Water Canopy Theory
The water canopy theory is a very common concept to explain the global flood mentioned in the book of Genesis, chapter 7. It refers to a layer of water vapor or ice that surrounded Earth in the upper layers of the atmosphere that then exploded in the massive rainstorms that caused the flood.
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History
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Creation science holds that there are very good scientific reasons for holding to a basically literal acceptance of the book of Genesis, specifically the creation and flood narratives in chapters 1 to 9. One means of bringing science to bear on the flood stories was developed by Issac Vail in 1874, though in his case, his theory derived from the canopy forming as the Earth cooled millions of years ago.
Features
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The water canopy is a means of bringing science in to explain Genesis and the nearly universal acceptance of a universal flood from ancient cultures around the globe. The basic idea is that a large cloud (of sorts) surrounded Earth. Some theories have ice as the main source. Either way, this "cloud" surrounding Earth contained tons of water that were to be one of the main sources of the flood.
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Function
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The water canopy served to explain phrases in Genesis such as the "floodgates of the sky" in Genesis 7:11. Some statements in the Genesis account hold that at least some of the water came from the sky. The canopy theory also serves to explain how people in the early parts of the Old Testament lived such long lives, and then gradually began to live normal lifespans as history unfolded. In this case, the canopy served to filter out harmful radiation that causes aging, hence leading to longer and healthier lives.
Types
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Differing theories about the nature of this canopy have been developed by educated creation scientists such as Joseph Dillow and Gary Johnson. The differences in the many theories of the canopy concern the placement of the canopy, with some placing it higher than the others. In addition, writers on this topic differ on the nature of the canopy (either vapor or ice), and the forces necessary to hold the canopy in place. In many cases, creationists have rejected the canopy theory altogether.
Problems
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The canopy theory has been rejected by a large number of creation scientists such as Walter Brown. The well-known creationist Douglas Cox holds that this story "does not hold water." The reasons are that the water, falling from such a height, would be transferred into kinetic energy that would then superheat Earth. Other problems have been noted, such as the force necessary to keep the canopy in place. Some creationists point to the canopy around Venus as a possible explanation and some hold that atmospheric conditions at that time no longer exist today. As it stands, this theory remains controversial and its varied forms make general agreement impossible.
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References
- Photo Credit sphinx_flood image by Sergey Tokarev from Fotolia.com
