[content edited by moderator] But upon examination of each of the “creeds” you list, [edit] your claim that the “overwhelming majority of the confessions and creeds of the Church do not hold the docrtrine of special creation to be foundational” is charitably exposed as unwarranted and practically exposed as downright false. Many of the listed “creeds” are completely silent on any doctrine of creation, nor were they written for that purpose. To put forward just a few examples, the Geneva conventions deal with protocols of war, and the 95 theses primarily focus on the ugly Catholic practice of the selling of indulgences. Others in you list deal with doctrines such as election, salvation, the "trinity,’ and the nature of Jesus. But whether they address creation or not, none of them, as far as I can tell, reject special creation as foundational. [edit] And while none of them uses the specific term, special creation does indeed emerge as the reasonable and straightforward reading from the listed creeds that do address creation. Indeed, I would argue that Artcle 2 of the Belgic confession and Q and A 26 of the Heidleberg affirm the foundational nature of special Creation. If your list would have been faithfully dedicated to an objectve study concerning special creation as a foundational doctirne of Scriptures, you might well have included references such as the traditional Catholic doctrine of creation and any of a number of systematic theologies.
But all of this is really beside the point. My claim is that special creation is a foundational doctrine of Scripture, not a foundational doctrine of man. Your creeds are all the product of men. Here’s what I mean when I say that special creation is a foundational doctrine of Scripture:
“Have you never read that He Who made them, at the beginning, made them male and female” (1)
Matthew 19:4
“He Created them male and female and belssed them and called them mankind in the day they were created”
Genesis 5:2
“For man is not from woman, but woman from man. Nor was man Created for the woman, but woman for the man”
1 Corinthians 11: 8,9
“For Adam was formed first, then Eve”
1Timothy 2:13
“For You Created my inmost being. You knit me together in my mother’s womb”
Psalm 139: 13
These verses (and countless others) are worded in such a way as to preclude any mode other than special creation. The objective truth seeker might also wish to do an exhaustive concordance study on the words “formed,” “created,” and “made.”
In any case, my hermeneutic is, and always will be to let Scripture interpret Scripture, always seeking the revelation of the Holy Spirit. Special creation is the clear Biblical message.
'In vain they worship me, teaching as commandments the doctrines of men"
Matthew 15:9
I really hope (against hope) that you and anyone else reading this will think seriously about these things. Speaking as a brother, I need to warn you that the end of this age is fast approaching. Very soon this world will be very different. I strongly urge you to examine yourself, turn to Him with all your heart, forsake the world, and prepare yourself to suffer and die for His sake. I am consumed more and more with these pursuits and I pray that you will be also. His judgement is at hand, and as 1 Peter 4:17 says, judgement begins at the house of God. He is grieved and angry with many Christians (how do I know this? He told me). We must all be about the business of sanctifying ourselves.
I came here to bring a message that souls are being lost because of the doctine of naturalistic evolution and to encourage my brothers and sisters to (at the very least) embrace the strong evidence for the necessity of a Creator of life. To promote the grand claims of evolution while at the same time denying, ignoring, or ridiculing the strong evidence from life for a Creator is a twofold position that wlll always lead some believers away from belief (“offenses may come but woe to those through whom they come”). My message has been met by outrage, ridicule and denial. God has appointed me a watchman and only He knows whether my efforts here have been faithful or whether they may have borne any fruit, but in the spirit of Titus 3:10, it is long past time for me to depart for other fields. There are many fields ripe for the harvest.
I will pray for those of you who have taken the time to interact with me as well as any who might have read and considered the many exchanges that have taken place. I will also be happy to respond to PMs going forward, but this post marks the end of my participation in these forums.
Grace and peace,
Joe
(1) note the phrase, “at the beginning.” The inclusion of this phrase makes no sense at all in an evolutioary framework. The only reason for its inclusion is to emphasize special creation.