The Assumptions of
Naturalism and Uniformitarianism
The Assumptions of
Naturalism and Uniformitarianism
[The Assumptions of Naturalism and Uniformitarianism
Dr. Jason Lisle] "A belief in naturalism and uniformitarianism can cause a
person to make a vastly inflated estimate of the age of the earth and universe.
Recall that naturalism is the belief that nothing exists outside of nature. In
this view, the universe and everything in it came about by the same kinds of
processes observed within the universe. Naturalism is, of course, an unbiblical
concept since the Bible makes it clear that God created the universe
supernaturally....Naturalism often leads to exaggerated age estimates when
applied to supernaturally created things.
As an example of this, consider the first man. Adam was created as an adult—a
fully grown man. Suppose that we were asked to guess the age of Adam on the
seventh day, only 24 hours after God created him. If we incorrectly assumed that
Adam was not supernaturally created but that instead he came about the same way
people come about today, then we would derive an age that is far too old. A
naturalist might guess that the one-day-old Adam was about 30 years old by
incorrectly assuming that he grew to adulthood by the same process that other
people do today. Naturalism leads to an age estimate for Adam that is 10,000
times too old, but the universe was also supernaturally created. A person who
denies this would likely conclude an age that is many times older than the true
age.
A belief in uniformitarianism can also lead to severe overestimates of age.
Uniformitarianism is the idea that most things in the world today (mountains and
canyons, for example) were formed at about the same (i.e., uniform) rates that
we see operating in the world today. People who hold to uniformitarianism would
assume that radioactive decay has always occurred at the same rate, that canyons
have (generally) been eroded at the same rate as today, and that mountains have
been uplifted at the same average rate as today. They would certainly deny a
worldwide flood (Gen. 6:8) since it would alter these rates dramatically.
Uniformitarianism can be summed up by the phrase “the present is the key to the
past.”
However, both naturalism and uniformitarianism are merely philosophical
assumptions. They are both anti-biblical since the Bible teaches both a
supernatural creation and a worldwide flood. Moreover, naturalism and
uniformitarianism can lead to contradictory conclusions...which brings into
question the reliability of those assumptions."
The Assumptions of Naturalism and Uniformitarianism
Dr. Jason Lisle.
“The heavens declare creation and science confirms it.” Jason Lisle
The Assumptions of
Naturalism and Uniformitarianism