INTRODUCTION

In recent years there seems to be an ever-growing opinion that Old Testament history is disproved by the results of scientific investigation.  The explanation often heard is that the Old Testament is the compilation of myths from many prehistoric cultures, and has little or no basis in historic or scientific fact.  Some in the religious community respond that the scientific investigations themselves are flawed and offer no reliable contrary evidence.  Can a bridge between these divergent opinions ever be found? 

There certainly appear to be some inconsistencies between the words of the Old Testament scriptures and recent scientific findings.  For example, science tells us the earth was created over billions of years, not six thousand years ago over six days as some interpret the Old Testament to say.  Opposing theories on when the human race began is another example of apparent inconsistency.  And of course there are even more fundamental issues under debate such as the motivating force behind the creation of the universe and how the variety of species living on earth has changed so dramatically over time.

The purpose of this blog is to find a way to bridge scriptures and science in a way that is satisfactory to both.  With thorough and open-minded analysis, it just might be possible to find that these two sources of information actually support one another.

Approach

This blog is designed to bring together respectful, open-minded people who believe not only is it possible that science and the Old Testament can someday support each other, it is sufficiently likely to warrant serious consideration.  On a case-by-case basis, specific issues will be presented in some detail, with potential interpretations of both religious and scientific data offered that show how multiple information sources might potentially lead to a single unified understanding of the issue.  The interpretations presented are not intended as proposals for how to understand the issue, but rather as an illustration of how a new way of viewing the data can lead to a conclusion that could be shared by both the scientific and religious communities.

Rather than debating individual opinions on the “right interpretation” of religious or scientific evidence, the intent of this blog is to focus on one specific issue and explore possible hypotheses leading to conclusions that can be supported by both communities.  It is expected that even the most narrowly defined issue might impact on other issues that then need to be brought into the discussion in order to assess the validity of the hypothesis proposed.  As much as possible, though, an effort will be made to keep issues separated.

Readers are encouraged to comment on anything in the blog and to offer alternative interpretations and theories.  The only request is that comments and alternative ideas submitted be consistent with the objective of bringing open-minded people together.  Please avoid inflexible comments like “Man was created 6,000 years ago and any ‘scientific evidence’ to the contrary is contrived” or “The Bible is full of myths and has no place in a serious scientific discussion,” as these attitudes will not be helpful.

Sources

As the paragraphs above imply, this blog tends to use the Old Testament to represent the primary source of religious historical content of the Christian and Jewish faiths, and is the primary source being used in this blog.  It is also understood that much of the Old Testament is consistent with the teachings of Islam, so much of the information in this blog could be considered to apply equally to Christian, Jewish and Muslim beliefs.

Since the blogger speaks only English and comes from a Protestant background, he will be using various English translations of the Protestant Old Testament as primary references.  When not specifically referenced herein, Biblical citations will be from the New International Version (NIV) published and copyrighted by the Zondervan Corporation in 1985. 

First Issue:          When Was the Universe Created?
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