1Session 6.1

Life’s BIG Questions

Week 6

Session 1

2Session 6.1

Has Science Disproved the Bible?

Part 2

3Session 6.1

Has Science Disproved the Bible?

• As we saw last time the answer is NO.

• There is no conflict between science and the Bible

• Science tries to show how things happened using naturalistic explanations

• The Bible says why things happened

4Session 6.1

The Cell• Basic building block of life

• Simplest forms of life are single-celled creatures

• Most forms of life consist of many cells

• Human body – 200 different types

– 10,000,000,000,000 cells

5Session 6.1

The “Simple” Cell

• Many parts to typical cell

• House has – kitchen – living room– Bedroom– bathroom

• So a cell has specialised areas partitioned off for separate uses

6Session 6.1

The “Simple” Cell

• Room in house has walls– Door controls what comes in and out

• Each compartment in cell– Sealed off by its own membrane

• Special openings & systems– Allow some chemicals in & out

– Prevent others passing through

• 20 different compartments in a cell– Chemical movements must be

accurately regulated between them all

7Session 6.1

The “Simple” Cell

Each compartment has special molecular machinesEach compartment has special molecular machines

8Session 6.1

The “Simple” Cell

• Cell is the basis of life

• Incredibly complicated

• Cell must have all correct systems in place to survive

All cells discovered have all the essential All cells discovered have all the essential systems in placesystems in place

9Session 6.1

The “Simple” Cell

No observable facts to suggest:

• Cells & complex chemicals like DNA

• Have ever been anything other than– Complete

– Fully functional

10Session 6.1

The “Simple” CellTheories put forward

suggest

• Animal cells developed from simple yeast & bacterial cells

• However– Yeast & bacteria are

also complete & fully functional

– Far from simple

No observable facts to indicate that yeast No observable facts to indicate that yeast cells developed into more complex cellscells developed into more complex cells

11Session 6.1

Theory of Evolution

• Lack of intermediates in fossil record

• Small observable changes within species not evidence of the large changes required by theory

• No observable facts to suggest the cell has ever been anything other than complete and fully functional

12Session 6.1

What does the Bible say?

• In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth

Genesis 1 v 1

So universe including earth came into existence at So universe including earth came into existence at some point called “some point called “the beginningthe beginning””

13Session 6.1

What does the Bible say?

• Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep

Genesis 1 v 2

• So at one stage earth was – Covered with water

– Uninhabited

– Dark

Text doesn’t say how it happened or how Text doesn’t say how it happened or how long it tooklong it took

14Session 6.1

Time Gap?

Some Bible students suggest

• Time gap between – “In the beginning God created the heavens

and the earth” AND

– “Now the earth was formless and empty”

• Could be saying – Universe made some unspecified time

before planet earth came to be how it is now

15Session 6.1

Stages of Creation

• Each stage God gave the instruction– “God said”

• Doesn’t say how it happened– Just confirms that instructions were

carried out

– “And it was so”

Seems to be of what someone on the Seems to be of what someone on the earth would see as events happenedearth would see as events happened

16Session 6.1

Stages of CreationStage 1

“Let there be light”

Genesis 1:3

God … separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.”

Genesis 1 v 4 and 5

Waters on surface experience the vital cycle Waters on surface experience the vital cycle of day & nightof day & night

17Session 6.1

Stages of Creation

Stage 2

“Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water”

Genesis 1 v 6

God called the expanse “sky” Genesis 1 v 8

Now a space for life with an abundant Now a space for life with an abundant supply of water - vital to sustain lifesupply of water - vital to sustain life

18Session 6.1

Stages of CreationStage 3

“Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.”

Genesis 1 v 9

“Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds”

Genesis 1 v 11

19Session 6.1

Stages of CreationStage 4

“Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years”

Genesis 1 v 14

Suggestion:- Clouds separate & the sun & Suggestion:- Clouds separate & the sun & moon appearmoon appear

20Session 6.1

Stages of Creation

Stage 5

“Let the water teem with living creatures, and let

birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.”

Genesis 1 v 20

21Session 6.1

Stages of Creation

Stage 6

“Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind.”

Genesis 1 v 24

Bible makes no attempt to explain Bible makes no attempt to explain howhow it it was donewas done

22Session 6.1

Stages of Creation

Stage 6

“Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

Genesis 1 v 26

Man was different. Given responsibility to Man was different. Given responsibility to rule over rest of creationrule over rest of creation

23Session 6.1

Stages of Creation

Bible says everything came into existence in six stages

• End of the first stage:

And there was evening, and there was morning–the first day

Genesis 1 v 5

• Similar statements at the end of the other stages

Statements suggest that the stages are all Statements suggest that the stages are all a day in lengtha day in length

24Session 6.1

“Day” in the Bible

• Word usually refers to 24 hrs • But can refer to a longer time:

“the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens.”

Genesis 2 v 4

• In this case “day” means whole six “days” of creation

• We talk about “our day & age”

Text may be flexible in use of word “day”Text may be flexible in use of word “day”

25Session 6.1

The Bible

Bible not a science text book

• Doesn’t give information about mechanisms involved

• More concerned about why we are here and God’s purpose

26Session 6.1

The BibleThis is what the Bible text tells

us about how we got here:

• Our earth had a beginning.

• At one stage in our planet’s history, it was uninhabited & covered with water.

• Life then appeared on our planet in stages, with man appearing last of all

If we consider the observable facts of If we consider the observable facts of science there is no conflict with the Biblescience there is no conflict with the Bible