An Introduction to Catastrophism: When Science and the Bible Agree

- From a solid belief in the Bible, the biblical flood and an earth of mere thousands of years in age,

- To skepticism in the Bible, rejection of the biblical flood of Noah and an earth billions upon billions of years old.

The amazing stories from the Bible, considered improbable within the accepted fact of modern scientists, find rational and logical explanations in Catastrophism.

The Science of Catastrophism satisfies the intellectual incongruity of the Flood, Joshua's Long Day, and the Exodus miracles.

Bible prophecies, recorded in Revelation, find remarkably clear and meaningful explanation when considered in the light of Catastrophist principles.

"The principle of catastrophism is an assertion that catastrophic natural processes have been primarily responsible for the deposition of the various layers in the geologic column and all the rock formations that we observe. Until the 18th century, no other plausible explanation was considered. The biblical worldwide flood as well as other local floods were believed to be responsible for laying down the sedimentary rock layers we observe." (allaboutcreation.org)

Unfortunately for Bible believers of the 21st century, almost universally accepted as scientific fact are the theories espoused by Uniformity or Gradualism. Most of us have been taught in school that Earth's appearance has undergone a slow, gradual and uniform change. Science teachers and television documentaries proclaim that these gradual processes have operated over vast expanses of time--"billions and billions of years"-- to create the world as it is today. It is upon the basis of Gradualism that the Theory of Evolution was postulated.

Catastrophists, on the other hand, see planetary catastrophes as the primary agent of change in the Earth. They believe that extra planetary bodies (asteroids, comets, etc.) have wrought sudden, dramatic change on the past, altering the Earth's appearance and destroying life in wholesale cataclysms. The time scale for such sweeping change is thus dramatically shortened in the Catastrophist view.

Catastrophism is evidenced by recorded history. Nearly 300 legends of a worldwide flood or deluge, commonly known as the "Noachian Flood," are found in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, North American and South America. Additionally, the fossil-record of earth's sedimentary layers suggests a past marine cataclysm.

Catastrophism provides an explanation for fossil remains of clams, found in the closed position (indicating they were buried alive) being found atop Mt. Everest. The Mount St. Helens eruption and subsequent erosion has taught us that rapid deposition and rapid canyon erosion is a fact. It doesn't take years to form.

Gradualism cannot explain the discovery of whale fossils and petrified trees that were found standing upright through multiple sedimentary layers supposedly separated by millions of years. Life forms cannot be fossilized unless buried rapidly.

Bible scholars are well familiar with the story of the Exodus and the flight across the Red Sea. Archaeologists have discovered chariot wheels embedded in coral at the bottom of the Red Sea. (Exodus Revealed, video documentary by Discovery Media Productions.) The science of Catastrophism accepts the probability of the parting of the Red Sea. The science of Gradualism denies the historical fact of the ancient text.

These evidences and thousands of others, unexplainable within the confines of Gradualism, release the Bible believer to begin a reconciliation of science with the Bible. Students of the Bible who would also like to accept the discoveries of science, to explore the baffling inconsistencies and to reconcile their studies with God would do well to explore the universe through the eyes of Catastrophism.

It must be remembered and kept always in mind that science is nothing more than men observing, identifying, describing, experimentally investigating and theoretically explaining the phenomena that surround them.

"Science makes use of the scientific method, which includes the careful observation of natural phenomena, the formulation of a hypothesis, the conducting of one or more experiments to test the hypothesis, and the drawing of a conclusion that confirms or modifies the hypothesis." (The American Heritage(r) Science Dictionary. Houghton Mifflin Company. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/science).

Learned men relying on evidence of human discovery postulating theories and formulating hypothesis with limited intellect does not provide the Bible scholar with proof that flies in the face of biblical declarations.

Hypothesis and theories upon theories, all resting upon the foundation of theories and hypothesis of Gradualism fall short of revealing the mysteries accepted by Bible believers.

When careful observation of natural phenomena results in the formulation of a hypothesis that does not exclude the Bible history, generally the result is the science of Catastrophism. Catastrophism validates the probability of many, and the actuality of other, mysteries of the Bible.

It is a remarkable time to reinvestigate the facts and determine your own position. Note:

Thank you for your visit. This article is by no means comprehensive coverage of this topic. Further installment(s) will be greatly determined by your questions and comments. Please feel free to provide feedback at the end of the article. I look forward to your remarks.