Creation Science Rebuttals
Answers in Genesis Daily Feature
Feedback: Why is my son an atheist?
10 March 2006
by Greg Neyman
© Old Earth Ministries
Once a week Answers in Genesis posts a response to a feedback they received on their website or via mail or phone. For the week of 6 March, a phone caller posed the question "Why is my son an atheist.1
In this instance, the AiG staff member was Bodie Hodge. For some background, this caller had instructed his son in the Bible, but he did teach the son that the Bible was historically accurate, nor that the Bible was the inerrant word of God. In this issue, I agree completely with Bodie Hodge. The man was telling his son that the Bible was accurate about Jesus, but that it was inaccurate about Genesis. Why should the son believe one and not the other.
Naturally, Hodge led the man into a typical young earth conversation (how to interpret Genesis, Death Before Sin, etc.). However, it is clear that you can be a Christian, and believe in long ages, with or without evolution. Hodge points this out in the article, but says this position is "inconsistent." He says "This is one reason the church is losing its children to atheism."
I totally disagree with this last statement. The church is not losing members to atheism because of evolution...the church is losing members to atheism because of young earth creationism! Let me explain.
When a son or daughter is told that the earth is young, they accept their parents words. Later on, when they are older, they learn that this is not the truth...their parents lied to them (although they may not have felt it was a lie). They now have two choices...accept the young earth account of the Bible, or don't. Many choose to abandon the Bible.
Unfortunately, these sons and daughters have not been told that you can accept millions of years and the Bible at the same time. From youth, their parents and teachers have taught them it's the Bible's way or the highway. They have been taught wrong.
Had they been informed correctly, the controversy could have been avoided. The truth of the matter is that you can believe in a historical, inerrant Bible, a literal interpretation of Genesis, and believe the earth is billions of years old (with or without evolution). And, there are no inconsistencies as Hodge claims.
For further reading:
Can You Be a Christian and Believe in an Old Earth?
1 Feedback for the week of March 6, 2006: Why is my son an atheist?
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.
Answers In Genesis 2006 Daily Features
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