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Rubio: “There is no scientific debate on the age of the earth”
Salon.com ^ | 12/5/2012 | Jillian Rayfield

Posted on 12/06/2012 9:47:52 AM PST by ksen

After dabbling in creationism earlier this month, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., clarified that he does believe that scientists know the Earth is “at least 4.5 billion years old.”

“There is no scientific debate on the age of the earth. I mean, it’s established pretty definitively, it’s at least 4.5 billion years old,” Rubio told Mike Allen of Politico. ”I was referring to a theological debate, which is a pretty healthy debate.

“The theological debate is, how do you reconcile with what science has definitively established with what you may think your faith teaches,” Rubio continued. “Now for me, actually, when it comes to the age of the earth, there is no conflict.”

GQ: How old do you think the Earth is?

Marco Rubio: I’m not a scientist, man. I can tell you what recorded history says, I can tell you what the Bible says, but I think that’s a dispute amongst theologians and I think it has nothing to do with the gross domestic product or economic growth of the United States. I think the age of the universe has zero to do with how our economy is going to grow. I’m not a scientist. I don’t think I’m qualified to answer a question like that. At the end of the day, I think there are multiple theories out there on how the universe was created and I think this is a country where people should have the opportunity to teach them all. I think parents should be able to teach their kids what their faith says, what science says. Whether the Earth was created in 7 days, or 7 actual eras, I’m not sure we’ll ever be able to answer that. It’s one of the great mysteries.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Florida
KEYWORDS: 112th; ageofearth; creation; creationists; deerintheheadlights; earthage; florida; partisanmediashills; rubio; science; theology
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To: kimtom

If you’re a geologist, then you need to ask for your money back for that diploma they gave you.


21 posted on 12/06/2012 10:15:12 AM PST by Kirkwood (Zombie Hunter)
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To: ksen

This means that the left sees Rubio as a threat to their stranglehold on power. They know that he could defeat their leftist-marxist-hate-America phonies.

In their distorted world-view Republicans are all White males.
Everytime the Republicans start looking at someone who is not a White male, the left whips out the file of lies and distortions that it has created for every Republican. The media does its job getting the word out, and he/she steps out of the picture.


22 posted on 12/06/2012 10:16:48 AM PST by I want the USA back
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To: BenLurkin

Anytime a mediatard asks a conseraative how old the earth is we should ask the media tard to tell us the age down to the year, month, day, hour and minute and watch them stutter.


23 posted on 12/06/2012 10:17:05 AM PST by GraceG
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To: TurkeyLurkey
He ought to educate himself on the evolutionist lie.

Not sure you care, but there's a big difference between geology (age of the earth) and biology (evolution). Scientists have known about an old earth much longer than they've known about evolution.

24 posted on 12/06/2012 10:19:29 AM PST by Alter Kaker (Gravitation is a theory, not a fact. It should be approached with an open mind...)
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To: Opinionated Blowhard

Rubio should have”newted” him and attacked the interviewer directly.


25 posted on 12/06/2012 10:21:03 AM PST by GraceG
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To: driftdiver

“I doubt God consulted a science text when he created.”

Actually, G-d created science as a prank.


26 posted on 12/06/2012 10:24:23 AM PST by Mi-kha-el ((There is no Pravda in Izvestiya and no Izvestiya in Pravda.))
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To: ksen

paleogeologist.. not many of them around,, much less in the Senate.. but it’s nice to know he knows his roots and origin.

He’d make a good Sec’y of State... or who knows?


27 posted on 12/06/2012 10:24:57 AM PST by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi)
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To: Alter Kaker

Don’t you see? Any branch of science that disagrees with a Creationist is “evolution”. That way they get to claim with a straight face that they don’t oppose science - just “evolution” - and in this case “evolution” means Geology. In other cases it means Astronomy. In other cases it means Physics.


28 posted on 12/06/2012 10:25:18 AM PST by allmendream (Tea Party did not send GOP to D.C. to negotiate the terms of our surrender to socialism)
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To: ScottfromNJ
You don’t need billions of years. this arguement is just to support evolutionary theory.
No one knows what a billion year old rock looks like.

the Hebrew word translated “replenish” means “to-fill”

I believe for God, he only needs 6 days, he stopped on the 7th day

29 posted on 12/06/2012 10:26:08 AM PST by kimtom (USA on the Brink, Now Falling over the edge)
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To: kimtom

“Other posters are right, it is an attempt to mix up conservative base. it’ll work. “

Not difficult to get conservatives to fight each other. No candidate is ever conservative enough for some folks.


30 posted on 12/06/2012 10:28:41 AM PST by driftdiver (I could eat it raw, but why do that when I have a fire.)
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To: allmendream

Expanding on that: “Evolution is only a theory.”

When used in non-scientific context, the word “theory” implies that something is unproven or speculative.
As used in science, however, a theory is an explanation or model based on observation, experimentation, and reasoning, especially one that has been tested and confirmed as a general principle helping to explain and predict natural phenomena.


31 posted on 12/06/2012 10:31:30 AM PST by tumblindice (America's founding fathers: All armed conservatives.)
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To: BenLurkin

Excellent! Five stars.


32 posted on 12/06/2012 10:31:34 AM PST by MachIV
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To: kimtom
No accurate readings are possible.

On the other hand, I don't need pinpoint accuracy to know the planet is far older than several thousand years.

33 posted on 12/06/2012 10:41:00 AM PST by gdani
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To: ksen; BillyBoy; sickoflibs

What percentage of people think the Earth is 10000 years old? Must be very small.


34 posted on 12/06/2012 10:46:15 AM PST by Impy (All in favor of Harry Reid meeting Mr. Mayhem?)
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To: gdani
On the other hand, I don't need pinpoint accuracy to know the planet is far older than several thousand years.

But you can't trust radiometric dating. It's based on assumptions about constant decay rates we don't knon to be true. All those nuclear reactors could become atomic bombs and any moment.

35 posted on 12/06/2012 10:51:22 AM PST by tacticalogic ("Oh, bother!" said Pooh, as he chambered his last round.)
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To: allmendream

To be fair the concept of evolution is bigger than biology. We associate it most with Darwin, but it long predates him. It was associated with geology, cosmology, yes, and also heavily with human history.

Anti-evolutionists are really attacking the materialist/mechanist worldview, which is an old enemy of religion, when they go after evolution by name. It is not natural selection, though that’s part of it, but the whole dang picture of nature cut off from God running on cause and effect like an unwinding clock designed by no one. It’s the old, cold Cartesian/Newtonian nightmare.

When they say “evolution” they mean more than they could ever describe, and everything they’ve ever feared. They also sometimes mean Darwinism, which is much harder to define, plus sometimes again actual scientific evolutionary biology. So it’s confusing.


36 posted on 12/06/2012 10:53:02 AM PST by Tublecane
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To: ksen
Believing the earth was created and believing it to be more (very much more) than six twenty four hour days old are not contradictory views.

To portray the two as such is simply an effort to say, “This fellow was “dabbling” (whatever that describes) in creationism (or voodoo, or bigfoot chasing, something odd) but now he's come around”.

37 posted on 12/06/2012 10:55:45 AM PST by count-your-change (You don't have to be brilliant, not being stupid is enough.)
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To: MrB

Also you can’t read with comprehension.


38 posted on 12/06/2012 11:01:06 AM PST by DManA
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To: TurkeyLurkey

The subject was geology, not biology.


39 posted on 12/06/2012 11:02:14 AM PST by DManA
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To: TurkeyLurkey

The subject was geology, not biology.


40 posted on 12/06/2012 11:04:10 AM PST by DManA
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