The Christian faith faces no shortage of challenges from today’s cultural and scientific communities, especially when it comes to reconciling the biblical account of creation with modern scientific observations. One key area of tension lies in the distinction between **historical science** and **observational science**. Understanding this distinction is crucial for addressing these challenges head-on, particularly when we seek to explain the apparent discrepancies between the age of the Earth as described in Scripture and the universe’s seemingly ancient age as observed through scientific inquiry.
In this chapter, we’ll explore the **Temporal Asymmetry Hypothesis (TAH)**, which provides a harmonious explanation for these discrepancies. First, we’ll distinguish between the two types of scientific inquiry, then summarize the creation account in Genesis, highlighting Day 4’s introduction of temporal asymmetry. We will also examine how this asymmetry temporarily resumes during the Global Flood, leading to unique geological phenomena. Finally, we’ll draw on biblical examples of localized time manipulation to reinforce the plausibility of temporal asymmetry and set the stage for our exploration of naturalism in the next chapter.
### **Distinguishing Historical Science and Observational Science**
Before we delve into the Temporal Asymmetry Hypothesis, it’s critical to establish the difference between **historical science** and **observational science**.
1. **Observational Science**: This form of science deals with phenomena that can be directly observed, tested, and repeated. It involves real-time experimentation, where variables can be controlled and results can be consistently reproduced. Examples include physics experiments, biological studies, and chemical reactions. Observational science is the foundation for most technological advancements, as it allows us to observe, measure, and understand how the world operates in the present.
2. **Historical Science**: Historical science, also called origins science, is the study of past events based on present-day evidence. Since these past events cannot be directly observed or repeated, historical science involves making inferences about the past based on data available in the present, such as fossils, geological strata, and cosmic radiation. However, historical science relies heavily on assumptions about how things worked in the past, often assuming that processes in the past operated in the same way they do today. This assumption of **uniformitarianism** can lead to different conclusions, depending on one’s worldview.
For example, observational science can tell us how fossils are formed under certain conditions, but when scientists attempt to explain the fossil record spanning millions of years, they are engaging in historical science. Their conclusions are based on assumptions about the past—assumptions that may not always hold true if the processes in the past were different from those we observe today.
### **The Creation Account and Temporal Asymmetry**
In the biblical account of creation, we see God’s sovereign hand at work as He brings the universe into existence over the course of six days. According to Genesis 1, God created the heavens and the Earth in six literal days, each marked by “evening and morning.” However, one of the central challenges in reconciling this account with scientific observations is the apparent age of the universe—billions of years according to the scientific community, but only thousands of years according to a literal reading of Scripture.
This is where the **Temporal Asymmetry Hypothesis (TAH)** provides a helpful framework. Let’s briefly summarize the six days of creation, paying particular attention to Day 4, where TAH comes into play:
1. **Days 1-3**: God creates the heavens, the Earth, light, water, land, and vegetation (Genesis 1:1-13). These three days are experienced as literal 24-hour days on Earth, with time flowing symmetrically across creation.
2. **Day 4**: On the fourth day, God creates the sun, moon, and stars (Genesis 1:14-19). Here, the TAH suggests that God introduced **temporal asymmetry**, causing time to flow differently in the cosmos than on Earth. While Earth continued to experience 24-hour days, the rest of the universe underwent an accelerated aging process—billions of years of cosmic development compressed into a single Earth day. This temporal asymmetry explains why distant stars and galaxies appear so old to modern scientists, yet aligns with the biblical timeline of a young Earth. Time dilation, as understood in modern physics (specifically, Einstein’s theory of relativity), gives us a glimpse into how time can operate differently depending on gravitational forces and velocities.
3. **Days 5-6**: God creates marine life, birds, land animals, and humanity (Genesis 1:20-31). Temporal asymmetry ceases to affect Earth by this point, and creation progresses according to the regular flow of time on Earth, with each day being a literal 24-hour period.
### **The Global Flood and the Resumption of Temporal Asymmetry**
Temporal asymmetry re-emerges during the **Global Flood**, a significant event described in Genesis 7-8. During this time, while life on Earth experiences regular time flow, the processes affecting **inorganic material**—such as the formation of geological strata and fossilization—are accelerated. This explains several unique geological and paleontological phenomena that have puzzled scientists, including:
1. **Multi-Strata Fossils**: Fossils that extend through several layers of geological strata (known as polystrate fossils) are often cited as evidence that these strata were not laid down over millions of years, as conventional geological models suggest, but rather over a much shorter period of time. The rapid deposition of sediment during the Flood, accelerated by temporal asymmetry, accounts for this phenomenon.
2. **Soft Tissue Preservation**: The discovery of soft tissue in dinosaur fossils, which should not be possible if the fossils were millions of years old, can also be explained by the accelerated fossilization process during the Flood. Temporal asymmetry affected inorganic materials (such as rocks and sediments) while leaving organic matter (such as living organisms and their remains) largely unaffected, allowing soft tissue to be preserved in a way that defies conventional scientific expectations.
This localized acceleration of inorganic processes during the Flood fits within the framework of Theoreddism and the TAH, where God’s direct intervention can cause time to operate differently in specific contexts. This makes sense both biblically and scientifically, allowing us to reconcile the geological record with the biblical timeline.
### **Biblical Examples of Localized Temporal Asymmetry**
The idea that time can flow differently in localized contexts is not only scientifically plausible but also supported by biblical examples. Two key events demonstrate that God has previously manipulated time in specific, localized ways:
1. **Joshua’s Long Day (Joshua 10:12-14)**: In this remarkable event, God made the sun “stand still” in the sky so that the Israelites could achieve victory in battle. The text says, *"The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day"* (Joshua 10:13, ESV). This event is an example of localized time **slowing**, allowing time to extend on Earth without disrupting the rest of the cosmos. Such an occurrence demonstrates God’s control over time itself.
2. **Hezekiah’s Sundial (2 Kings 20:8-11)**: When King Hezekiah asked for a sign that God would heal him, the Lord caused the shadow on the sundial to move backward ten steps. The passage states, *"And Isaiah the prophet called to the Lord, and he brought the shadow back ten steps, by which it had gone down on the steps of Ahaz"* (2 Kings 20:11, ESV). This event is an example of localized time **reversal**, where time moved backward in a specific area, further illustrating God’s sovereignty over the passage of time.
Both of these examples support the plausibility of the Temporal Asymmetry Hypothesis. If God can slow down or reverse time in localized events, it’s entirely reasonable that He could introduce temporal asymmetry during the creation week or the Global Flood, allowing for the accelerated aging of the cosmos and the rapid geological processes observed in the fossil record.
### **Conclusion and Looking Forward: The Fallacy of Composition**
The Temporal Asymmetry Hypothesis provides a compelling explanation for how the universe can appear billions of years old while remaining consistent with the biblical timeline of a six-day creation and a young Earth. By recognizing the distinction between historical and observational science, we can navigate these challenging topics with a biblically grounded framework that respects both divine revelation and scientific inquiry.
In the next chapter, we will explore **naturalism** and the **fallacy of composition**—the mistaken assumption that what is true for a part must be true for the whole. This fallacy underpins many of the arguments for macroevolution and uniformitarianism, but as we will see, it falls apart when examined through the lens of Theoreddism. By understanding the limits of naturalism, we can continue building a robust firewall of faith against the viral ideas of our culture.
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