Part of the series on Creationism

History of creationism Creation in Genesis Genesis as an allegory The Creation of Light by Gustave Doré. Creation refers to the concept that all humanity, life, the Earth, or the universe as a whole was created by a deity (often referred to as God). ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... The history of creationism is tied to the history of religions. ... Creation according to Genesis refers to the description of the creation of the heavens and the earth by God, as described in Genesis, the first book of the Bible. ... Allegorical interpretations of Genesis is devoted to historical and contemporary non-literal regarding the book of Genesis. ...

Christian views: Day-age creationism Framework theory Gap Creationism Intelligent design Modern geocentrism Neo-Creationism Omphalos creationism Old Earth creationism Progressive creationism Theistic evolution Young Earth creationism Day-Age Creationism, a type of Old Earth Creationism, is an effort to reconcile the literal Genesis account of Creation with modern scientific theories on the age of the Universe, the Earth, life, and humans. ... Gap Creationism, also called Restitution creationism or Ruin-Reconstruction, are terms used to describe a particular set of Christian beliefs about the creation of the Universe and the origin of man. ... Intelligent design (ID) is the concept that certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection. ... Modern geocentrism is a belief currently held by certain groups that the Earth is the center of the universe and does not move. ... Neo-creationism is a movement whose goal is to restate creationism in terms more likely to be well received by the public, policy makers, educators, and the scientific community. ... The omphalos hypothesis was named after the title of an 1857 book by Philip Henry Gosse in which he argued that in order for the world to be functional, God must have created the Earth with mountains, canyons, trees with growth rings, Adam and Eve with hair, fingernails, and navels... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Progressive creationism is a form of Old Earth creationism that accepts that new species have appeared successively over earths long history but that, to a greater or lesser degree, each species represents a fiat miracle (thus the creationism part), and that the first pair or representatives of species were... Theistic evolution, less commonly known as evolutionary creationism, is not a theory in the scientific sense, but a particular view about how the science of evolution relates to some religious interpretations. ... Adam and Eve, the first human beings according to Genesis Young Earth creationism is a religious doctrine which teaches that the Earth and life on Earth were created by a direct action of God relatively recently (about 6,000 to 10,000 years ago). ...

Non-Christian views: Hindu creationism Islamic creationism Jewish creationism This article examines the concept of creationism as found in Hinduism and movements associated with the concept. ... Islamic creationism – While contemporary Islam tends to take religious texts very literally, it sees Genesis as a corrupted version of Gods message. ... Jewish views on evolution includes a continuum of views about evolution, creationism, and the origin of life. ...

Controversy: Creation vs. evolution ... in public education Creation science Teach the Controversy Associated articles The creation-evolution controversy (also termed the creation vs. ... The legal status of creation and evolution in public education is the subject of a great deal of debate in legal, political, and religious circles, mainly in the United States. ... Creation science refers to the attempts by creationists (especially those who believe in a young Earth) to use the methods and empirical practices of science to support their side of the creation-evolution controversy. ... Teach the Controversy is a slogan the Discovery Institute uses to promote intelligent design[1] and advance an education policy for US public schools which introduces creationist explanations for the origin of life to public-school science curricula. ... The following is a clearinghouse of articles which refer to terms often used in the context of the creation-evolution controversy: // Origins Main article: Origin beliefs The creation-evolution controversy often is cast as a controversy surrounding the origin beliefs. ...

The framework interpretation (also known as the literary framework view, framework theory, or framework hypothesis) is an interpretation of the first chapter of the Book of Genesis which holds that the seven-day creation account found therein is not a literal or scientific description of the origins of the universe; rather, it is an ancient text which outlines a religious doctrine of creation. The seven day "framework" is not meant to be chronological but is a literary or symbolic structure designed to reinforce the Sabbath commandment. The story is allegoric in the technical sense, as opposed to a historical account of the creation events. Genesis (Greek: Γένεσις, having the meanings of birth, creation, cause, beginning, source and origin) is the first book of the Torah (five books of Moses) and hence the first book of the Tanakh, part of the Hebrew Bible; it is also the first book of the Christian Old Testament. ... This article is becoming very long. ... Biblical literalism is the adherence to the explicit and literal sense of the Bible. ... Part of a scientific laboratory at the University of Cologne. ... Universe is a word derived from the Old French univers, which in turn comes from the Latin roots unus (one) and versus (a form of vertere, to turn). Physicists concept of the Universe is motivated[] by the attempt to describe the whole of space-time, including all matter and energy... Creation (theology) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... == == <nowiki>[[[[[[[[[{{pov|date=18:21, 30 January 2007 (UTC)}} {{Christian theology}} {{dablink|This article concerns the Sabbath in Christianity. ... (Redirected from 10 commandments) This article is about the list of religious and moral imperatives. ... An allegory (from Greek αλλος, allos, other, and αγορευειν, agoreuein, to speak in public) is a figurative mode of representation conveying a meaning other than (and in addition to) the literal. ...

Theology of the framework

Six days and three categories

After studying the first chapter of Genesis, some theologians have concluded that the six days of creation are apparently divided into two groups of three which closely parallel each other. In the verses which include the first three days, God subdivides the world into three regions: heavens, sea, and earth; he then fills each of these regions sequentially during the following three days. Genesis (Hebrew: ‎, Greek: Γένεσις, having the meanings of birth, creation, cause, beginning, source and origin) is the first book of the Torah, the first book of the Tanakh and also the first book of the Christian Old Testament. ...

Framework theologians claim the first and fourth day of creation appear to have many similarities which seem to be describing one single event: the creation of day and light. Critically analyzing the passage we find that on the first day God "separated the light from the darkness" and "called the light day, and the darkness He called night" (Gen 1:3-5). This is repeated again on the fourth day when God created the two great lights in order "to separate the light from the darkness" and "to separate the day from the night" (Gen 1:14-19). Because of these similarities,

Using the interpretation of the first and fourth days, framework advocates argue the similarities between the days indicates the days progress in topical rather than chronological order. It appears parallelism is the method the author of the creation account used in order to describe God's work in such a way that was never intended to be read literally. In this sense, the creation account serves a greater role in purpose as revelation rather than simply to give a historical account of the events of creation. Revelation is an uncovering or disclosure via communication from the divine of something that has been partially or wholly hidden or unknown. ...

Seventh day

Many framework theologians use the non-literal interpretation of the seventh day because it explains the apparent contradiction in the literal interpretation of the events of the seventh day and God's nature. Exodus 31:17 states God "rested, and was refreshed" on the seventh day. This seems to contradict Isaiah 40:28 which says God "does not become weary or tired." Theology is literally rational discourse concerning God (Greek &#952;&#949;&#959;&#962;, theos, God, + &#955;&#959;&#947;&#959;&#962;, logos, rational discourse). By extension, it also refers to the study of other religious topics. ...

Ironically, most creation literalist argue against opponents by claiming a literal interpretation of the days in genesis is the only view which is logically compatible with the forth commandment. Biblical literalism is the adherence to the explicit and literal sense of the Bible. ...

Exodus 20:8-11:

They claim the author of the commandment speaks of it in a literal sense and therefore it must be interpreted literally. Framework theologians believe the days were symbolically added to the creation account through divine inspiration as a literally device and for the purpose of this commandment and was never intended to be taken literally. Revelation is an uncovering or disclosure via communication from the divine of something that has been partially or wholly hidden or unknown. ...

Other exegetical considerations

A close exegesis of the first two chapters of Genesis reveals two distinct creation accounts with conflicting chronologies. The first account, which uses the Hebrew word Elohim in reference to God, places the creation of man and woman on the sixth day, at the very end of creation. In contrast, the second ("Yahwist") account (which begins in chapter 2 verse 4) has plants, animals and birds created after the man. This is taken as evidence that the accounts should not be read literally as a chronological record of creation. Genesis (Hebrew: ‎, Greek: Γένεσις, having the meanings of birth, creation, cause, beginning, source and origin) is the first book of the Torah, the first book of the Tanakh and also the first book of the Christian Old Testament. ... Elohim (אֱלוֹהִים , אלהים) is a Hebrew word which expresses concepts of divinity. ... The factual accuracy of this article is disputed. ...

In addition, it is noted that the seven-day creation account (Genesis 1) has a formulaic structure with repetition and other poetic elements. Furthermore, it is based on an ancient cosmology with the firmament of heaven acting as a solid ceiling which holds up the waters of heaven, and within which the sun, moon and stars are embedded. These considerations are used to further argue the case that the Genesis creation accounts were not written as a scientifically accurate report, but rather as a religious text. It has been suggested that Biblical astronomy be merged into this article or section. ... Firmament of heaven is a solid structure which, according to the first chapter of the Bible entitled Genesis, was created by God and served two main functions: Separation of the water below the heaven (i. ...

Extra-biblical considerations

See also: age of the earth and age of the universe

The framework view is compatible with the scientific evidence which strongly suggests the earth is old and was created through various processes such as plate tectonics and evolution. Unlike the framework view, a literal 24-hour interpretation goes against evidence that the earth and universe are very old. Augustine had much to say about the dangers of remaining ignorant of science and yet arguing against it using a specific interpretation of scripture which may or may not be correct: A color image of Earth as seen from Apollo 17. ... The age of the universe, according to the Big Bang theory, is defined as the largest possible value of proper time integrated along a time-like curve from the Earth at the present epoch back to the Big Bang. The time that has elapsed on a hypothetical clock which has... Bridge across the Álfagjá rift valley in southwest Iceland, the boundary of the Eurasian and North American continental tectonic plates. ... For a non-technical introduction to the topic, please see Introduction to evolution. ...

John Calvin speaks of the importance of natural theology in many things which he has written. For example: Natural theology is the knowledge of God accessible to all rational human beings without recourse to any special or supposedly supernatural revelation. ...

Creationists who take a literalist approach have often laid the charge that Christians who interpret Genesis symbolically or allegorically are assigning science an authority over that of Scripture.^[2] Advocates of the framework view respond^[3] by noting that Scripture affirms God's general revelation in nature (Ps 19, Rom 1:19-20), and therefore in our search for the truth about the origins of the universe we must be sensitive to both the "book of words" (Scripture) and the "book of works" (nature). Since God is the author of both "books", we should expect that they do not conflict with each other when properly interpreted. Creationism is generally the belief that the universe was created by a deity, or alternatively by one or more powerful and intelligent beings. ... General revelation is a theological term which refers to a universal aspect of God, his knowledge and of spiritual matters, discovered through natural means, such as observation of nature (the physcial universe), philosophy and reasoning, human conscience or providence or providential history. ...

Supporters

The framework interpretation is held by many theistic evolutionists and some progressive creationists. While it had a precedent in the writings of the early church father St. Augustine,^[4] it has become popular in modern times through the work of such theologians as Meredith G. Kline and Henri Blocher, and has gained wide acceptance among scholars, clergy, and laypeople in mainline and some conservative Christian denominations. Evolutionary creationism encompasses the concept of theistic evolution, a synthesis of the religious belief in a creator God with the scientific theory of evolution. ... The Church Fathers or Fathers of the Church are the early and influential theologians and writers in the Christian church, particularly those of the first five centuries of Christian history. ... Augustinus redirects here. ... Theology (Greek θεος, theos, God, + λογια, logia, words, sayings, or discourse) is reasoned discourse concerning religion, spirituality and God or the gods. ... Meredith G. Kline is an American theologian and Old Testament scholar. ... A scholar is either a student or someone who has achieved a mastery of some academic discipline, perhaps receiving financial support through a scholarship. ... Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. ... The Christian Right, is a broad label applied to a number of political and religious movements with particularly conservative and right wing views. ... Christians believe that Jesus is the mediator of the New Covenant (see Hebrews 8:6). ... A religious denomination, (also simply denomination) is a subgroup within a religion that operates under a common name, tradition, and identity. ...

Comparison to alternative interpretations

The framework interpretation is an alternative to more literal interpretations which take Genesis 1 as a factual record of actual creative events. The most literalistic alternative is the one adopted by Young Earth creationists, who believe that the seven days are literal 24-hour periods of time within actual history. A modification of this approach is the gap theory, which likewise holds that the days are literal 24-hour periods, but proposes a large "gap" within the account (usually between verses 1 and 2) during which geologic time is considered to have elapsed. The day-age view takes the word "day" as non-literal and representing a long era of time. ... Gap Creationism, also called Restitution creationism or Ruin-Reconstruction, are terms used to describe a particular set of Christian beliefs about the creation of the Universe and the origin of man. ... Day-Age Creationism, a type of Old Earth Creationism, is an effort to reconcile the literal Genesis account of Creation with modern scientific theories on the age of the Universe, the Earth, life, and humans. ...

Like the literalist view, but unlike the day-age view, the framework interpretation considers that in the context of the creation story the word "day" has a literal sense. However, unlike the literalist view, the framework view takes the entire week as figurative rather than historical.

Criticism of the framework interpretation

Some Young Earth creationist writers have criticised the framework interpretation, which they see as a compromise with science in order to accommodate evolutionary ideas.^[5] However, in general the framework interpretation has received comparatively less attention from biblical literalists] than other interpretative options such as the day-age theory and the gap theory. ...

See also

• Allegorical interpretations of Genesis
• Creation according to Genesis
• Theistic evolution
• Creation-evolution controversy

Allegorical interpretations of Genesis is devoted to historical and contemporary non-literal regarding the book of Genesis. ... Creation according to Genesis refers to the description of the creation of the heavens and the earth by God, as described in Genesis, the first book of the Bible. ... Theistic evolution, less commonly known as evolutionary creationism, is not a theory in the scientific sense, but a particular view about how the science of evolution relates to some religious interpretations. ... The creation-evolution controversy (also termed the creation vs. ...

References

Sam Berry R.J. Sam Berry is a retired British professor who was professor of genetics at University College London between 1974-2000. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD (or CE) era. ... February 19 is the 50th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD (or CE) era. ... February 19 is the 50th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...

Bibliography

• Henri Blocher (1984). In the Beginning: The Opening Chapters of Genesis. InterVarsity Press. ISBN 978-0877843252. 
• Mark Futato (Spring 1998). "Because it Had Rained: A Study of Genesis 2:5-7 With Implications for Genesis 2:4-25 and Genesis 1:1-2:3". Westminster Theological Journal 60 (1): pp. 1-21.  (Also reprinted in Reformed Perspectives Magazine: part 1 and part 2.)
• Lee Irons (January 2000). "The Framework Interpretation: An Exegetical Summary". Ordained Servant 9 (1): pp. 7-11. 
• Lee Irons with Meredith G. Kline (2000). "The Framework Interpretation", in David G. Hagopian (ed.): The Genesis Debate: Three Views on the "Days" of Creation. Global Publishing Services. ISBN 978-0970224507. 
• Meredith G. Kline (May 1958). "Because It Had Not Rained". Westminster Theological Journal 20 (2): pp. 146-57. 
• Meredith G. Kline (1996). "Space and Time in the Genesis Cosmogony". Perspectives on Science & Christian Faith (48): pp. 2-15. 
• Bruce K. Waltke with Cathi J. Fredricks (2001). Genesis. Zondervan. ISBN 978-0310224587.