A sample of cultivated root crops.
Trivially easy, especially for someone with a little education, especially in the relevant subject like biology, geology, cosmology and history.
One of the more glaring errors is very early on in the Bible narrative which describes how a magic creator created all the animals for human use. It comes mostly from the first version of creation. In this version, the animals were all created before a man and a woman who were both created together, and then the animals and plants were all given to them for 'meat'.
In the second version, a man was created alone, then the animals, then a woman.
Obviously, both can be true, but it is mostly from the first version that creationists get the idea that all the animals and plants in the world were created especially for them. And that's where things begin to fall apart on close inspection of the facts.
Here is how the story goes. The first version:
Fish and birds created:Then version 2, in which the animals and plants were created after a man (but before a woman), reinforces this notion that the sole purpose of all the animals was to help Adam but when none of them proved fit for purpose, a woman was created to fill the role - which begs the question of why an omniscient god needed a second go at getting it right, but let's leave that for the moment as it wasn’t his biggest blunder as things turned out.
And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
Genesis 1:20-23
Land animals created:
And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:24-25
Humans created, male and female.
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Genesis 1:26-27
Humans given ownership because all for them
And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Genesis 1:28-31
Man createdThe blunder here, apart from the obvious muddle over the order in which things happened, is in describing how a supposedly omniscient god created plants and animals for man, and, apparently, for no other purpose.
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Genesis 2:7
Plants created
And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Genesis 2:8-9
Plants given to man
And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Genesis 2:15-18
Animals created for Adam
And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
Genesis 2:18-20
None good enough, so woman created
And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
Genesis 2:21-23
The problem is that almost everything the man has cultivated or domesticated was found not to be fit for purpose and has had to be modified, sometimes radically, by selective breeding. A list of domestic animals and cultivated plants and the history of their domestication from wild ancestors shows us just how inadequate these wild ancestors were and how we have had to improve them to make them fit for purpose:
What were the wild ancestors of our domesticated and cultivated species, when were they domesticated or first cultivated and how have they been modified? Domestication and cultivation have led to significant changes in both plants and animals over thousands of years. Here are some examples, their wild ancestors, dates of domestication or cultivation, and key modifications: PlantsAnd that's just a small sample. I could have included, horses and donkeys, the South American camelids - Llama, alpacas, etc. - pigs, turkeys, geese, pigeons, rabbits, mink, ferrets, carp, and probably many more given enough time. And as for plants, there are literally hundreds of cultivated flowers and vegetables, from all the different brassicas through the root vegetables, peas and beans, vines, lettuces, the onion family, berries, apples, pears and plumbs to garden flowers such as rose, dahlias and chrysanthemums. The list of plants, highly modified from their wild ancestors, is almost endless.
- Wheat (Triticum spp.)
- Wild Ancestor: Wild emmer wheat (Triticum dicoccoides)
- Domesticated: Around 9,000 BCE in the Fertile Crescent
- Modifications: Increased grain size, non-shattering spikes (easier harvesting), reduced hulls, and changes in gluten content for better bread-making.
- Maize (Zea mays)
- Wild Ancestor: Teosinte (Zea spp.)
- Domesticated: Around 9,000 years ago in southern Mexico
- Modifications: Dramatic increase in cob size, changes in kernel size and arrangement, loss of hard casing around seeds, and enhanced starch content.
- Rice (Oryza sativa)
- Wild Ancestor: Wild rice (Oryza rufipogon)
- Domesticated: Around 8,000–9,000 years ago in the Yangtze River basin, China
- Modifications: Increased grain size, non-shattering seeds, changes in plant architecture (shorter plants, more erect growth), and adaptations for various climates.
- Potato (Solanum tuberosum)
- Wild Ancestor: Wild potato species (Solanum brevicaule complex)
- Domesticated: Around 7,000–10,000 years ago in the Andes, South America
- Modifications: Enlarged tubers, reduced toxicity (lower levels of solanine), and changes in tuber color and storage properties.
- Soybean (Glycine max)
- Wild Ancestor: Glycine soja
- Domesticated: Around 3,000 BCE in China
- Modifications: Increased seed size, changes in oil and protein content, reduced pod shattering, and improved growth habit.
Animals
These domesticated species have undergone extensive changes from their wild ancestors, primarily due to human intervention through selective breeding and cultivation practices. The modifications have made these plants and animals more suited to human needs, whether for food, labor, or companionship.
- Dog (Canis lupus familiaris)
- Wild Ancestor: Gray wolf (Canis lupus)
- Domesticated: At least 14,000–30,000 years ago in multiple locations
- Modifications: Diverse changes in size, shape, behavior, and coat color due to selective breeding for various functions (hunting, herding, companionship).
- Cat (Felis catus)
- Wild Ancestor: African wildcat (Felis lybica)
- Domesticated: Around 9,000 years ago in the Near East
- Modifications: Slight changes in size and behavior, more docile temperament, varied coat colors and patterns due to selective breeding.
- Chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus)
- Wild Ancestor: Red junglefowl (Gallus gallus)
- Domesticated: Around 7,000–10,000 years ago in Southeast Asia
- Modifications: Increased body size, faster growth rates, higher egg production, varied plumage colors and patterns, and reduced flight ability.
- Cow (Bos taurus)
- Wild Ancestor: Aurochs (Bos primigenius)
- Domesticated: Around 8,000 years ago in the Near East and India
- Modifications: Increased milk and meat production, changes in body size and shape, docility, and diverse breeds adapted to different environments.
- Sheep (Ovis aries)
- Wild Ancestor: Asiatic mouflon (Ovis orientalis)
- Domesticated: Around 10,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent
- Modifications: Wool production, changes in body size and shape, docile behavior, and diverse breeds suited for meat, milk, and wool production.
Apart from the embarrassing (for creationists) information that many of these were domesticated before or very soon after 'Creation Week', there is the evidence that some of them have been so highly modified from the ancestral wild type, by human selection, that they are classified as a different species or subspecies.
Almost everything that humankind uses for food, draught or decoration has been modified to make it fit for purpose.
By contrast, there is only a small handful of species that have remained substantially unchanged:
Are there any examples of a cultivated plant or domesticated animal being used by humans without modification? Yes, there are a few examples of cultivated plants and domesticated animals used by humans with minimal to no modification from their wild ancestors. Here are some notable instances:So, the obvious question for creationists who believe these animals and plants were created according to the tale in the bible, for the sole purpose of serving mankind, is why weren't they created fit for purpose and have had to be modified, sometimes extensively to make up for the creator's failure to anticipate our needs and make its creation fit for purpose?
Plants
- Wild Rice (Zizania spp.):
- Wild Rice is still harvested in its natural state, particularly by indigenous peoples in North America. Though there has been some cultivation, much of the wild rice consumed is from wild sources and remains largely unchanged from its natural form.
- Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa):
- While quinoa has undergone some selective breeding, it is still very similar to its wild counterparts. Traditional farming methods maintain much of its original genetic diversity.
- Teosinte (Zea spp.):
- Teosinte is the wild ancestor of modern maize (corn). Some indigenous peoples in Mexico still use teosinte for food, though it is not as common as maize.
Animals
In these cases, the plants and animals are used in ways that leverage their natural characteristics without significant genetic modification or selective breeding that has drastically altered their original forms. This contrasts with most domesticated species, which have undergone extensive modification through human intervention.
- Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus):
- In northern regions, indigenous peoples such as the Sami in Scandinavia and the Nenets in Russia use reindeer for transportation, milk, meat, and hides. While some herding practices are in place, the animals themselves are often not far removed from their wild counterparts.
- Ducks (Anas platyrhynchos):
- In some parts of Asia, especially in traditional rice paddies, ducks are used for pest control and fertilization with minimal domestication. These ducks closely resemble their wild relatives.
- Bees (Apis mellifera):
- Honeybees are managed for their honey, wax, and pollination services. While beekeeping has led to some changes, many honeybees remain genetically similar to their wild ancestors.
Imagine a designer who set out to design a car and produced a handcart with seats, because it didn't know what it was going to be used for or how it was going to be used. Would they be regarded as an intelligent designer?
It seems the story-tellers who authored Genesis didn't even realise domestic animals and plants had wild ancestors and assumed they were all magicked into existence just as they saw them.
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The author or authors of Genesis were more ignorant than a 3rd grade child. They foolishly believed that the world and universe was made just for Man. So that gives humans the right to exploit the world as they please according to these authors of Genesis. This kind of perverted mentality justifies hunting, killing animals, and causing pollution and extinctions and destruction of wild places. This is a harmful mentality. The Bible encourages a variety of harmful behaviors such as overpopulation and slavery. It's mentally backward and morally backward.
ReplyDeleteBoth creation accounts in Genesis are false and Chapter 2 is even more unrealistic than Chapter 1. Both these false stories contradict each other and both are vague and impossible to interpret, and Genesis Chapter 3 with the story of Adam and Eve and a talking snake is more vague, ambiguous, unclear mumbo jumbo that's impossible to interpret.
And God is so clueless He doesn't initially realize that Adam needs a human female? What a stupid, uninformed God This is. The whole story reads like a myth because that's exactly what it is, a myth written by ignorant Bronze Age people who got 90 percent wrong of what they wrote.