Creation Science Commentary
Am I Offending YEC's?
By Greg Neyman
First Published 23 September 2013
Many have accused me of unchristian behavior, and offending fellow Christians (YEC’s) with my comments. Why point out flaws and degrade other Christian’s beliefs?
To examine my reasoning, we need to examine our society, and its move away from God. During the daytime, I work as a mailman (I know…I’m not making the best use of my Geology degree!). The downside, though, is that you get to see how our society is doing. Many times when I deliver, spouses are arguing, cussing each other out, with their children present. What does this lead too... I also observe children, as young as 5, using cuss words, many times in front of their parents, with no rebuke. The music that people listen too is also profanity laced...as parents drive their children around, with toddlers listening to songs about sex, drugs, and violence. With each year, our country dives deeper and deeper into hell, away from the saving grace that God offers. What has happened to our country? And how can we turn this around? Why has the church become not relevant to these people, and its message forgotten by the average person in our cities? I think I know the answer...but many of my YEC friends are not going to like the answer. Although YEC is not the only contributing factor, I believe YEC is a major contributor to societies’ move away from God.
The modern YEC movement started in the early 1900’s, with the teachings of the Seventh Day Adventists, but its influence started becoming a real force in the 1960’s, with new, vocal YEC organizations insisting on a young earth. Corresponding with this rise in YEC, in the early 1960’s, we have removed prayer from schools, allowed abortions, and our society, with the help of TV and movies over the past 50 years, has gradually moved away from God. I know many will disagree with me, but I believe YEC has sped up the move away from God. Young earth creationism forces a person into one of two options: 1) believe that the earth is 6,000 years old, or 2) reject the Bible. Many in today's society have made a clear choice. They see the Bible as contrary to the solid findings of science, therefore it cannot be true, and is merely a collection of fairy tales.
So then, why do I point out flaws in young earth creationism? Consider what is at stake. Millions have turned away from God, thinking that the God of the Bible cannot be true. The goal of this website is to let people know that they can believe in God, and believe in modern scientific discoveries, which show that the earth is billions of years old. Millions have rejected God because they reject young earth creationism. Someone needs to tell them that they can believe in God and accept an old universe. Young earth creationists websites often mock long agers, especially those who believe in evolution. Yet God wants to draw all people to Himself...and mocking them is not the answer.
When I write rebuttals to young earth claims, am I offending YEC’s in the process? Sure, but considering what is at stake, a little offense is necessary. I’m not here to please YEC’s. Young earth creationists, despite their flawed beliefs, are saved, and going to heaven...so I'm not writing to help them, nor am I worried about what they think about this website. If this ministries' efforts makes a lot of YEC’s angry, but in the process, helps others come to Christ, then making YEC's angry is worth it.
As old earth creationists, we should not be concerned about offending our Christian brothers and sisters who believe in young earth creationism. In the past, I have tried to frame my arguments in such a way as to not offend YEC’s, but I am growing less and less concerned about this. The bottom line…they are Christians, going to heaven, and I am trying to win over the people that young earth creationism has cast aside…so if I offend, so be it. As a believer, I have a duty to point out error in the church, including when it is being taught by YEC teachers. The apostle Paul did the same...he pointed out other's errors, such as other teachers requiring circumcision. They were adding a requirement to believers that did not exist for salvation. YEC does the same thing...it adds something to the Gospel that is not required for salvation. Creation should be a side issue, and should not hinder people from coming to Christ.
Conclusion
There is a growing rift between YECs and the rest of Christianity, and the only way to save the church today, and make it more relevant to society, is to cut off the YEC branch. Every once in a while, a little pruning is necessary for the health of a tree. Remember a fellow named Galileo? In the early 1600’s, he believed the earth revolved around the sun (heliocentrism), and challenged the long-held belief that the earth was the center of the universe. The church relentlessly attacked him for it. It took many years, but eventually, the church came to realize he was right. This will eventually happen with young earth creationism. The church will one day catch up with modern science, and YEC will become a thing of the past. My hope is that I can speed up this process.
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.
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about old earth creationism, see
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or check out the article
Can You Be A
Christian and Believe in an Old Earth?
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