Learning Non-YEC Origins as an adult

[Ginevra]

I grew up heavily steeped in Young Earth Creationism and consequently, learned very little about geology, astronomy and some other natural sciences. Having just visited a really wonderful Natural Sciences museum, and having watched an interesting show on Black Holes, I would like to patch up some of my lacking natural history knowledge. 
 

Does anyone know of one or more great resources (preferably open-source/free use) to help me understand what (non-Creationists) think occurred in origins, different eras, and geology? I know bits and bobs, like, “There was once a shallow sea that covered the Chesapeake…” but I never learned the eras (ie, Cambrian, Mesozoic, etc) or anything that had to do with evolution. 
 

Thanks for any help. 

[EKS]

Have you seen the Big History Project?  It gives a nice overview of time from the big bang to present.

[Ginevra]

6 minutes ago, EKS said:

Have you seen the Big History Project?  It gives a nice overview of time from the big bang to present.

No, but I will check it out! Thanks!

[TechWife]

For science info, check out Biologos. Near the bottom of the page there is a section titled “getting started” that has helpful articles. 

[Miss Tick]

You might find some interesting topics in the "In Our Time" catalog. Here is a listing of their Prehistory programs. The host, Melvyn Bragg picks a topic and a few experts to dig into it deeply for about an hour.

[Clarita]

Netflix has a show "Life on Our Planet". It just tells you the information in an entertaining documentary; it doesn't tell you how we know or why one may believe it. It gives the mainstream view big picture view of evolution. 

[gardenmom5]

As far as how the earth itself was made - there are different theories, none of them settled.

I would recommend Nick Zentner on youtube.  Geology Prof at Central Washington University.  His focus is PNW geology, but he goes into the different magma eruptions (and how they would change the course of the Columbia River), follows the Yellowstone hotspot back to the Pacific Ocean - a lot of what he gets into, geologists weren't even aware of when he was doing his doctorate.  localized flooding - and the sources (e.g. glacial lake Missoula - when the ice dam burst, the output was more than every river on earth combined. - he follows the outflow track to the Pacific.) the different types of rocks, and where they came from and how they got where they are.

and why geologists love the core samples oil companies take - and beg to examen them when they're done with them, and how much they've learned.  . . . 😜 lol.   scientists/geologists/seismologists didn't know about the cascadia subduction zone when he was in school - but my oh my, what data they have now . .  

he's a very good lecturer.  

eta: - pay attention for his lecture about fossilized hail. (source in from WA)  yeah, there is such a thing . . . he even contacted the german geo professor who had written about it in the 1960s, and he asked for more as his supply was running low.

or when he dropped a tool down a crack in the basalt . . . oops.  say goodbye, 'cause you're never going to see it again.
 

Edited March 17 by gardenmom5

[wathe]

 

HHMI has a ton of free educational videos and interactive learning tools.  They are meant for use in classrooms, but are available to anyone.   " Your Inner Fish", "Your Inner Reptile" and "Your Inner Monkey" are interesting and very good, and not didactic.  You can search the videos by topic (evolution, earth science, etc). 

Berkeley's Understanding Evolution materials are great

BIg History Project has topics laid out nicely

For a big picture summary, Bill Bryon's A Short History Of Nearly Everything covers history of life and history of the planet in an engaging way (library).

Also, for big picture summaries, there is a surprising amount of good information about geological time on Wikipedia and Britannica

Stephen Jay Gould's popular science essays/books are interesting and not at all didactic -  a way to learn without feeling like you are studying .  You might enjoy them? Not free, but sure to be at your public library.

BBC In Our Time has done a lot of prehistory episodes.

 

 

 

[Amoret]

I have really enjoyed Donald Prothero's books such as This History of the Earth in 25 Rocks, The Story of Evolution in 25 Discoveries, and others. They are each made up of 25 chapters, each a few pages long and focused on a little mystery or question that he explores and discusses.

[Harriet Vane]

I highly recommend a book that shows the scientific case for how evolution dovetails with the biblical creation account. It’s written by a scientist named Scott Ransom. It’s a fascinating, wholly different perspective. I had never read this perspective bridging the two and it’s given me a lot to think about. 
 

http://...And It Was So: How Modern Science Sheds New Light on the Biblical Account of Creation https://a.co/d/0Wfmy98

This link gives a pretty solid summary of both Dr Ransom’s credentials as well as the premise of the book.

https://www.prweb.com/releases/New_Book_Utilizes_Ancient_Hebrew_and_Current_Scientific_Evidence_to_Evaluate_the_Biblical_Account_of_Creation/prweb19443498.htm.

 

[Laura Corin]

This series would be good if its available to you  https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0fpwly8

[livetoread]

I was raised YEC, and these books really helped me understand why science accepts that evolution happened:

Why Evolution is True by Jerry Coyne

Your Inner Fish by Neil Shubin (also a PBS special mentioned above)

Evolution: What the Fossils Say and Why It Matters by Donald Prothero

I think the Prothero book gives the most overall picture, but they are all very interesting and written in an accessible manner.

[Grace Hopper]

2 hours ago, Harriet Vane said:

I highly recommend a book that shows the scientific case for how evolution dovetails with the biblical creation account. It’s written by a scientist named Scott Ransom. It’s a fascinating, wholly different perspective. I had never read this perspective bridging the two and it’s given me a lot to think about. 
 

http://...And It Was So: How Modern Science Sheds New Light on the Biblical Account of Creation https://a.co/d/0Wfmy98

This link gives a pretty solid summary of both Dr Ransom’s credentials as well as the premise of the book.

https://www.prweb.com/releases/New_Book_Utilizes_Ancient_Hebrew_and_Current_Scientific_Evidence_to_Evaluate_the_Biblical_Account_of_Creation/prweb19443498.htm.

 

Thanks @Harriet Vane, I’m going to check out these titles. 
 

As a parallel study, @Ginevra, if you are interested in reexamining the biblical creation story from a non-YEC pov, I recommend The Bible Project. I found their series on ancient cosmology interesting and helpful. 

[Ginevra]

1 hour ago, Grace Hopper said:

Thanks @Harriet Vane, I’m going to check out these titles. 
 

As a parallel study, @Ginevra, if you are interested in reexamining the biblical creation story from a non-YEC pov, I recommend The Bible Project. I found their series on ancient cosmology interesting and helpful. 

Thanks. I am open to that as well. 

[Innisfree]

A couple of books I’ve enjoyed, both highly readable and shedding light on the history of geology and paleontology:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1939990009/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?ie=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.HaQupkV8FNmLYw4-o1-nhjOACO_WHI54ebrTubee0Kt1aOvkvC9No0qnG1HF4jvb.CHAnFNbveqerX5Eald4X4TkYwTHY-kO_ytx3t98S-1Q&qid=1710720672&sr=8-1
 

https://www.amazon.com/Dinosaur-Hunters-Scientific-Discovery-Prehistoric-ebook/dp/B00810SAWG/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?crid=2LBZJ0E5JIX12&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.5aKT8pkElBj5azyHxFPtJ7SxrH1uziaYboU7dAKqRJW49nbt1u1ncVfhX-bNctu7JTmkIR0ry595uPwvO1a4W72Sr24oMKGXPOR5nZGSzVKZmvKH1RKs-QYqJSkEEa_zcSftWUb49PaWQ3n7-os-hJYUHxr0zWN_FuSaFrkmMKQmuQw0QppQBK4HqQCTp9zrbPq-ptHdBKkVvKhNv4veNA.21GVQmHTpotJ3FHEPFBgcTh4Q3rJlZcIWGr1fvufIaY&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+dinosaur+hunters&qid=1710720984&sprefix=the+dinosaur+h%2Caps%2C106&sr=8-2