Originally posted by Adrift
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According to Walton the discussion of creation is meant to be viewed from a functional[1] rather than material ontological perspective. Functional ontology is actually interested in somethings role and purpose rather than its material status meaning that when you talk about something being brought into existence (i.e., to create something) you're talking about giving it a function and a role.
While the Bible declares that God created the heaven and earth, but if this is an account of functional origins rather than material origins, these six days do not mark the material beginning of the cosmos but its functional beginning. Consequently, the age of the material earth and surrounding universe has no relationship to these six days, meaning that the material cosmos could well have been in existence for endless ages before this creation of functions.
Aside from presenting a strong case for this really being the way that many ancient Near Eastern cultures viewed things, and thus how the Jews at the time of Moses likely would have understood Genesis (this is not just something he concocted out of thin air to explain away differences between the biblical and scientific accounts), Walton points out that if Genesis 1 were an account of material origins, we would logically expect it to start when no material existed. Yet, in Genesis 1:2, the situation described is not absent of matter ["darkness was over the surface of the deep and the spirit of God was hovering over the waters" Gen 1:2] but absent of function.
1. It really needs to be emphasized that the ancient idea of functions was not the same as our scientific descriptions of functions (e.g., the sun as a burning ball of gas that holds planets in orbit due to its gravitational pull) but rather their understanding of function centered wholly upon the role played in human existence.
Walton shows how during the six "days" God set up a cosmos to function for human beings, with the function described in ways that were pertinent to them (this is especially evident in the description of the fourth day).
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