10/07/12

The Ulster Human Rights Watch welcomes the introduction to the Giant’s Causeway New Visitors Centre of the views of those who believe that the world was created by God from nothing.

The key question that has been asked for generations is how the earth was made and how man appeared. The answer to this question has been thought to be provided by two beliefs: the belief in what God has stated in the Bible as regards the creation of all things that exist in the universe, and the belief in the way observation and logical deductions tend to provide an explanation as to how the universe was made.

No human being was present in the beginning, so there is no witness to tell us what he/she saw. One can only rely, either on what God said or on what man has been able to understand with the means at his disposal. Because by nature man is not perfect, his science is not perfect either. For this reason a scientist can only make assertions about his understanding of the formation of the universe pending new discoveries that may be made in the future, which could confirm or dismiss his findings. He can never be sure that what he understands is absolutely and definitely the truth concerning the way the earth was created and how mankind came into existence. Faith in man’s observations and conclusions is not a guarantee that it will deliver the undeniable truth.

The issue is not the same for those who believe in what God says. God was there in the beginning, by nature He is infallible and He tells us how He made all things as recorded in the Bible in the book of Genesis. There is one fact that nobody can honestly deny: that Jesus Christ came into the world, the approximate date of his birth being well-known. In the Gospel of Luke the genealogy of Christ is recorded, going back to Joseph, then to Noah, and finally to Adam (Luke 3 v. 23-38). The number of years between Adam and Christ is about 4000, which indicates that the earth was created some 6000 years ago. This would appear to be a much more reliable source of information than what may be deducted from observation by people who believe that their approach can lead them to the truth.

Was the Giant’s Causeway created 60000 years ago? On the basis of the historical information contained in the Bible, this cannot be. For this reason it can be suggested that the volcanic eruption that produced a flow of lava and may have resulted in what we now call the Giant’s Causeway could have occurred at some stage since the creation of the world 6000 years ago. The exact time of formation of what has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO is open to debate and those who believe what God says, in the Bible, are entitled to have their understanding of the way all things were created put forward. Believing in the Bible is not meant to undermine the progress of science but on the contrary to promote it to the benefit of mankind.

The initiative of the National Trust to include the creation science understanding of the formation of the Giant’s Causeway is a wise decision that will enrich the debate on fundamental issues in a democratic society.