by William Trollinger

Hard to believe, but true. Young Earth creationism is even weirder than you thought.

Most outsiders to young Earth creationism focus on the alt-science that asserts that the universe is 6000 years old, a global flood in 2348 BCE accounts for all the geological strata, and humans co-existed on earth with dinosaurs.

Bizarre ideas, indeed. But equally bizarre – and generally unnoticed – is the young Earth creationist understanding of human history, particularly history before the Christian era. Here is a very brief summary of their approach to history, followed by the links to six Answers in Genesis (AiG) articles where you can examine their claims in greater depth. Of course there is variation in young Earth creationist thought when it comes to “ancient man,” but this summary is a good place to start. And in our next post we will say something why young Earth creationists find such weird ideas compelling, and even necessary.

1. Evolutionary history is a fallacy – The secularists and atheists who control our public schools, our museums, and our media teach an evolutionary history in which human beings were once stupid brutes but over time evolved to become smarter and smarter. And according to the secularists and atheists, our technological achievements are evidence of this human evolution. But this evolutionary history is patently false, as humans were as smart in the beginning (that is, in 4004 BCE) as they are now.
2. Adam was brilliant (and perhaps the most brilliant) – God created Adam and made him very smart. In fact, he was created literate, as it is from his writings that Moses produced the first four chapters of Genesis. And according to some young Earth creationists, the quality of intellect has been going downhill ever since, thanks to genetic deterioration.
3. Human achievements before the flood also disprove evolutionary history – Long before Noah was born – that is, in the first millennium of human existence – human beings were successfully working with metals as well as creating and playing musical instruments. Some of this had to do with the fact that many people were living for hundreds of years, which gave them lots of time to gather knowledge and develop technology.
4. Noah’s Ark disproves evolutionary history – The gigantic and seaworthy boat produced by Noah is evidence of the sophistication of pre-Flood human beings. As regards the technology to build the Ark, it is quite possible that Noah had very sophisticated tools – even cranes – and concrete at his disposal.
5. Human achievements in the two millennia after the flood also disprove evolutionary history – The pyramids, which – in order for young Earth creationist history to work out – have to come after the Flood, are great evidence that “ancient man” was capable of remarkable achievements. More than this, ancient humans had remarkable innate abilities and attributes that genetic deterioration has eliminated through the course of time. Some young Earth creationists point to ancient Romans who could see 123 miles and who could climb up a ladder while carrying 800 pounds. Oh, and then there was the eight-year-old child who could run three marathons in one afternoon. Amazing, indeed.  

For further reading:
Answers in Genesis, “Ancient Man”
Ken Ham, “Ancient Non-Stick Frying Pans”
Ken Ham, “How Did Noah Build the Ark?”
Bodie Hodge, “Is Man Getting Smarter?”
Bodie Hodge and Terry Mortenson, “Did Moses Write Genesis?”
Larry Pierce, “What Were Early Post-Flood People Like?”