Does Genesis teach that the Earth was created before the stars? Why?

Question

Modern science teaches us based on observation that the age of the Earth is 5 billion years old and there are some stars that are older than this. This means the Earth has been formed after these stars were formed.

Why does Genesis teach the Earth was formed first?

Why do people in the New Testement refer to the Genesis as if it were fact?

Answer 1

This answer was the most funny:

"The whole Bible is the truth. Science is not always right you know. Ancient scientist once believed that the earth was flat! I think we have come a long way! :) "

So according to her, progress is going back to stone age thinking.

Skygod make world in 7 day. Me made of dirt. You made of me rib. Whoowhooo. Me want banana.

Answer 2

You answered your own question!

"Modern science teaches us based on observation..."

So based on "observation" the account of Geneis doesn't seem to fit. But there are two main points you are leaving out!

1) Observation is not always right and does not always (almost never) tell the full story! I can look out my front window and "observe" my wife's car in the driveway and can conclude that she is home since her car is in the driveway. What I might not know is that she rented a car that day because her car was broke. That is a very very simpified example but I think it drives home the point that observation (scientific method) is limited.

2) Genesis is a "story", not a scientific account. Meaning, the overall story may be written in a way that is easy for the writer to understand but not as easy for you or I to understand. So for me or you to assume that it is written to detailed perfection means we open ourselves up to potential misinterpretation. An example: I come home and tell my wife I was at a party. Then I tell her all about what happened at the party. Then she hears from another friend who was at the same party and she tells her a different story. Did one of us lie or did we both tell the truth from what we knew to be true? Could our timelines be off? Certainly. Maybe I told her what happened from 7:00 to 9:00 and her friend told her what happened from 6:00 to 10:00. In other words, one may use more detail or have things happening more than once (could God have made stars at different times?)

I hope that makes sense. I see alot of people who get confused with this sort of stuff and it usually boils down to the strive for perfection. once people realize that we don't have all the answers (from neither science nor the Bible), then they will usually start to understand how the two work together.

That's from a science-believing Christian! Be blessed!

Answer 3

First the Bible does not teach that earth was made first. If you read Gen. 1:1 It says he created both, then the account simply focuses on his attention given to the earth. But the luminaries were already in place before this.

Second, People in the Greek Scriptures, and even Christians today refer to it as fact because it is. Even modern science has shown that the universe could not have come about by chance, but its natural laws are so percise there must have been intelligent design behind it.

Answer 4

Uhhh.... wait a sec, I gotta answer these people responding saying the bible is truth. They complain because science makes bad assumptions like the earth is flat and find out later that it isn't. Well, the bible does not change and grow with the times and revise it's viewpoint where as science does. You have to respect that more. Also... to the guy claiming Moses said we need to read the bible as a poem. I thought the story of Moses was in Exodus the 2nd book of the bible. So the entire bible at the time of Moses was Genesis? Yeah... sure... I'm sure that there were a thousand copies of it running around at that time too. Give me a break.

Answer 5

The book of Genesis is in fact true, but it's begining isn't about the stars and what came first. It's about man and the number seven (which stands for perfection). There is a book called the Book Of Enoch that explians God's law and order for the moon, sun, and stars. Science most of the time is just the devil's way from keeping you blinded from the truth.

Answer 6

There is no evidence in Genesis to say that the earth was created before the stars - it didn't say it was or was not. God created our milky way, the sun and the planets around us as even scientist say that our galaxy is relatively a new one or young one. The evidences in the Genesis are clear and straightforward, there is no proof to disprove it - but you have the option of believing or not but it still takes belief to believe in evolution if you know the facts.

Answer 7

As fact.....mostly because a lot of Law is written in the Old Testament (although there is some in the New as well). When God told the people of Israel His Laws in the time of Moses, that was BIG. Basically, if you didn't agree or chose something different you were to be cut off, thrown out of the nation to keep it "pure" in a sense.

It is very easy to challenge what God told us about creation. We are human and can only rationalize things by our own means which usually leaves us blank. Science is our attempt at intellectual security. And while it is very beneficial, it is still a human measurement. In short, I say this. God tells us what we need to know, not everything He knows

Answer 8

First of all the Torah or Bible as you call it teaches that the heavens were created first not the earth.
Second Genesis is FACT and has been proved to be fact not someones observation of what they believe to be fact. It is history and an account since the beginning of man.
Thirdly don't you refer to history books as to why George Washington chopped down the cherry tree as to be FACT? It is an account of history written down.

Answer 9

Correct

Earth being roughly 1/3 the age of the universe and yet the capability of understanding where the universe is, how old it is, has only just happened.
So where is this divinity?
The ultimate dependency for our survival as a race, a part of this Earth, which is just another rock traveling along through space and time with the expansion of the universe, divinity, which is the sole reason why humans exist as well as the entire universe.

(For those of you who don't know how to use dictionaries)
divinity.... The state or quality of being divine.

(Notice capital letter "D" here)
Divinity The godhead; God. Used with the.
A deity, such as a god or goddess.
Godlike character.
Theology.

The key to divinity is the mind, infinitely complex and ultimately free. An open mind can unlock doors to infinite possibilities. It is our own divinity that is the key to our own existence. Opening the mind to different perspectives is a means to understanding things that may otherwise seem impossible. Without a means to understand ourselves through conscious thought, there is no point in humanity, and without a means for the universe to understand itself, there is no point in the universe.

divinty.... is not superiority. its' not about the creator, but the creatED, and the wonders that every second is made, not JUST by the divine, but by US. you and me.
I can accept divinity, in so far as, the assertion that we ARE ALL co-creators.

We are in fact the universe struggling to understand itself.

Answer 10

Well not so fast Tex. Modern science debates the age of the universe every day. 'Some' scientist "speculate" 5by, others do not. If you are going to attempt a comparison of "speculation" and the Bible, you must 'pre-set' your beliefs first, because they are in opposition to each other. They can not be reconciled unless one is deemed in error. You need to allow facts not 'speculation' to help base your presuppositions. Any time the facts do not support your presuppositions then you need to modify your presuppositions. You will never get anywhere unless you do-otherwise your will just go around in circle like most idiots.

Answer 11

Genesis teaches that the Earth was formed first because it was. Genesis is not teaching evolution, it is teaching creation.

As to why, because that's how God wanted it to be. The Bible states that sometimes he does things just to confuse the critics.

The people in the NT refer to it as fact because it is.

If you want to learn more on creationism, you can go to the following website.

http://www.answersingenesis.org/