Science and Faith Archives - Jonathan McLatchie

New Article in Science Boosts Plausibility of a Primordial Pair

Adam and Eve, Genesis 1-11, Science and Faith / jmclatchie

Though there is no direct evidence for Adam and Eve having existed, this does not necessarily make the belief irrational. In principle, it may be supported by indirect evidence (if one holds to a religious belief, itself well supported by evidence, that implies the historicity of Adam and Eve). Either way, current science tells us little about whether Adam and Eve plausibly existed.

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A Response to Jim Mason’s Defense of Young Earth Creationism in Premier Christianity Magazine

9 Comments / Genesis 1-11, Science and Faith, Young Earth Science Claims / jmclatchie

I found Jim Mason’s defense of young earth creationism, despite his impressive scientific credentials, to be disappointing, in particular its simplistic perspective on scientific epistemology.

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A Matter of Days: Interpreting the First Chapter of Genesis

1 Comment / Genesis 1, Genesis 1-11, Science and Faith / jmclatchie

In this article, I will explore the text of the first chapter of Scripture, Genesis 1, with a view towards determining whether this text commits one to a young earth interpretation of origins, or at least the extent to which the text tends to support such a view, if at all.

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Did People Once Live For Hundreds of Years? Evaluating the Long Life-Spans of Genesis 5 & 11

4 Comments / Genesis 1-11, Long Life Spans, Science and Faith / jmclatchie

I do not believe this evidence to be decisive in favor of a non-literalist interpretation of those ages, but it does call for caution against dogmatism in reading the ages given in the Biblical genealogies literally.

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The Search for Adam and Eve: Human Origins According to Scripture and Science

6 Comments / Adam and Eve, Genesis 1-11, Original Sin, Science and Faith, The Fall, Theology / jmclatchie

The historicity of Adam and Eve is a question which strikes at the heart of the Christian faith. If the primordial pair did not exist, then the historical and biblical doctrine of the fall becomes extremely difficult to maintain.

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Did Death Exist Before Man Sinned? Appraising a Creationist Argument

8 Comments / Adam and Eve, Genesis 1, Genesis 1-11, Original Sin, Science and Faith, The Fall, Theology / jmclatchie

Some may wonder why I have chosen to address this topic prior to engaging with other topics (such as the meaning of the ‘days’ in Genesis 1). I have done so because many young earth creationists consider this to be the more pressing concern, and perhaps even the strongest argument for their position from Scripture.

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The Propriety of Allowing Science to Illuminate Scripture

13 Comments / Apologetic Method, Genesis 1-11, Probability Theory, Science and Faith / jmclatchie

The “young earth” teaching introduces an unnecessary and erroneous tension between Scripture and science that has confused many and I have personally met many people who have turned aside from their faith due to what they see as the impossible challenge of trying to reconcile that understanding of Scripture with the clear scientific evidence. They end up being neither ‘old’ or ‘young’ earth and worst of all not believing that God is the Creator at all.

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JONATHAN MCLATCHIE

Science and Faith