Earlier this month, NASA researchers claim Venus may have once been a habitable planet because of its Earth-like atmosphere. However, Young Earth Creationist Ken Ham that argues the Bible says God created life only on Earth.
In a blog post on Answers in Genesis, Ham said that God created Venus on Day Four of Creation Week. He went on to say that only Earth, not Venus (or any other planet), was designed to become habitable. He also quoted Isaiah 45:18 to prove his claim.
"Our presupposition implies that we wouldn't expect to find life on Venus in the past or the present," Ham said.
Ham was responding to a recent study by researchers from NASA, Uppsala University, Columbia University and the Planetary Science Institute, which says Venus might have supported life in its early history.
By using models similar to those used to determine climate change on Earth, researchers found that Venus - the hottest planet in the solar system and second planet from the sun - may have been habitable during its first 2 billion years of existence.
In the present-day Venus, on the other hand, it is impossible to live. The barren planet's atmosphere is composed of suffocating carbon dioxide. Because the planet is really close to the sun, its temperature reaches 864 degrees Fahrenheit (462 degrees Celsius)
According to Space.com, millions of years ago Venus has an ocean of liquid water, cooler surface temperatures and a thinner atmosphere - a condition that is good to host life. Data from NASA's Pioneer Venus mission, which investigated the planet from 1978 to 1992, revealed Venus had an early ocean that was evaporated by the sun. Studies have shown that water is the most important element of a planet to host life.
With cooler temperatures and ocean, life may have had a chance to thrive on Venus. The recent study about Venus is published in Aug. 11 issue of Geophysical Research Letters. NASA officials say the study will help scientists in their search for possible habitable planets in our solar system.
On the other hand, Ham wrote in his blog post that all of the findings of Venus are only based on assumptions.
"They assume Venus is billions of years old. They assume it was similar to Earth in the distant past. They assumed Venus' topography. They assume it had shallow seas. They place assumptions on top of assumptions on top of assumptions," the Creationist wrote.
He added, instead of searching for an Earth-like planet that can host life, researchers should seek the Creator who loves them and died for them.
Ken Ham is the head of the Creation Museum and Ark Encounter.
