There are many stories that make we wonder if anything akin to solid reasoning can prop up the Bible's accounts of early life on earth. But perhaps this scripture is a key:
"These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground." (Genesis 2:5-6)
The following matters are of concern to me in this matter:
- I cannot conceive that the rivers could have sprung up without any hydro-cyclic movement of the water masses. Yet the Bible clearly names the primary rivers that ran through the Garden of Eden.
- Also, is such a thing actually possible, that water mist could continually water the earths' flora and fauna?
- From was the source from which such a mist emanated? Could the ground be so moist/wet so as to support enough water to continually raise itself to water the earth for what appears to be perhaps a millennium of time?
- And additionally, since the oceans are salty due to movement of sedimentary mineral through the rivers to the oceans, were the waters of the earth all freshwater according to the Bible at the time of Adam?
- Has sufficient time passed since the time of the supposed 'first rain', according to the Watchtower chronology [and not varying much from most Christian beliefs], less than 5000 years, to have taken the freshwater oceans to the level of saline that it now contains? The oceans avg 35 ppt [not sure how that corresponds with the PSS scale], and that in only 5K years? If it moves to 100 ppt [one could guess in another 10,000 years perhaps] would they support life? On the other hand, scientists assert that getting the ocean's to the current level of salinity has taken millions of years. If so, then it could be assumed that it would take millions of years additional to 'oversalt' the oceans, and make them unsuitable for life.
Since the foundation stone of all life is water - this seems to be a key place to begin the discussion.
Further questions come to mind for me -
- What was the purpose for which God had elected not to allow a normal hydrology cycle of evaporation and rain/snow?
- Did He anticipate that man would sin, and he would need to correct it with a flood, and a rainbow to show that he would not correct it in such a manner again?
- Why did the earth not revert to it's previous 'mist-cycle' following the flood?
I am no scientist. But it seems that the entire idea as presented in the Bible is amiss somehow.
Jeff