Uniformitarianism And Its Religious Undertones
Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI
Biblical Authority Ministries, September 30, 2025 (Donate)
What do big bang, millions of years, an ice age that goes back
over 10,000 years have in common? They are all build on a concept. Not
just any concept, but a religious concept called “uniformitarianism”.
You can’t see uniformitarianism and can’t hear it or touch
it or taste it—like I mentioned, it is conceptual. But this concept shapes so
much of how the secular world thinks—particularly origins. Because the world
uses this concept so much, it pervades our culture and sadly, many of us have
been influenced by it one way or another.
What Is Uniformitarianism?
Uniformitarianism is the belief that the geological
processes we observe today—like erosion and sedimentation—have occurred at the
same rates and in the same ways throughout earth’s history. In other words, it
assumes the process we see today have been “uniform” throughout the past.
Thus, it is a belief system about the past that is not
observed and therefore not scientific. Instead, it is religious. And you may
not realize this but it is a common religious view within the secular humanistic
families of religion (e.g., materialism, naturalism, secularism, etc.).
This religious idea or concept is often summarized by the phrase: “The present is the key to the past.” This is in opposition to the biblical concept of the past is the key to the present (e.g., why do we wear clothes, a past event in Genesis 3; why are there massive rock layers with fossils, a global Flood in the past; etc.).
Uniformitarianism also goes
hand in hand with certain naturalistic assumptions. Naturalism (nature is all
that exists) and uniformitarianism (that naturals processes are uniform) are
like sisters in secular-based religions. As examples:
- Earth’s
features (like canyons, rock layers, and mountains) were formed slowly
over millions of years.
- Catastrophic
events (like local or regional floods, tsunamis and earthquakes, or
volcanic eruptions) are generally excluded as major shaping forces
in earth’s past.
- Time,
not extraordinary events like the global Flood of Noah’s day and its
aftermath which led to the post-Flood Ice Age, is the primary driver of
geological change.
This philosophy was spearheaded in the late 18th and
early 19th centuries, especially by people like James Hutton and Charles
Lyell, and strongly influenced Charles Darwin’s thinking on biological
evolution whose prominence rose from the 1850s-1870s.
Why Is Uniformitarianism Considered Bad From A Biblical
Perspective?
Uniformitarianism is a philosophy (i.e., conceptual idea
that is technically religious) that stands in contradiction with God’s Word.
For example, the adherents of the religion of uniformitarianism
denies the biblical narrative of the global Flood. The Bible, particularly in
Genesis 6-8, describes the global Flood in Noah’s day that catastrophically
reshaped the earth’s surface (see also Psalm 104:8-9). Leaders of uniformitarianism,
thinking in light of their religious perspective, dismiss such events as myths
or regional incidents, contradicting Scripture.
Also, this secular religion inherently has old-earth
assumptions. Uniformitarianism requires a belief in millions and billions of
years of earth history. This contradicts the biblical creation timeline that is
exegeted from biblical genealogies, and puts the
earth's age at around 6,000 years from today.
Uniformitarianism also undermines biblical authority. By
adopting naturalistic explanations for the origin of geological formations, the
religion of uniformitarianism is being used to replace the Bible’s historical
account with autonomous human reasoning. This shift can cause Christians to
compromise on scriptural truth if they start buying to uniformitarian thinking.
Uniformitarianists largely ignores observable catastrophes
when it comes to ancient origins. Even observable events like the rapid
formation of canyons (e.g., at Mount St. Helens) show that massive geological
changes can occur quickly, not slowly over eons.
Nevertheless, these modern catastrophes are a confirmation of
the possibility that past geological features may also be the result of
rapid, catastrophic events—especially the global Flood. Yet these are usually
overlooked by uniformitarians when trying to discuss or understand geology from
ages past.
As A Caveat: Uniformitarianism Vs. Uniformity
Some hear about the problems with uniformitarianism
and falsely make the assumption that this means that uniformity of nature
is equally bad. But one needs to be careful here.
Uniformitarianism and uniformity of nature are two distinct
concepts that are often confused but must be clearly delineated—especially in
the context of biblical creation and science. Let me explain.
Uniformitarianism
Uniformitarianism is a philosophical and religious assumption
about the past, particularly in geology. Adherents of this view asserts
that natural processes (like erosion or sedimentation) have always occurred in
the same way and at the same rate as observed today (on a normal day, not a
flood day for instance).
This idea (“the present is the key to the past”) leads to
interpretations of earth’s features as having formed over long ages slowly over
millions of years. Recall, it excludes the possibility of past global
catastrophes like the Flood of Noah’s day described in Scripture. Uniformity of
nature is much different.
Uniformity Of Nature
Uniformity of nature, on the other hand, is a biblical
concept that refers to the regularity and reliability of natural laws in
the present. Laws of nature can be summed up as the way that God upholds His
creation—and we can test these laws and describe them.
This regularity allows scientists to conduct repeatable
experiments and make predictions—because the physical laws of the universe
operate consistently. Most fields of science were developed by Bible-believing
Christians who understood this biblical concept.
Uniformity is rooted in the faithfulness of God as Creator
and Sustainer (Colossians 1:17, Genesis 8:22), not in random chance or blind
processes as in secular religions where laws changed in the past (e.g., no
laws, then laws at the big bang; and they will change again in the
future at a big crunch/heat death).
So key differences can be summed up as:
- Uniformitarianism
deals with unobserved past events while assuming a religiously naturalistic
framework that denies biblical history.
- Uniformity
of nature deals with the observable present and is essential for
operational (observable, repeatable, and testable) science (e.g.,
chemistry, biology, physics, engineering) which is in line with biblical teachings.
Conclusion
In short, uniformity of nature is good and uniformitarianism,
due to its false assumptions and naturalistic religious concepts, is problematic.
Uniformitarianism is a flawed from its onset and thus, it is self-refuting.
Uniformitarianism is engrained with secular religious philosophy
that distorts true history and undermines the biblical worldview. This religious
concept should be questioned by serious scientists who work in fields like
geology.
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Bodie Hodge, Ken Ham's son in law, has been an apologist
since 1998 helping out in various churches and running an apologetics website.
He spent 21 years working at Answers in Genesis as a speaker, writer, and
researcher as well as a founding news anchor for Answers News. He was also head
of the Oversight Council.
Bodie launched Biblical Authority Ministries in 2015 as a
personal website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a 501(c)(3). He has
spoken on multiple continents and hosts of US states in churches, colleges, and
universities. He is married with four children.
