United Church of God

The "Old Earth" vs. "Young Earth" Issue

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The "Old Earth" vs. "Young Earth" Issue

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As your children grow older, the question will likely arise whether or not God created everything about 6,000 years ago...or billions of years ago. In other words, they will hear from some creationists (who believe in a Creator rather than evolution) very good arguments for a Creator God, but then will find that these creationists maintain that nothing in the universe was created prior to the time of Adam and Eve.

This is where a misunderstanding arises over the interpretation of Genesis 1:1-2. The United Church of God believes the evidence of the Scriptures indicates that God actually created the universe (including the earth) long before Adam and Eve. For a more thorough explanation, read pages 29-31 of our brochure Creation or Evolution: Does It Really Matter What You Believe?

In any event, the important thing to understand is that all creation originated with God, not by evolution, and that God made us— humans—starting with Adam and Eve. We take His Word at face value, and we are the creative product of the Creator, not of an evolutionary process of gradually developing primates.

Comments

  • twocents

    Historical science is evidence but not proof. Both YECs and OECs use historical scientific evidence to support their respective theories. Debating the Bible's stance is more sound by far, since only Elohim existed when all was initially created, however long ago it might have been. There are numerous "could have," "might have," "perhaps," "seems like," etc. in UCG articles on this subject. In some congregations this has become or is becoming a divisive issue, with OYCs (who support, rightly so, perhaps, the UCG position) speaking of their YEC brethren as teaching false doctrine, which is the equivalent of teaching heresy. Is the YEC position heresy? If so, then adherents must be warned to avoid such teachings and, unhappily, disfellowshiped if they persist. If not heresy, then, I believe, the UCG responsibility before Jesus Christ, is to state clearly and unambiguously its stance on whether or not YEC-OEC discussions are allowable between brethren in Christian love and esteem, realizing that God's Church has made errors in the past, is not infallible in the present nor in the future, pending Christ's return. Is this a matter of iron-clad fundamental doctrine or rather of grace?

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