The Soulless Hominid Theory: A Fatal Flaw in Old Earth Creationism

This video will be made public on March 25, 2025. Welcome to the second episode in a series called “The Failures of Old Earth Creationism.” Many Christians attempt to fit old earth ideology into their beliefs, adopting uniformitarian or evolutionary pieces into their worldview. While this is often done in an effort to appeal to science, it can cause major logical, scientific, and theological issues. The conversation surrounding human origins has always been an intriguing one. One of the most debated subjects is the nature of the beings labeled ‘hominids,’ particularly Neanderthals. Biblical Creationists firmly place Neanderthals in the ‘human’ category—descendants of Adam and Eve, thus bearing God’s image. Most evolutionary biologists today also agree with Neanderthals being mostly human, leaving their genetic mark on our DNA through interbreeding. Some old earth creationists suggest something quite different. They claim that Neanderthals were nothing more than animals—truly bipedal animals that are able to make and use tools, paint, and bury their dead—but animals nonetheless. Is there any truth to this idea? Were they just animals? Or were they fully human, bearing the image of God? In today’s episode, we’ll dig into “The Mystery of the Soulless Hominids,” exploring the faulty beliefs that lead some down this path, and uncovering what science and Scripture say about the matter. Join host Trey Bowling and Dr. Brian Thomas as they discuss this topic on episode 94 of The Creation Podcast. Adam or Apes: https://store.icr.org/adam-or-apes.html Contested Bones: https://store.icr.org/dr-john-sanford-contested-bones.html --- Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH2PLuQwGuY_Q9NvNng7Twg/join Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/InstituteforCreationResearch --- Follow us! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/icrscience Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/icrscience/ X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/ICRscience LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/institute-for-creation-research Pinterest: https://in.pinterest.com/icrscience/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@icrscience --- Learn more about the Institute for Creation Research: https://www.icr.org/ Check out our podcasts: https://www.icr.org/podcasts Shop our store: https://store.icr.org/ Support our ministry: https://www.icr.org/donate Plan your visit to our Dallas creation museum and planetarium: https://discoverycenter.icr.org/ --- 0:00 – Coming Up on The Creation Podcast 1:02 – Welcome and Introduction 3:37 – What are ‘hominids?’ 6:11 – Who is Neanderthal? 15:46 – Soulless Hominids 22:01 – The Time (and Gospel) Problem 25:43 – Image of God Behavior 34:40 – The Genetics Problem 36:33 – Compromising God’s Word 47:31 – Concluding Thoughts