Features
- Cover Type: Paperback with 282 pages
- Published by: New Wine Press
- Edition: 2nd Edition October 1, 1998
- ISBN 10 Number: 1874367833
- ISBN 13 Number: 978-1874367833
- Shipping Information:
Reader ReviewsThe author puts forward a rather unique fundamentalist interpretation of the Genesis creation account. He believes that each of the creative days was a literal 24 hour day, but that an untold amount of time elapsed between the creation of the universe and the start of the first day of creation, hence the title of the book. His theory would account for all of the starlight problems that plague young earth creationism by accepting the great age of the universe, a bold and brave step for a creationist writer to take. From this promising start however, the author falters by using a very imaginative but impossible series of events to explain a sudden modification of an already existing barren earth over a period of just 6 days into a life supporting planet. The author's theory for accomplishing this remarkable transformation is a highly technical series of natural but divinely guided events that turned a barren rock into our earth. The problem is that his chain of events depends on his reinterpretation of the physical laws of the universe. Using far more technical expertise than is demonstrated by creation scientists in general, Leander Pimenta rewrites the entire creation of the universe to allow for a highly accelerated make over of the earth in 6 days. Pimenta's creation theory is self-consistent and runs with the precision of a swiss watch, until you start comparing it with basic physical facts, then massive errors are found that are like sand in Pimenta's watch. Some of these little errors are more the size of mountains, for example "The Earth could never have been in a wholly molten state because had it been so it's rotation would have flattened it into a disc just like a ball of very soft clay on a rapidly rotating potters wheel" page 15, Pimenta apparently doesn't understand gravity or the earth's internal structure. He also rejects the Big Bang theory and puts forward instead a theory involving the properties of neutrons and we are told that "Neutrons may be regarded as tiny magnets, so once formed their own magnetism ensured that the neutrons would clump together quickly." page 171. Which is to say the least, a very different description of neutron behavior than what my seventh grade science teacher told me. Pimenta then uses his unique interpretation of particle physis as a basic building block in creating his theory, which reaches a high point of creative imagination on the operation of our Sun. Pimenta explains that our Sun generates its output due to the friction of three mutually orbiting neutron cores whipping about inside the Sun. Such Alice-in-Wonderland physics are key to Pimenta's theory and are in complete conflict with such obvious observations as the failure of his internally orbing solar neutron cores to cause any wobbling of our Sun. From having debated these issues with the author in e-mail, I know that he is a true believer in his theory and is a man of faith, the problem is that the universe is unkind to Pimenta by insisting on being different than what he predicts. This book well illustrates the situation facing creationism today, modern science reveals glaring contradictions with creationist interpretations of scripture, giving one the choice of revaluating certain interpretations of scripture in light of Scientific knowledge or turning away from scientific facts and pursuing flights of fancy as represented by this book. The Bible is a scientifically accurate book since it was written by the creator of the physical laws of the universe, it is merely the overly rigid interpretation along doctrinally preset lines that create the impossible paradoxes that confront creationism today that this book unsuccessfully attempts to solve. But I still give it two stars for creativity.