Is Genesis Scientifically Accurate? President of Creation Today Eric Hovind Addresses this Issue

Cutting-edge cinematography meets trusted creation science and biblical accuracy to deliver the new movie "Genesis: Paradise Lost" which brings the book of Genesis to life in RealD 3D. Using stunning visual effects and presenting careful research to explore the history and context of this highly studied and much-debated book of the Bible, the thought-provoking event will be shown in cinemas nationwide for one night on Monday, November 13 at 7:00 p.m. local time, and feature an exclusive panel discussion with leaders in both the science and faith communities. The event is presented by Fathom Events, Sevenfold Films and Creation Today. 

Eric Hovind, president of Creation Today, believes correctly understanding the Genesis account is the very foundation to life's most important questions. But more than that, the team behind the film desired to go deeper.

Q:  Congratulations on the forthcoming release of "Genesis: Paradise Lost."  Why is the issue of creation important for us today?

Listen to some of the common reasons people reject God as the Creator or the Bible as the authority in both their life and in their culture and inevitably you'll hear, "Science has disproven the Bible." GENESIS: Paradise Lost was born out of a desire to teach people foundational truths-the truth about where we come from and the truth about why we are here. What we discover is that the very first words of Scripture contain the very foundation for truth itself, "In the beginning God . . ." Using this foundation, we find the answers to so many of life's basic questions. Who am I? Where did I come from? Is there any real purpose to life? Does anyone really know what happens when I die?

However, the idea for this project was to go even deeper. We have seen what happens in a culture when science has been redefined so as to never allow a "divine foot in the door", a phrase coined by evolutionary biologist Richard Lewontin. We are left with a materialism based on atheistic humanism that answers these questions from a fundamentally different perspective. The results are devastating.

Our culture is at a crossroads and most solutions presented to solve the crisis don't tackle the foundational issue that has led to this great divide. Was man created with a purpose or are we merely cosmic accidents? How you answer this questiondetermines most of your philosophy on how you answer the rest of life's questions.

Genesis: Paradise Lost addresses much more than the Creation vs Evolution issue. The book of Genesis foundationally answers the marriage issue, the gender identity issue, the abortion issue, the race issue, and so many more issues. Understanding Genesis brings clarity to a confused culture.

In our divided culture we need GENESIS: Paradise Lost to clarify these foundational questions about our origins. Major companies like NOVA and Discovery use computer-aided imagery to promote only one side of the creation vs evolution debate. The GENESIS film brings a much needed balance to this inequality. Viewers will be able to experience creation in 3D. Finally, what a majority of Americans believe will be represented on a national platform.

We needed to make a movie that let people know God is real, that His Son, Jesus Christ, is real, and that He offers them the priceless opportunity to know Him as their Creator and Savior. The implications of accepting or rejecting God's Word are far reaching and ultimately a question of accepting or rejecting truth. That's why we felt the need to present truth from its very beginning.

Q:  Many see science and faith as direct opposites.  What is your view on this issue?

Genesis: Paradise Lost presents accomplished scientists addressing the supposed conflict between science and faith. Cast member and member of Mensa, Dr. Charles Jackson, summed up the science and faith conflict well with these words.

"Science and faith were once twin sisters and faithful sovereigns of two realms that both strove with integrity to arrive at the truths about all things. But both have become tarnished by the majority of their practitioners bringing conflict rather than harmony. Traitors to the truth that both once sought, have done their best to corrupt not only the image but the practice of the other resulting in what has been falsely called 'the science and religion wars.' Sadly, some from both camps have realized this tragedy, but not many. True science and true religion are not in any conflict, and have remained so to this day. This is not because either has had to compromise. It is because the truth is still the truth. If we could return to the openness of a non-compromising dialogue between the two, many great things would begin to happen once again. But, that is not hopeful. The good news to the Bible-believer is that our faith is not merely blind faith. It is still, as ever, based upon an observationally and intellectually consistent rock of integrity."

Those words are powerfully backed with the latest scientific research by the Genesis cast. For example, Molecular Geneticist Dr. Georgia Purdom of the Answers in Genesis Research Staff brilliantly brings together the most current genetic studies with Scripture.

Dr. Andrew Fabich, Microbiologist Professor at Truett McConnell College and Dr. Tommy Mitchell, a physician trained at Vanderbilt University Hospitals joins the cast to address topics from their respected fields of study.  With a Ph.D. in Astrophysics, Dr. Danny Faulkner who holds the title of Distinguished Professor Emeritus and who has published more than a hundred papers in astronomy and astrophysics journals brings Astrophysics down-to-earth in a way everyone can comprehend.

Dr. Terry Mortenson "digs" into the geologic features of the earth to uncover what this history truly reveals. Dr. John Baumgarnder, Geophysicist with degrees from Princeton and who served with distinction in the Air Force Weapons Laboratory brings his voice to the table letting people know that science and Scripture truly are in harmony.  

That's only a few of Genesis' scientific cast. It's amazing to see these phenomenal minds come together, all explaining why we know that Genesis is scientifically accurate! In truth, science and faith are not in conflict, and experiencing this truth in Genesis: Paradise Lost is amazing. Audiences will watch the compelling Genesis narrative unfold while listening to the scientific evidence allowing them to trulyexperience Creation like never before.

Q:  What are some of the issues that this new film deals with?

Viewers will be surprised with the breadth of subject matter in Genesis: Paradise Lost. We cover creation to climate change, and evolution to the problem of evil, cavemen, carbon dating, the fossil record, the geologic column, the age of the universe, and distant starlight, just to name a few. We discover that the origins debate is foundational to almost every other debate in our world today - a bold, but true statement.  

Q:  Can we hold to evolution and still be faithful to Scripture?  What does the Bible actually say about evolution? 

The Bible clearly teaches that God created the original "kinds" of all animals and plants. This biblical view does not leave room for any form of molecule to man evolution, or "macro-evolution" as it has been termed by evolutionists. However the Bible does give instruction for the animals, and people to "fill the earth." As this happens, there is a need for organisms to "adapt" to their environment. The small changes that take place in adaptation are referred to as "micro-evolution", which is the built-in ability for the genetic information to adapt to a new environment. 

Genesis: Paradise Lost makes it clear that the underlying principle in all of life science is not evolution, but a designed ability to adapt. This is paramount in understanding the difference between scientifically accurate, factual micro-evolution (adaptation), vs. the unscientific, unproven theory of macro-evolution (molecules to man).

To help us address this very question, we were blessed to partner with several apologetics and creation ministries including Answers in Genesis. Their amazing team of scientists has done extensive research into baraminology (the study of the created kinds) and their research results are featured in Genesis: Paradise Lost. Viewers will leave re-affirming their scientific reasons for rejecting the evolution theory, or at the very least, seriously questioning what they have been taught about it. 

Q:  What is your view about the age of the earth?  What do you have to say if people say that scientists have discovered rocks and skeletons that have been in existence for millions of years?  

The scientific facts used to espouse the earth is billions of years old, are the same scientific facts used to make the claim that the earth is not billions of years old. The question is, why? Genesis: Paradise Lost recognizes that every scientific fact discovered must be interpreted by a paradigm or a worldview. No one looks at the facts from a purely neutral perspective. We all have preconceived ideas and understandings that shape the way we view every scientific fact that we see. So the question that needs to be answered is, "Who has the correct worldview as a starting point?"

GENESIS: Paradise Lost presents the biblical account of creation as real history and the correct starting point. You will experience God literally creating the heavens and the earth just like the Bible says and in the order the Bible describes. Because Genesis was not written as poetry or a metaphor, the film will depict Genesis as its writer intended, a historical narrative. This approach leaves the reader, or viewer in this case, in awe of how God literally created the entire universe.

Dr. Charles Jackson covers the age of fossils in eloquent, no nonsense scientific fashion, and sheds some light on little-known facts about our dating methods.  

Dr. David Menton, former Professor of Anatomy at Washington University School of Medicine, who now serves as Creationist Anatomist and Lecturer for Answers in Genesis, does an incredible job of going through the scientific fossil evidence for the "supposed cavemen." He totally annihilates any idea that Australopithecus afarensis, better known as Lucy, was half ape and half human and exposes the fake science of Neanderthal Man, Java Man, Piltdown Man and more. 

Q:  What is Pangaea?  And what's your view on it?

Pangea is the idea that all earth's land masses were once connected as one large landmass before the flood. GENESIS: Paradise Lost is careful to distinguish between Scripture and our interpretation of Scripture, and it is important to note that nowhere does the Bible explicitly mention "Pangea." However, there are passages that can be interpreted consistent with this idea. According to Genesis 1:9, the waters under the whole heaven were gathered unto "one place" and the dry land appeared. Paring this reference with scientific data suggests that all the continents were at one time connected as a large land mass. Often referred to as Rodinia, this land mass, broke apart at some point in the past, probably during or after the worldwide Flood.  We realize this view is not universally held by Christian scientists and present it as one interpretation.

Q:  I read in the press release that the movie also deals with the issue of climate change and how the Bible speaks about this issue. This is fascinating, where in the Bible does God talk about climate change? 

GENESIS: Paradise Lost gives viewers a proper understanding of how our climate was radically changed in the not-too-distant past and explains why we see the cycles of climate change happening today. While this subject will be explored more in future installments of GENESIS, we are able to get an overview of how the worldwide flood radically affected the earth and began the periods of warming and cooling that we still see today.

Scientific arguments for "global cooling" in the 1970's gave way to scientific arguments for "global warming" at the turn of the century. Now, faced with the pressure of scientists who continued to reject "global warming" the argument has retreated to the safe space we now call "climate change", which ironically is a phrase that is in line with what the Bible teaches in Genesis.

Q:  What are your hopes for this movie?  How do you hope this movie will help both the Christian and the unbeliever?

We hope this film strengthens the faith of believers and wins the lost to Christ. We hope it's something that the Holy Spirit uses to open the eyes of the spiritually blind, to literally perform spiritual miracles in theaters across America. We hope it challenges people's indoctrination into the evolutionary worldview with a biblical and scientific education, showing them that their view of origins affects everything! 

We hope people will leave the theaters saying, "Wow! I am created by the God of the universe! And not only is He my Creator, He wants to be my personal Savior. I need to repent of my sin against God and put my faith and trust in Him today."

Ultimately, we hope this movie brings glory to God!

 

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