Creation Science

Creation Science Book Review

Is the Big Bang Biblical?

Question #17.  What Happened in Peleg's Day?

 

Review by Greg Neyman

© Old Earth Ministries

Review Published April 2006

 

     To his credit, in referring to Genesis 10:25, Morris does not reach an absolute conclusion.  Genesis 10:25 says,

Two sons were born to Eber; the name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother's name was Joktan.

     What does the earth divided mean?  Morris addresses several possibilities.  Some have said that the earth was "surveyed"...divided into parcels of land, or mapped.  There is not much support for this theory.

    The second idea that Morris mentions is that of continental drift via plate tectonics.  Morris, having a degree in geology, should have at least got this one right, but he does not.  He says that although "continental separation is well supported, it is still unproven, and perhaps unprovable."  What do we need in order to prove that continental separation is happening?  We simply need a measurement that shows that one continent is moving away from another.  There is plenty of evidence to support this, especially with the type of measurements that we have available today.  With GPS and laser measurements, it is a fact that the plates are moving.

     For example, here are the rates of movement for some tectonic plates.

 

India Plate, moving northeast at 5 cm/yr (2 in/yr)

Eurasian Plate, moving north at 2 cm/yr

African Plate, moving north at 2.5 cm/yr

Nazca Plate, moving east at 3.7 cm/yr

 

    I would think that Morris, with training in geology, would know that these plate movements have been measured.  However, he writes the article in question as if he were addressing a non-scientific person, who will take him at his word.  For those of us who look up the evidence, we know better.

     Morris then alludes to the possibility of rapid plate tectonics after Noah's flood, which is even controversial within young earth circles.  He appears to discount this as a possibility.

     Finally, he brings up two issues that he believes may be the truth.  First, there is the separation of languages at the Tower of Babel.  I believe this is the most likely solution.

     The final answer he proposes is that the young earth single Ice Age theory was responsible for sea level fluctuation, which allowed the earth to "join" immediately after the flood, because sea levels were thought to be 600 feet lower.  Hundreds of years later, when Peleg came along, the sea would have been rising, and the land bridges would have disappeared, thus the land would again be divided.  However, there is no support for this theory whatsoever.  It is based on a single Ice Age, something that we know is absolutely false.


 

     If you are not a Christian, and you have been holding out on making a decision for Christ because the Church always preached a message that was contrary to what you saw in the scientific world, then rest assured that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God, and you can believe in Christ and receive salvation, while still believing in an old earth.  Click here for more.

 

    Are you a Christian who believes in young earth creationism?  Now that we have shown the many difficulties of the young earth creation science model in this and many other articles, how does this impact your Christian life?  If you are a young earth creationism believer, click here.