Blogging through and answering the questions from G. I. Williamson’s The Westminster Confession of Faith for Study Classes for personal review and comprehension.
WCF. IV. Of Creation – 1.
1. Who created the world?
The true God created the world – the world derives its existence from the Triune Lord. According to Genesis 1:1, “The world is created, not self-existent, and it is God, the true God, who caused it to be” (53).
2. What are the basic points of dogma held by “modern science”?
Modern science teaches the world is “self-existent or eternal . . . that it does not have a derived existence . . . that the present form of the world is the result of a process of selection controlled, not by God, but by the ‘principle’ of ‘the survival of the fittest’ . . . that there is no ‘ultimate’ reason for it” (53). This also was axiom at back Greek-pagan-thought. Heraclitus (c. 500 B.C.) was a Greek philosopher, and, regarding reality, he said, “Neither has any god nor any human made this cosmos, rather it always was and is and will be” (frag. 30). Also, Heraclitus was admired by Cynics, Stoics, and, of course, Nietzsche (see Archetypes of Wisdom: An Introduction to Philosophy, 64).
3. Is there any proof for the theory of evolution? Why?
Williamson calls evolution a “theory” and a “dogma” that has been believed and accepted for over a century, but “there is still not one iota of “proof” that it is true” [italics original] (54). There can be no “proof” for the theory of evolution because . . . see answer below for Question 4.
4. What is truth?
“Truth is simply that which really is. There is only one truth, because there is only one reality. Therefore, if the Scriptures are true, they merely tell us what really is (or was, or will yet be). When by investigation men also discover what really is in the world of nature, they simply grasp another aspect of the same total truth” (54).
5. Where is truth found?
Truth is found in the “book of life” (the Bible) and the “book of nature” – both have been authored by God.
6. What are some common false assumptions of those who accept modern scientific dogma?
That modern science can deduce truth from observing only the “book of nature”. Truth is what really is . . . thus, you cannot deduce truth from the raw facts of nature alone. Truth involves both the thing and God’s revelation (God’s Word) regarding the thing. In addition to this, there are any number of false assumptions related to production of fossils, assumptions regarding vast stretches of time (i.e., “billions-and-billions-of-years-ago”), etc.
7. State concisely your reply to each of these false assumptions.
I prefer not to. If you address the epistemological presuppositions at back false assumptions, then you don’t need to address each of the false assumptions.
8. What is your view of the “days” of Genesis 1?
These are 24-hour periods of time. I believe Genesis 1 is a historical narrative of a one-week-sequence of time.
9. Is the Hebrew term for “day” always used to denote a twenty-four hour period?
No, it is not. As any Lexicon will show.
10. Is there any good reason not to believe that God created the world in six twenty-four hour days? if so, state them.
No – there are no good reasons. The reasoning is always driven by an insipid-and-mildew Gnosticism, so it de facto cannot be good reasoning for a Christian.