Saturday, December 26, 2009

Disneology #3: Dinosaurs, Young Earth, Old Earth


ASSIGNMENT #3: VISIT THE ATTRACTION “UNIVERSE OF ENERGY” AT EPCOT. STARTING WITH THE “BIG BANG,” IN A VERY SHORT SPAN OF TIME, YOU WILL VIEW A SEQUENCE OF EVENTS THAT MANY SCIENTISTS BELIEVE OCCURRED OVER A PERIOD OF 13 TO 14 BILLION YEARS. WHAT YOU ARE VIEWING IS DISNEY’S VISUAL INTERPRETATION OF THE ORIGINS OF THE UNIVERSE, ACCORDING TO ACCEPTED VIEWS IN PHYSICS. DID THE UNIVERSE ACTUALLY TAKE THAT LONG TO DEVELOP? IF YOU HAVE NOT YET SEEN ENOUGH DINOSAURS, VISIT THE ATTRACTION “DINOSAUR” AT THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. THERE, YOU WILL TIME TRAVEL BACKWARDS TO THE CRETACEOUS ERA, WHICH THE DISNEY RIDE ESTIMATES OCCURRED 65 MILLION YEARS AGO. HAS THE EARTH BEEN AROUND THAT LONG?


Creationism is a term often embraced by Judeo-Christian conservatives and often reviled by religious and secular liberals. The term refers to a philosophy of the origins of the universe in which an agent (God) is actively involved in the formation of everything in the universe. As suggested in my previous commentary, the presence of an Agent implies an Act, a Scene, an Agency, and a Purpose. The scientific theory presented in the Universe of Energy seems to lack an Agent. Hence, it could be inferred that the origin of the universe was NOT an Act. It had no Scene, required no Agency, and HAD NO PURPOSE. Small wonder that theologians are hesitant to overwhelmingly embrace this view of the origins of our universe! Indeed, this view of origins is clearly capable of supplying a strong motive for some to reject science altogether—to pursue a purely antagonistic stance. Many have been tempted, therefore, to “throw the baby out with the bath water.”

Some atheists, agnostics, and Bible-believers have asserted that the Bible teaches that the universe (heavens and Earth) came into being in six twenty-four hour periods, not 13 billion years. They say that, according to the Bible, the entire process began approximately 6000 years ago, beginning with the six days of creation. To support the believers’ view—countering “scientific” evidence of fossil remains, carbon dating, etc.—they pose the question: “How old did Adam appear when God created him?” Did he look as if he were 25? Then, if God can create a man who, though newly crafted, appeared to look 25 years old, He could create a universe that appears to look 13 billion years old (even though it is really only 6000 years old). True enough, if you accept the premise that God created Adam to appear to be 25. The syllogism works, if the premises are accepted:

• Major premise: God can create things to appear much older than they are.

• Minor Premise: The universe appears to be much older than 6000 years.

• Conclusion: God can create the universe to appear much older than 6000 years.

This reasoning is, of course, tied to the definition of God as omnipotent. Some do not accept the Major premise of the syllogism, but those who believe God to be omnipotent have no problem with the premise. Yet, some of these individuals, while they might accept the premise, wonder about the extended syllogism, concerning the Biblical teaching. They question whether it is actually true that “the Bible teaches that the universe (heavens and Earth) came into being in six twenty-four hour periods, not 13 billion years.” Are people of biblical faith inextricably bound to a view that is in such disharmony with current scientific views?

In the Introduction to my book Persuasion, Proposals, and Public Speaking (2nd edition), I demonstrate how I use the analytical method of Stephen Toulmin. Toulmin extends the syllogism by providing for situations in which some of the premises or conclusions might not be true. In my book, I use the O. J. Simpson trials as examples of Toulminian analysis. In this situation, let’s apply Toulminian analysis to the view that the heavens and Earth are only thousands of years old.

Certainly, it is possible to interpret the Genesis account of creation as stating that the entire universe and its inhabitants (up to and including humans) were completely created in six twenty-four hour periods, just a few thousand years ago. This translation is possible because the word “day” (YOM, in the Hebrew) most frequently refers to “one twenty-four hour period.” We could submit the Toulminian Claim that the Bible possibly teaches that the universe is a few thousand years old. Nevertheless, Toulminian analysis next permits us to attempt a Rebuttal. A rebuttal typically begins with the word “unless.” So, here is one rebuttal: “unless the term day/YOM can mean something other than a twenty-four hour period.” As it turns out, that is the case. In addition to the twenty-four hour denotation, the word YOM also, at times, simply means “light,” as opposed to “darkness”(Genesis 1:5).

YOM also refers to time periods other than the twenty-four hour variety. In the first chapter of Genesis, God created man—both male and female—and gave them instructions to multiply and fill the Earth, all in one YOM (Day Six). In the second chapter, there is an expanded discussion of several steps in this process. First, God creates Adam, a male, and instructs him to keep the Garden of Eden, to name the animals, to refrain from eating of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, etc. Then, God notices Adam’s loneliness, brings a deep sleep upon him, removes a rib from his side, fashions it into a female (Eve), and brings her to Adam. Later (when Adam and Eve are not together), a serpent successfully induces Eve to eat from the Tree, and Eve subsequently successfully tempts Adam to do so. They invent clothing and hide from God. God discovers them and interrogates them. They are cast from the Garden of Eden and FINALLY told to be fruitful and multiply in the Earth. These are quite a few events to have all been completed in one twenty-four hour period. Nevertheless, Genesis 5:1-2 confirms that Adam and Eve were created in a YOM.

Consider another example of YOM lasting longer than twenty-four hours. In Genesis 2:17, God tells Adam that “in the day you eat” from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, you shall surely die. Since (according to Genesis 5:8) Adam lived 930 years, the YOM in which he ate and died appears to be quite long. In fact, this nearly-one-thousand-year-long YOM appears to be close to the famous formula found in Psalm 90:4: “For a thousand years are in [God’s] eyes as a YOM . . .” Changing the Hebrew word YOM/day to the Greek term HEMERA/day, Second Peter 3:8 declares: “One day with the Lord is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as one day.” There may be another answer to the rebuttal that Adam died in the YOM in which he ate from the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. That answer would pertain to the definition of another curious theological word: “die.” I’ll write more on that issue in a later commentary.

A third example of YOM lasting longer than twenty-four hours is found in Genesis 2:4. This verse seems to suggest that ALL of creation—heavens, Earth, plants, animals, and humans—occurred in a single YOM. Even those who suggest that God created all things in 144 hours are hesitant to assert that it all happened within 24 hours.

While sound Biblical scholarship certainly permits the interpretation that the heavens and Earth and all varieties of inhabitants were formed in 144 hours, this is not the ONLY possible interpretation. Those who wish to discredit either the Bible or science on that basis may be mistaken.

Furthermore, a second rebuttal may be advanced against the claim that the Bible teaches that the universe is a few thousand years old. This rebuttal may be phrased: “unless the first word of the Bible has been mistranslated.” The first word of the Bible in the original language of Hebrew is BERESHIT. It is almost always translated: “In the beginning.” There is, however, a problem with that translation. The problem lies in the fact that the term BERESHIT is a Hebrew “construct” form. This means that the term “Beginning” should be connected with another noun by the word “of.” The second word of Genesis is NOT, however, a noun; it is the word BARA’, a verb, translated as “He created.” Among the possible solutions to this translation problem, Hebrew scholars have suggested that the textual helps that lead us to see this as a verb may be mistaken. (These textual helps were not in the original written Hebrew text.) It is quite permissible, if the textual helps are removed, to read BARA’ as a noun (or Gerund): “the creating.” This is how the translation of Genesis 1:1-2 might, thus, read: “In the Beginning of God’s creating the heavens and the Earth, the Earth was formless and void.

If the translation just offered is true, we do not know for certain exactly where the Genesis creation account begins. What is the exact point in the beginning of creating that the first day described in Genesis actually begins? It’s somewhere in the beginning, but the Earth is apparently already in existence, albeit in a formless and chaotic state. Of course, this is not the ONLY possible translation/interpretation of Genesis 1:1-2, but NEITHER is the translation: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the Earth.”

So, what am I suggesting? I am suggesting that those who choose to interpret the Genesis account of creation as occurring within a very short time span have some reasonable (syllogistic) basis for taking that position. Yet, those who believe the heavens and Earth took a much longer time to develop need not throw the baby out with the bath water. Young Earth and Old Earth both have possibilities in Judeo-Christian theology. Toulmin just shows how the various arguments are made. On the other hand, what does it matter how long God might have taken to create the universe, if He is truly ETERNAL.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Disneology 2: Imagine that You Were God


ASSIGNMENT #2: VISIT THE ATTRACTION “WALT DISNEY: ONE MAN’S DREAM” AT DISNEY’S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS THEME PARK. MAKE A LIST OF THE INVENTIONS, INNOVATIONS, AND “CREATIONS” OF WALT DISNEY. WHAT, DO YOU THINK, IS THE DRIVING MOTIVATION FOR THE MAN WHO CREATED THE DISNEY EMPIRE? WHAT IS THE GLUE THAT HOLDS TOGETHER EVERYTHING HE BUILT IN HIS LIFETIME? WHY DID HE DO ALL THESE THINGS?

What would you DO, if you were God?
• If you were unrestricted in terms of resources (you owned everything),
• If you were unrestricted in terms of power (you were omnipotent),
• If you were unrestricted by time (you were eternal),
• If you were unrestricted by knowledge (you knew everything; you were omniscient),
What would you do?

In this commentary series, I am using Walt Disney as my representative anecdote. Walt had restrictions in resources; he was nearly bankrupt several times. He had restrictions in power, time, and knowledge; yet, he DID something. What did he do and why did he do it? Kenneth Burke offers a way of analyzing Walt Disney’s motives: Burke’s Pentad. I devote a chapter of my book Implicit Rhetoric: Kenneth Burke’s Extension of Aristotle’s Concept of Entelechy to explaining how the Pentad works, but (very simply) it proposes that human behavior be viewed as Drama. Every drama requires ACTS that must be performed within SCENES. The acts are performed by AGENTS who use certain tools or methods (AGENCIES) to perform the acts. These four terms are easily remembered by thinking of the game “Clue.” The ACT in Clue is given; it was the “killing of Mr. Body.” Players must determine the AGENT. Was it Colonel Mustard, Miss Peacock, Professor Plum? They must determine what AGENCY was used by the agent—a knife, lead pipe, rope, revolver, wrench, etc. The players must also determine the SCENE in which the killing takes place. Was Mr. Body killed in the kitchen, conservatory, ballroom, study, or library? What is not included in the game of Clue is the PURPOSE. Why did Colonel Mustard kill Mr. Body in the kitchen with the knife? Was Mrs. Mustard cheating on her husband with Mr. Body? Was Mr. Body stealing from or blackmailing Colonel Mustard? Did Mr. Body attack Colonel Mustard, thus forcing Mustard to kill Body in self-defense? Consistency demands an answer. Drama demands that, in the final analysis, we understand how all parts of the drama fit together.

Consider the accomplishments of Walt’s life as one primary ACT. Walt’s consummate act was the production of the most successful family entertainment entity in the world. You listed the elements of this consummate act-- his inventions, innovations, and “creations”—in your completion of Assignment #2. What do all of these elements have in common?

In what SCENE did Walt’s act take place? The answer to this question is two-fold. There was Scene 1—the circumstances that prompted Walt to produce his empire. This scene included personal, family, and national hardships described in the film you viewed at the conclusion of your visit to “Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream.” Scene 2 is the scene Walt personally produced—Disneyland, Walt Disney World, the various motion pictures, etc. Producing Scene 2 involved, technically, several of Walt’s individual ACTS.

What sort of AGENT was Walt? While his theme parks prohibited drinking, Walt personally drank too much. While his movies are usually rated G, his own language would have often earned him an R rating. While his Pinocchio character eschewed drinking and smoking, whiskey and chain-smoking are the agencies that killed Walt. He once remarked, "I know drinking and smoking are sins because you aren't taking care of the body God gave you." Nevertheless, he never changed his behavior. Walt, however, should not be reduced (as an agent) to his vices or his virtues. Consider what his unique character was like (as in a drama). Our goal is not to view Walt as a god, but only to consider how elaborate and consistent God’s creation would be by comparing it with the elaborate-yet-consistent inventions and innovations of the genius Walt Disney. We should consider what type of human would do the things that Walt did. There is an AGENT-ACT ratio to consider. What kinds of agents perform what kinds of acts?

Technology was the AGENCY used most by Walt. Other primary agencies were classical music and classic literature. Motion pictures had been around for awhile, but no one had used high quality artistry and combined it with motion pictures and classic literature to produce something like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. While the technology always seemed to be cutting edge, Walt did not pursue technology for technology’s sake.

So, why did Walt do what he did? What was his PURPOSE? According to Walt Disney, his dream of Disneyland was prompted by his social nature (a nature which, incidentally, biblical texts also impute to God). Walt cites as his motive for creating Disneyland his experience with his own children. He found himself taking the children to a park, and then sitting idly on the sidelines while his children played. He thought it would be wonderful if there were a Scene in which adults and children (Agents) could do things together (Act). He therefore used technology, money, and Imagineering (Agencies) to create Disneyland—his new Scene. Why? He (Agent) created (Act) Disneyland (Scene) with money, technology, and Imagineering (Agencies) in order that families could socialize (Purpose). He wanted adults and children to do happy things together.

The point of this commentary, however, is to imagine what would motivate God, not Walt Disney. The first chapter of Genesis indicates the prime Agent WHO was acting—God/Elohim. The same chapter states WHAT the Judeo-Christian God DID (Act). He created the heavens and the Earth and all that dwell on Earth. Chapter 1 indicates HOW God did what He did. He used spoken Word (Agency). Chapter 1 describes the WHERE, the Scene into which God brought order—formlessness and void (the Tohu and Bohu of the Hebrew text). The second chapter of Genesis offers a glimpse into WHY God did this act. Apparently, it was his social nature (Purpose). We see a picture of God walking with Adam and Eve in the cool of the evening. We see God asking Adam to be his collaborator. Adam is invited to name the animals God created. We see God understanding that Adam, himself, was lonely. He needed a companion, Eve. We see God as a parent figure, setting limitations. We see Him disappointed when his newly-formed creatures-in-His-own-image distrust Him and violate the limitations He set. Much later in the Bible, John expresses God’s purpose in one of the most famous verses in the New Testament—John 3:16. “For God so LOVED the world, that He gave his only begotten son . . .”

So, that’s the Biblical account. What kind of Agent does what kind of Act? Imagine that you were God. What would you DO?