The Bell in Coal Story
by Cowboy Bob Sorensen
This is one of those items to use with caution. No, it is not "proof" of a young earth or the Genesis Flood. However, we do have something that merits serious consideration. Back in 1944 over West Virginia way, Newton Anderson was taking care of family coal duties and found an odd specimen. He broke away the coal and found a bell. Unfortunately, he cleaned it up a bit too well, but who would have thought that people would want to analyze the bell, coal and all, as an out-of-place artifact back then?
As I've said many times before, everybody has their presuppositions by which they interpret information for their worldviews. Evolutionists and atheists argue from a materialistic view, where they erroneously presume there is no Creator God, no spirits, and so forth. Biblical creationists believe the Bible is the written Word of God, and is true from the very first verse. We also believe that there was a global Flood that changed the planet. So, we're working from our worldview, you savvy?
For the sake of space, I'll refer you to the articles here about the Flood, Noah's Ark, the world back then, and so forth. Creationists believe that the pre-Flood world had a sizable population. People back then were descendants of Adam, and were not the semi-evolved brutes that Darwin's disciples portray; they were intelligent. People have asked creationists if anyone has discovered remnants of settlements, cities, and so forth, but since the Flood was so devastating, it is highly unlikely. Maybe there would be some artifacts of the antediluvian world? Possibly, but they would be rare. The speculation about the bell found in coal is that it is one of those remnants. Atheists and evolutionists wave this off, rejecting any possible evidence, and coming up with excuses that do not withstand scrutiny. After all, it threatens their uniformitarian and deep time assumptions.
One objection to the bell's antiquity is the figurine on the top of it that resembles cult idols found in more recent civilization. Interestingly, such idols are seen in many diverse places. A reasonable speculation is that some demons made themselves known and were worshiped, and that this one was known to some antediluvian people as well as those who lived more recently.
Creationists are advised to be careful on things of this nature, as I said. There are good reasons to have healthy skepticism, especially when the information is extremely incomplete. Gold chains, bells, and other things that may or may not have been embedded in coal are interesting, but most of us prefer to present stronger evidence for creation, a young earth, and the Genesis Flood.
Don't be disunderstanding me, though! Things like this that are more than a curiosity and have evidence that cannot be easily dismissed can generate interest in the abundant evidence for creation and the Flood. David Woetzel has researched the bell extensively, and Newton Anderson researched the figurine. I recommend that you read first the short article, "Bell Found in Coal", and the extremely interesting (and longer) article, "Update on the Mysterious Bell Found in Coal".
This is one of those items to use with caution. No, it is not "proof" of a young earth or the Genesis Flood. However, we do have something that merits serious consideration. Back in 1944 over West Virginia way, Newton Anderson was taking care of family coal duties and found an odd specimen. He broke away the coal and found a bell. Unfortunately, he cleaned it up a bit too well, but who would have thought that people would want to analyze the bell, coal and all, as an out-of-place artifact back then?
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| Most likely, the bell in West Virginia was found in bituminous coal Credit: Donna Pizzarelli, USGS (usage does not imply endorsement of site contents) |
For the sake of space, I'll refer you to the articles here about the Flood, Noah's Ark, the world back then, and so forth. Creationists believe that the pre-Flood world had a sizable population. People back then were descendants of Adam, and were not the semi-evolved brutes that Darwin's disciples portray; they were intelligent. People have asked creationists if anyone has discovered remnants of settlements, cities, and so forth, but since the Flood was so devastating, it is highly unlikely. Maybe there would be some artifacts of the antediluvian world? Possibly, but they would be rare. The speculation about the bell found in coal is that it is one of those remnants. Atheists and evolutionists wave this off, rejecting any possible evidence, and coming up with excuses that do not withstand scrutiny. After all, it threatens their uniformitarian and deep time assumptions.
One objection to the bell's antiquity is the figurine on the top of it that resembles cult idols found in more recent civilization. Interestingly, such idols are seen in many diverse places. A reasonable speculation is that some demons made themselves known and were worshiped, and that this one was known to some antediluvian people as well as those who lived more recently.
Creationists are advised to be careful on things of this nature, as I said. There are good reasons to have healthy skepticism, especially when the information is extremely incomplete. Gold chains, bells, and other things that may or may not have been embedded in coal are interesting, but most of us prefer to present stronger evidence for creation, a young earth, and the Genesis Flood.
Don't be disunderstanding me, though! Things like this that are more than a curiosity and have evidence that cannot be easily dismissed can generate interest in the abundant evidence for creation and the Flood. David Woetzel has researched the bell extensively, and Newton Anderson researched the figurine. I recommend that you read first the short article, "Bell Found in Coal", and the extremely interesting (and longer) article, "Update on the Mysterious Bell Found in Coal".