This article is from
Creation 44(3):24–25, July 2022

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Goodness granny

Great balls of fire!

by Gavin Cox

At 11:35 pm on 3 October 2021, 66-year-old grandmother Ruth Hamilton was woken suddenly by a loud bang as a space rock smashed through her apartment roof. It landed on her pillow, inches from her head. Hamilton was stunned to see the black meteorite, slightly larger than a baseball and weighing 1.27 kg (2.8 lb), which left a gaping hole in her ceiling.¹

Moments before, residents of Golden, in Canada’s British Columbia province, were treated to a fireball streaking across the night sky. This was caused by a meteor that had disintegrated in the upper atmosphere before parts of it fell to Earth as meteorites. One part landed in a field a mile from Hamilton’s house; another fragment landed in her house.²

Out of this worldview

According to scientists who studied Ruth’s space rock, it would have lost approximately 90% of its mass during its trip through the atmosphere, burning at 2,000 °C (3,600 °F), while travelling at up to 50 times the speed of sound.² Such observable facts demolish ideas about Earth life arriving by meteorites (panspermia), because bacteria (even if they could hide inside meteorites) would never survive the heat of entry.³ By the time the meteorite landed on Hamilton’s pillow, thankfully, it would have cooled enough to handle.²

Hamilton stated: “l’m just totally amazed over the fact that it is a star that came out of the sky, it’s maybe billions of years old.” ⁴ Such ideas about the supposed history of rocks are based mainly on radiometric dating techniques. These rely on assumptions about the unobserved past that cannot be independently tested. Such dates far exceed the biblical age of the world. This serves to highlight the faulty nature of the assumptions involved in radiometric dating.⁵ Also, there are many other dating methods that are consistent with the Bible’s thousands of years; dozens of such evidences are featured in an important article by CMI’s Dr Don Batten.⁶

Although not a ‘star’, Ruth’s rock is likely a stony meteorite called a chondrite. These are considered leftover debris from the formation of the solar system. However, no one ever observed such meteorites form, so no one really knows; it’s just speculation. Chondrites still contain ‘volatiles’ (easily evaporated compounds) which should have all disappeared long ago.⁷ They can best be explained in a framework of recent creation.

Life-changing experiences

The stunning encounter with an extraterrestrial rock left Ruth ruffled and contemplating the meaning of life. She stated: “… life is precious and it could be gone at any moment even when you think you are safe and secure in your bed … I hope I never, ever take it for granted again.”⁴ She also said: “My granddaughters can say that their grandmother just almost got killed in her bed by a meteorite”,² adding that they think it’s “pretty cool”.⁴

For truly life-changing encounters involving a rock: “Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock” (Isaiah 26:4). But beware! In referring to Jesus (God the Son) metaphorically as a stone, the Bible warns that “when it falls on anyone, it will crush him” (Matthew 21:44).

Of course, that does not apply to believers. Jesus Christ descended to save and redeem the world He created, shining light into its darkness (John 1:1–14). He will one day return with clouds, when every eye shall see Him (Revelation 1:7). To those in Christ, look up—not for fear of rocks from the sky, but because your salvation draws near (Luke 21:25–28)!