The solar system is believed to have majorly contributed to the formation of the Earth when a cloud of massive swirling dust and gas condensed through a supercooling. Earth has evolved over 4.5 billion years, after such occurrences of massive cooling (Hill, 2016). The solid formed is the current core and the crust, on which the natural bodies sit. After the formation of the earth, several natural phenomena have occurred leading to the development of lakes, rivers, mountains valleys, craters volcanoes, and canyons.
Grand Canyon in Arizona will form the center stage of this work, in which two theories purporting its formation will be discussed. For a long time, the world believed in the teachings of the Bible. The churches acted as a solace to the faithful in which most of the questions were answered. In this context, most of the earth’s physical features including the Grand Canyon are believed to have formed due to floods. Therefore, the debate here will focuses on the arguments developed by the geologists and the clergy for a broader understanding of the discussion.
Several theories have been put forward by geologists, independent scholars, and the Bible to try to explain the existence of the Earth’s natural features. Geologists such as Montgomery researched the conflict generated between the biblical theories of creation such as Noah’s flood context and the scientific proofs (Hill, 2016). Irrespective of the philosophies, it is crucial to recognize that finding the best way to explain natural incidences requires insight into both biblical and scientific perceptions. Thus, this paper will prove that the floods of Noah’s time did not cause the formation of the Grand Canyon.
From a scientific point of view, Noah’s flood did not create the rocks seen in the Grand Canyon. Rather, it is an integration of several weather aspects combined with the Earth’s gradual evolution nature (Hill, 2016). Firstly, exclusively believing that it is Noah’s floods that solely led to the formation of the rocks at the Grand Canyon underscores the Earth’s evolution process. According to fossil records, Grand Canyon rocks formed around six million years ago. Secondly, Montgomery further affirms that floods are not prone to forming major features on Earth such as the Grand Canyon rocks (as cited in Hill, 2016). The dating according to the Bible shows that the flooding started when Noah was 600 years old (New American Standard Bible, 2015, Genesis 7:11) and that was 1656 BCE on the world calendar. These two dates are conflicting with each other and provide solid evidence that Noah’s flood must have taken place in 1656 BCE after the Grand Canyon was formed.
With the influence of the Biblical beliefs before the renaissance and civilization, most people indeed trusted in the church before the advent of civilization. Apart from Montgomery, scientists believe that the gorge was formed between 5 to 6 million years (Hill, 2016). Another important point, Grand Canyon had been inhabited by the Native Americans for thousands of years. The history of Native Americans in this unique feature is dated back to the ice age. With the glaciation that swept across the globe, it is possible that movement of ice must have also suggested having caused the depth witnessed in the Grand Canyon. The mile-deep canyon exposed some of the oldest rocks known to man, such as Vishnu basement rocks, which are estimated by carbon dating to be closely 1.7 billion years old (Harris, 2018). Additionally, due to inaccuracy in dating, it may also be challenging to discern whether the Grand Canyon rocks were purely a creation of Noah’s floods. In summary, Noah’s floods least contributed to the formation of the Grand Canyon rocks seen a few years ago.
On proposing that Noah’s flood caused the rocks seen at the Grand Canyon, one must understand the role of the church and its relation to the explanations of the creation. Despite challenges in dating methods and conflicting information, Noah’s floods were a world major occurrence whose effects cannot be underscored (Marcus et al., 2015). The flow of water within the terrain could gradually move masses of land, causing mudslides and valleys, which were later dug by the Colorado River, eventually forming the Grand Canyon.
In a different study, Montgomery further acknowledges the pivotal role played by religion in explaining some development of world features. He states, “But the idea that scientific reason and religious faith are at odds with each other, which is, in my view, a false dichotomy” (as cited in Hill, 2016, para. 4). He also studied the work of St. Augustine to unveil the understanding of the development of the world’s features as a result of Noah’s floods. Through his studies, he concluded that as per the role of the clergy at a time when science was not fully established, it was right to believe that the flood led to the formation of the Grand Canyon (as cited in Hill, 2016). The scholars also explained their perception of the geology which discredited most of the biblical aspects and Noah’s flood was one of the cited examples.
To refute claims of Noah’s flood theory, there is a need to look at the weaknesses of this claim. Modern science had not fully evolved to offer satisfactory answers such as the formation of physical features (Marcus et al., 2015). It was good for the church to step in and give the answers to such a daunting question that was beyond human understanding by then. Despite the conflicting ideologies from the church against science, there is a need to consider the fact that the church plays an important role to harmonize human understanding and scientific views on the development of physical features. Nevertheless, science provides more facts and explanations of the formation of Earth’s physical features.
In conclusion, Noah’s floods did not form the rocks seen in the Grand Canyon a few thousand years ago. As such, developing a distinction between the sole causes for the development of the Grand Canyon rocks is still a daunting task in the context of Biblical theory. Moreover, it is eminent to conclude that the formation of the rocks at the Grand Canyon was a result of several scientific factors and cannot be anchored on the biblical perception. The flow of the river Colorado through the valleys of Arizona in antiquity must have contributed to the formation of the rocks and other features at the Grand Canyon. This case is not only interesting to study, but also shows a relationship between science and religion, which is anchored through the study of such life phenomena as Earth’s physical features. Interestingly, science has overtaken the old explanations that the people believed in through the church for a long time.
References
Harris, M. Apocalypses now: Modern science and biblical miracles: The Boyle lecture 2018, Journal of Religion and Science, 53(4), 1036−1050.
Hill, C. (2016). The Grand Canyon, monument to an ancient earth: can Noah’s flood explain the Grand Canyon? Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith, 68(4), 268−271.
Marcus R, Ross S, Gollmer, Steven M. & Danny R Faulkner. (2015). The heavens & the earth: Excursions in earth and space science (2nd ed.). Kendall Hunt Publishing.
New American Standard Bible. (2015). The Lockman Foundation.