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Q: If you would like to answer some REAL questions on behalf of the religious faithful, I have some for you: the general consensus among Biblical scholars is that according to the Bible, the Earth is just over six thousand years old. This is roughly the same time the Sumerians learned to brew beer. Do you believe this? Jordan W.
A: Dear Jordan,
You are one angry dude! But as far as I’m concerned, the angrier, the better! Now down to business. The age of the earth is assumed, NOT PROVEN. In scientific lingo, earth’s formation is a singularity or an event that cannot be reproduced in a lab and does not occur in present nature. Only observable data can be used to make assumptions that seem logical. This is called a feasibility study.
This leaves us with a fundamental split of thought as to how our world came into existence. One school of though believes in Creation, or the idea that the world was created by an entity apart from the physical universe. The other school of thought is Evolution, or the idea that life began by chance, and mutated through natural means. One view stems from the Bible, the other is essentially atheistic. Both sides defend their position fiercely and there are countless articles, websites and books touting each view.
In the 19th century, it was widely thought that the earth was about 70 million years old, but that thought was scuttled because it negated evolution. The scientists of the day thought that evolution could not have happened in such a short time span. New dates were bandied about such as 1 billion years and more recently, 4.6 billion years. Scientific dating systems such as the older method of the geologic column and the newer method of radiometric dating have been media darlings, but the fact still remains, they are assumptions made from observable data.
However, there is gathering evidence of observable data that indicates a younger earth, and there has been a healthy increase in young earth advocates. The preferred dating system used here is natural chronometers. These constitute the measurements of elements in the oceans, sediment erosion, the slowing of earth’s rotation; earth’s decaying magnetic field, etc. Studies done on these specific things, plus others have indicated a much younger earth than originally thought. Once again, these are still assumptions made from observable data. When dealing with the exact age of the earth, CERTAINTY HAS NOT YET BEEN PROVEN BY EITHER SIDE.
Jordan, you asked me if I believed if the earth was six thousand years old. The answer is I really don’t give a rat’s rear end about how old the earth is; to me it is irrelevant. Through the ages scientific thought changes its mind about as often as people change their fashions. Science is flawed because people are flawed. Here’s what I believe. The Bible, God’s Word, is truth because it never changes. It is the same today as it was when it was written. Throughout time, God’s Word has never given in to popular thought, rising empires, arrogant nations, kings, dictators or even unproven “scientific” theories that have morphed themselves into religious beliefs. It stands on its own and it will never perish. I believe that God’s Truth transcends time and space and even…popular science.
They call me Bible Girl because when it comes to all things spiritual, God’s got answers!
Q: If you would like to answer some REAL questions on behalf of the religious faithful, I have some for you: the general consensus among Biblical scholars is that according to the Bible, the Earth is just over six thousand years old. This is roughly the same time the Sumerians learned to brew beer. Do you believe this? Jordan W.
A: Dear Jordan,
You are one angry dude! But as far as I’m concerned, the angrier, the better! Now down to business. The age of the earth is assumed, NOT PROVEN. In scientific lingo, earth’s formation is a singularity or an event that cannot be reproduced in a lab and does not occur in present nature. Only observable data can be used to make assumptions that seem logical. This is called a feasibility study.
This leaves us with a fundamental split of thought as to how our world came into existence. One school of though believes in Creation, or the idea that the world was created by an entity apart from the physical universe. The other school of thought is Evolution, or the idea that life began by chance, and mutated through natural means. One view stems from the Bible, the other is essentially atheistic. Both sides defend their position fiercely and there are countless articles, websites and books touting each view.
In the 19th century, it was widely thought that the earth was about 70 million years old, but that thought was scuttled because it negated evolution. The scientists of the day thought that evolution could not have happened in such a short time span. New dates were bandied about such as 1 billion years and more recently, 4.6 billion years. Scientific dating systems such as the older method of the geologic column and the newer method of radiometric dating have been media darlings, but the fact still remains, they are assumptions made from observable data.
However, there is gathering evidence of observable data that indicates a younger earth, and there has been a healthy increase in young earth advocates. The preferred dating system used here is natural chronometers. These constitute the measurements of elements in the oceans, sediment erosion, the slowing of earth’s rotation; earth’s decaying magnetic field, etc. Studies done on these specific things, plus others have indicated a much younger earth than originally thought. Once again, these are still assumptions made from observable data. When dealing with the exact age of the earth, CERTAINTY HAS NOT YET BEEN PROVEN BY EITHER SIDE.
Jordan, you asked me if I believed if the earth was six thousand years old. The answer is I really don’t give a rat’s rear end about how old the earth is; to me it is irrelevant. Through the ages scientific thought changes its mind about as often as people change their fashions. Science is flawed because people are flawed. Here’s what I believe. The Bible, God’s Word, is truth because it never changes. It is the same today as it was when it was written. Throughout time, God’s Word has never given in to popular thought, rising empires, arrogant nations, kings, dictators or even unproven “scientific” theories that have morphed themselves into religious beliefs. It stands on its own and it will never perish. I believe that God’s Truth transcends time and space and even…popular science.
They call me Bible Girl because when it comes to all things spiritual, God’s got answers!
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