God. It is with that in mind that we see scientific discovery, fossils and the effects of a worldwide flood.