Most of us are familiar with the creation as outlined in Genesis. One of the problems in trying to make sense of it, is that these days we know more about what lies beyond the Earth. We know that the sun is just an ordinary star halfway through its lifetime and that we are in orbit around it. We also know that the sun is but one of billions of stars, which form a giant spiral disk, which we call our galaxy or the Milky Way. Then on top of that our galaxy is but one of billions of galaxies in the region of space that we are capable of observing. So what we tend to do, is look at the creation story as though we are looking at the Earth from outer space. Then we find faults. However, the people who wrote this, originally based perhaps on their clairvoyant visions, were not looking from such a standpoint. They were on the surface of the Earth and it is from this original viewpoint that the order of events in Genesis makes more sense. The other fundamental mistake may be to assume that the creation is about the Universe itself, in other words, everything. This is surely a modern man made assumption. When they talked about the creation of the Earth and heaven it is more logical to assume that they meant the Earth and the heavens immediately around the Earth and not everything from here to the farthest observable galaxy. So let us try thinking of it in a different way. The Universe was already there in the first place and the whole of the creation account is about the creation of the Earth and the heavens around the Earth, that is, just around the Earth and nothing more. God, the Universe created it. Most of us would agree that for this to happen in seven days is somewhat stretching it a bit to say the least. However, other sections of the Bible explain this. Definite time spans are meaningless. It infers that in the mind of God actual time measurement as passed on in clairvoyant visions is a difficult one. The opening quotations to this chapter make this clear. In universal time then there are only, short times, long times and very long times. Therefore, the days of creation are really a sequence of events or stages of creation as far as we are concerned.
A number of years ago evolution had become more or less understood. Astronomers had, increased their understanding of how the Earth had formed and its geological evolution. It appeared that the account given in Genesis must be nothing more than a fairy story. However, some of the details of the account now appear to tie in better with more modern scientific thinking than they did originally. We know for example, that the Earth was indeed formless and empty during the very first stage of creation. It tells us that darkness was over the surface of the deep. This would have been true in the very early stages of the formation of the Earth. The Earth would have not cooled enough for liquid water to form. No light from the sun would have any chance of penetrating the dense cloud that enveloped the Earth and reaching the surface. After further cooling, a diffuse light on the sun side of the Earth would have heralded the beginnings of night and day. This is the end of the first stage or day of creation.
It then states that the waters were separated to form the water on the land and the water above it. It was not until the Earth had cooled sufficiently, that water could start to condense out of outer layers of the atmosphere to form liquid water on the surface as well as water vapour in the atmosphere. This is the end of the second stage or day of creation.
The Bible then tells us that all the water was gathered in one place and all the land was on the other. This was originally thought to be a load of rubbish. The Earth just was not like that. Continents were spread out over the surface of the Earth. That is the way it had always been. We now know different. This is due to the results from our later understanding of plate tectonics which began its development in the nineteen sixties. It is now a scientific fact that in the early stages of the Earth's development that all the water was indeed gathered in one place. This left one large super continent to which science has given the name Pangaea. It was only later while the dinosaurs were roaming the Earth that this super continent broke up and spread apart on large tectonic plates. The movement is due to large convection currents in the Earth’s mantle. It has helped us to increase our understanding about volcanoes and Earthquakes, which occur at the boundaries of the tectonic plates. Therefore, we do indeed have a situation at that time, when all the land was gathered together in one place and all the water was on the other side. Then we are told that God said that the land should then produce vegetation. From science, we know that this could not happen until the atmosphere was sufficiently clear to allow some diffuse sunlight to reach the surface. Primitive plant life began to take hold. We know it was this that produced the oxygen rich atmosphere. This would then lead on to the development of living creatures. This is the end of the third stage or day of creation.
The only disagreement we would have is with the fourth day of creation when the sun, moon and stars were created. From a scientific point of view, we would have to say that these were there beforehand. Yet, we have to remember our viewpoint again. That is, a view of creation from the surface of the Earth. It was only after primitive plants had started to establish themselves and produce an atmosphere rich in oxygen that the atmosphere started to fully clear. Up to then it would have only been semi-transparent. It was only when the atmosphere cleared that the sun, moon and stars would shine fully for the first time on the surface of the Earth and be visible as individual entities in their own right. Also, it would be in that order. The sun being the brighter object would be the first to appear followed by the moon. Then, only when the atmosphere had fully cleared and become fully transparent, would the stars be visible from the surface of the Earth. This is the end of the fourth stage or day of creation.
During the fifth stage of creation, it was the turn of the living creatures to appear both on the land and in the sea. We know from science that this is the correct sequence. Without green plants on the surface of the Earth and plankton in the sea, there can be no creatures. Green plants and plankton are the foundation of the food chain upon which all other forms of life depend. From then on, life forms that are more complex arrived over time. This ended the fifth stage or day of creation.
The sixth day involves the appearance of man on the Earth. It is quite clear from the first chapter of Genesis (26-27) that man and woman were created together during this long period. It is only in Chapter 2 where a different version of creation, decides that woman was created as something of an afterthought. From the study of modern genetics, we have been able to trace civilisations and populations. The remarkable discovery is what genetics has shown us to be true. That is, however evolution progressed, everyone’s genetic code shows that our modern version of humanity is descended from a relatively small nucleus of people, if not just one woman, no matter on which continent we now reside. The emergence of men and women on the face of the Earth is the end of the sixth stage or day of creation.
Then, we were given our prime directive, to be fruitful, increase in number, fill the Earth and subdue it. Notice that it does not tell us to over do it. Every schoolchild knows about what happens to any species that becomes overpopulated. Quite simply the food chain collapses beneath them and they starve to death, becoming either extinct or just managing to recover before extinction. Over population produces enormous problems as we have discovered to our cost. Scarceness of resources, too many people chasing too few dwellings, divergence of rich and poor and a polluted environment. I hope that we have seen the signs early enough to react and do something about it. Obviously, individuals can only do their own bit within their families, but it is up to rulers and policy makers to lead the way for the future. The Earth is full. The rules now change. We could do with a minister for population densities in each country.
As regards to subduing the Earth, science is now starting to turn the corner and be ever more conscious of our surroundings and how the Earth works and our relationship with it. The way we lived in the Middle Ages no longer holds water. We know that we cannot just keep taking what we want from the Earth as if there was no tomorrow without suffering the consequences. Neither can we keep dumping our waste for ever and ever. When the population of the Earth was low, taking what you want and dumping what you do not want appeared to be a reasonable system. After all, the space on the Earth was vast. A modern parallel lies with computers. It is not long ago that people were informed that their computer came with over 400 megabytes of memory. A memory this vast, it was thought, would never be filled. Now we know different. So, the writing is on the wall. Do not over populate any area and make sure that everything can be recycled. This message though, is slow to be absorbed by those societies based on money making. Change can be a slow process.
During the process of creation, we were also provided with those little extras, which have enhanced our experience of the world. Had the Universe provided the Earth with a perfect vertical axis, then there would have been no seasons. The very fact that the Earth’s axis is tilted means that one hemisphere of the Earth experiences its summer while the other experiences its winter each year as the Earth orbits the sun. Although the moon’s reflected light of the sun may not have penetrated to the surface of the Earth until the fourth stage of creation we know from science that the actual production of the Earth moon system took place around the same time, which would be during the first stage of creation. As well as providing us with a guiding light during the night, it is also responsible for the twice-daily rise and fall of the tides. During an almost twenty eight day cycle through its phases, from new moon to full moon and back to new moon, it makes one complete orbit of the Earth. This twenty-eight day cycle has been responsible for the regulation of many life cycles on the Earth.
The sun, our own nuclear reactor, at a safe distance of 93 million miles away, provides the energy for almost every single action that takes place on Earth. Even the energy used for you to blink once has come from the sun. The immense power of the sun that lands on the Earth also drives the water cycle lifting every ton of pure water that lands on the Earth, out of the sea in the first place and up into the sky above the hills and mountains.
All this, provided by our Universe and all we are asked to do it appreciate it, enjoy it because it is good and look after it.For further information try these words in your search engine: genetics and eve.