Original Creation of the Earth (nebular hypothesis vs. six day creation)
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COMPARATIVE ESSAY INSTRUCTIONS
Topic:
1. Original creation of the Earth (nebular hypothesis vs. six-day creation)
Content and Outline
Use the following outline when writing your paper. Each point on the below outline should be a separate section (with the section heading, as indicated) within your paper.
I. Introduction
• Indicate which topic you chose from the list above.
• Indicate the purpose of your paper (i.e., to compare old-Earth and young-Earth viewpoints on your chosen topic).
II. Old-Earth Secular View
• What is the old-Earth secular viewpoint on your chosen topic?
• Do not discuss the old-Earth creationist viewpoint on your chosen topic. For a description of old-Earth creationism, go to http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Old_Earth_creationism
III. Young-Earth View
• What is the young-Earth viewpoint on your chosen topic?
IV. Comparison of the Viewpoints
• Comparison is articulating similarities between the two viewpoints.
• Be sure to provide at least two similarities (comparisons) between the viewpoints.
V. Contrast of the Viewpoints
• Contrast is articulating differences between the two viewpoints.
• Be sure to provide at least two differences (contrasts) between the viewpoints.
VI. Conclusion
• Provide a summary statement of your paper.
• Be sure to restate your purpose.
• Do not introduce new material in your conclusion.
Length
This paper is to be 3–4 pages. Do not exceed this page limit. The title page and bibliography do not count toward the page total.
Format
You must use current APA format. Papers must be double-spaced with 1-inch margins all around. Font is to be Courier New or Times New Roman in 12-point font. Include a cover sheet with your name, instructor’s name, course number and title (e.g., PHSC 210, Elements of Earth Science), date, and paper title. There is no need to include an abstract in your paper.
Sources
Your Comparative Essay must include at least 4 academic sources (not including the course textbooks). Two of these additional sources must be from an old-Earth perspective, and the other two sources must be from a young-Earth perspective. Sources must be journal articles, manuscripts, scholarly textbooks, and/or internet sites from .edu or .gov sources. Avoid internet sites from .com, .net, .org, etc., as the information contained therein are not often peer reviewed. In particular, avoid Wikipedia. Also, study Bibles are not appropriate for this assignment. List all of your sources in a bibliography at the end of the paper.
Citation
Be sure to cite your sources in the body of your paper using current APA format.
SAMPLE ANSWER
Original Creation of the Earth
Original Creation of the Earth (nebular hypothesis vs. six day creation)
Introduction
Topic: The topic of this exercise is the original creation of earth and the two main opposing perspectives that seek to explain how it occurred. These are the nebular hypothesis which is secular and the six day creation which is based on biblical scripture.
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast the two view points on the origin of the earth. One of the theories is the nebular theory which is based on secular scientific theories that were proposed to explain how the earth came to be. The other perspective, the six day creation, on the other hand is a Christian belief stated in the Bible about God, a supreme being deliberately created the earth.
Old Earth Secular View
The Old Earth Secular View of creation is a collective term that is used to refer to a several types of theories that are based on scientific knowledge as a means of explaining how the earth came to be in its present form. This form of reasoning relies on various branches of science such as geology, plate tectonics and various forms of radiometric dating as a means of establishing the age of the earth (LaPorte, 2014). It is termed as the old earth secular view due to the manner in which it is manifested relative to the young earth theory of creation. The ‘old’ is indicative of the belief that the earth is much older than 6000 years as indicated by the calendar followed by Judaism.
One of the more common beliefs associated with old-earth secular view is the ‘Big Bang Theory’ which is believed by scientists to have taken place over a billion years ago. The reason why it is termed as secular is that it exists parallel to religious theories of creation. Its origin is in science and rational or logical arguments thus its being called ‘secular’. Under this view, life on earth whether plant or animal came about as a result of progressive evolution from simple celled organisms whose cellular structure grew more and more complicated as the organisms sought to better adapt to their environment. According to this school of thought, evolution did not stop but is more of a continuous process taking place even today. Those who hold to this point of view are critical of those who believe in young earth creationism for completely ignoring logic (Herbert, 2014).
Young Earth Creationism
Young Earth creationism is a belief system that the earth is 6000 years old and was created in a total of six days out of nothing. The six days are taken as the literal days with 24 hours in each. This is a literal interpretation of what the Bible says in the creation story narrated in the book of Genesis which discusses the origins of earth and everything on it (Benton, 2014). Key to this belief is the belief in the existence of a supreme being who is known as the God of Abraham. This is the same God worshipped in Judaism, Christianity and also Islam albeit under different names. Under this theory humanity has virtually existed from time immemorial.
Those who take this point of view are motivated to stand by it due to their belief that what the Bible says is infallible. They therefore also oppose the secular perspective that the earth formed following a cataclysmic event in the universe followed by geological processes and evolution leading to the earth and life as known today. According to the young earth creation belief, everything that exists on earth whether natural or living has maintained the same form since it was created (MCGee, 2012).
Comparison and Contrast
Similarities
The first similarity that these two points of view share is the fact that whatever happened at the ‘beginning of time’ had a direct impact on how things are today. Regardless of the path followed, both alleged origins of the earth have led to nature being what it is today.
The second similarity that the old-earth secular belief and young earth creationism theory have is the fact that the processes that took place at the beginning of the earth put in place relevant parameters needed for the sustaining of life on earth. This is to say that both perspectives believe that life on earth is not an accident but rather something systematic.
Differences
The first difference between these two points of view is on the role of the supreme being. According to the old-earth secular belief, the earth came into existence due to the existence of the right conditions in the universe while young earth believes that God personally created everything.
The second difference is on the age of the earth. The old earth secular view takes it that the earth is at least a billion years old while the young earth view maintains that earth is six thousand years old.
Conclusion
From the above it is evident that there exists a sharp difference between the two perspectives. Proponents of both young earth creationism and old earth put a lot of effort into justifying their point of view. It is unlikely that the two will ever find a common ground due to the implication of the same. They however have areas of common ground as well as some stark differences and an understanding of these is key in differentiating the two.
References
Benton, A. (2014). Creationist Ministries Present a Distorted View of Human Evolution. Reports of the National Center for Science Education, 34(4).
Hebert, J. (2014). Ice Cores, Seafloor Sediments, and the Age of the Earth: Part 1. Acts & Facts, 43(6), 12-14.
LaPorte, C. (2013). Victorian literature, religion, and secularization. Literature Compass, 10(3), 277-287.
McGee, D. (2012). Creation Date of Adam from the Perspective of Young-Earth Creationism. Answers Research Journal, 5, 217-230.
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