The Origin of Old-Earth Geology and Its Ramifications for Life in the 21st Century

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Introduction In the article, The Origin of Old-Earth Geology and its Ramifications for Life in the 21st century, Dr. Terry Mortenson tries to explain the relationship between science and Christianity, specifically the idea of an old earth, which developed in the early 19th century. The introduction of the “old earth” has created quite a debate since then, and is a very interesting topic in the history of science. Along with old earth idea is the idea of evolution, which is believed by many scientists and other people. In the article, Dr. Mortenson discusses several theories about the history of creation, four important scriptural geologists, and what impact this 19th century debate has on culture today. Brief Overview & Main Points Dr. Mortenson begins by explaining the dominant view before the 19th century, which was that God had created the earth in six 24-hour days about 400 B.C. and about 1600 years later, the earth was judged with a global flood during the time of Noah. It wasn’t until the late 18th century that different theories of how the earth began started to surface. These new views were “evolutionary and naturalistic in character,” and God was left out of the picture (Mortenson, 2003). Dr. Mortenson introduces a few French scientists who searched for answers through this old earth theory. First, there was Comte de Buffon, who believed that the earth was created from a collision of a comet and the sun. Then there was Pierre Laplace, who imagined that the earth had gradually condensed from a gas cloud. The third French scientist was Jean Lamarck. He proposed a theory that included biological evolution over a long period of time. Dr. Mortenson also mentions a few geologists who also thought that the earth was much older than the bible had said, Charles Lyell and Georges Cuvier. Georges Cuvier, another Frenchman, came up with the idea that God
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