Creation vs Evolution: Primordial Soup in Genesis?
What is Primordial Soup?
Evolutionary theory hypothesizes that before life existed, there was a substance called “primordial soup” which the Oxford dictionary describes as:
“a solution rich in organic compounds in the primitive oceans of the earth, from which life is hypothesized to have originated.”
So basically, scientists think that there was a goopy soup of compounds that contained everything life needed to arise.
2 Kinds of “Waters” in Genesis
Genesis 1 uses the word “waters” 11 times.
Some of those times it seems to be referencing actual H2O, while other times might be referencing something more like primordial soup.
ACTUAL WATER
For example, here’s a passage that seems to be talking about literal H2O:
Then God said “Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let dry land appear,” and it was so. God called the dry land “earth” and the waters “seas.”
—Genesis 1:9–10 (simplified)
This is where God made land and sea, so it seems to be talking about literal water.
PRIMORDIAL SOUP
But BEFORE GOD made land and sea, there are verses that talk about “waters.” In my mind, these “waters” are probably more like a primordial-soup-like hodgepodge of matter.
For example, Genesis 1:2 says that God’s spirit “hovered over the waters,” yet that took place BEFORE he even created the “seas.”
Day 2 of creation describes another instance of “water” that might be more like primordial soup:
Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the middle of the waters to separate the waters from the waters.” God made the expanse which separated the waters below from the waters above. God called the expanse “heaven” (sky).
—Genesis 1:6–8 (simplified)
This verse is interesting, because it sounds like when God created the atmosphere, some “waters” got pushed into outer space while some “waters” stayed here on earth (below the atmosphere).
When I read this passage, my interpretation is that there was a chaotic, soup-like hodgepodge of matter which Genesis refers to as “water,” but then God creates the atmosphere which divides the matter in outer space from the matter here on earth.
Evolutionary theory and the Christian account of creation could be more alike than most people think.
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