Where did the idea of “millions of years” come from?

AiG ^ | Terry Mortenson

[GodGunsGuts]

Where did the idea of “millions of years” come from?

All of our media outlets push evolution and “millions of years” ideas on the public. Even children’s cartoons reflect evolutionary philosophy! In an episode of the cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants, entitled “SpongeBob B.C.,” the narrator begins: “Ah, dawn breaks over the primordial sea. It is here that millions of years ago, life began taking its first clumsy steps out of the darkness, opening its newly formed eyeballs to stare into the blinding light of intelligence.” Unfortunately, large segments of the church have swallowed the millions-of-years evolutionary history hook, line, and sinker. But it was not always this way. In this chapter, we will discover where the idea of millions of years came from and why the church went along with it. We will see that science does not require it, but rather it is a necessity of uniformitarian geology and evolutionary theory...

[Alkhin]

Dittos!! Kind of silly to argue that and yet not the theological implications of taking Christ’s words at the Lord’s Supper literally. I know of only one person who is consistent in that regard and that is my priest (and I disagree with him on his creationists interpretation of Genesis...but he’s more consistent than me!!)

[Wolfstar]

You didn’t answer the question posed in comment #29. Perhaps the scientific answer doesn’t mesh with your understanding of how “all this” came about?

Are you sure you intended your question for me? I most definitely am NOT a fundamentalist type of Christian whose faith is anti-science.

[js1138]

In order for the Flood to have created the reef structure in El Capitan in Texas (the photo I posted earlier), it is estimated the coral that forms the reef would have to have grown 1.6 meters per day, or at a rate 80,000 times faster than observed today. Maybe the coral polyps were on ‘roids or something like it.

But think how much faster they would have grown with all the energy available from accelerated radioactive decay. By the way, 'rhoids are nothing to make fun of.

[jimmyray]

That being the case then, why could not the earth been formless and waste for any amount of time, even billions of years before The Creator says the seven days of Genesis commence?

Because Exodus 20:11 states "For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy."

In that context, which includes all of the events under discussion, the time frame is clearly 6 days. People can (and do) debate the meaning of "day", but there is no room here for an extra billion years or so between the Genesis 1:1-2 and the rest of Genesis 1.

[Polybius]

[[If the universe is only 14.7 billion years old, how can you possibly see objects that are located tens of billions of light years from the earth?]]

Shhhh. Don’t confuse em with hte dirty little secrets that plague their hypothesis.

Ummm ... Guys, not to confuse you with scientific facts but ......

The visible universe appears to have a radius of 14 billion light years because the universe is about 14 billion years old.

Where did you guys get the idea that the visible universe extended BEYOND a radius of 14 billion light years and that astronomers have EVER visualized objects "tens of billions of light years from the Earth"?

[kempo]

I think I read where we can see galaxies 13 billion light years away from earth and the only reason we cannot see any further is because the light from galaxies past that point hasn't reached us yet.

[what's up]

Try to explain that with a single flood

You didn't answer the question.

How do you know it wasn't created that way?

If the Genesis account is correct, God created the earth fully formed.

[Names Ash Housewares]

All I know is that people arguing evolution/creation seems like it has gone on for MILLIONS of years.

Enough already.

Show me ONE convert from one side to the other on all this! LOL

Theology class is down the hall, science class is the room across.

Deal with it.

[dirtboy]

How do you know it wasn't created that way?

So all those fossils and all those geological formations are just a big Divine practical joke?

[jimmyray]

It mystifies me that so many hang their belief in God entirely on this 6,000 year nonsense. I'm thankful that my faith does not rest on such a silly notion.

As opposed to believing God became a man, dwelt on the earth, performed various supernatural feats, and raised his own body up from death after 3 days in the grave? Why would you (or do you?) believe that?

[Retired Greyhound]

I’m not attacking you. And I never said that was my theory. But as a theory, it is as good as any.

Neither of us know or can prove the age of Earth.

[jimmyray]

Response to a previous comment.

[dirtboy]

But as a theory, it is as good as any.

No, it is not. It is not the least bit scientific.

Neither of us know or can prove the age of Earth.

We can show it is not 6,000 years old.

[Ditto]

As opposed to believing God became a man, dwelt on the earth, performed various supernatural feats, and raised his own body up from death after 3 days in the grave? Why would you (or do you?) believe that?

Can you point to any hard science that disputes that? I can show you plenty that disputes the 6000 year nonsense.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

I think you’re right that the farthest imaged objects are galaxies 13 billion light-years distant.

But we’ll see what the James Webb Space telescope turns up.

Unless the President cancels the project.

[jimt]

Who’s deciding what constitutes “powerful” and “flimsy”?

You have to be joking.

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

If the universe is only 14.7 billion years old, how can you possibly see objects that are located tens of billions of light years from the earth?

You can't, which is why the most distant object in the universe is 13 billion light years away.

Galaxy ranks as most distant object in cosmos: Faint images registered from 13 billion years ago

[js1138]

From your link:

“The true size of the universe is probably much larger than the visible universe. “

During inflation the universe expanded at a rate greater than the speed of light. Assuming this, there are objects we could never have seen.

[js1138]

How do you know it wasn't created that way?

that's an old idea. Google Omphalos or Last Thursdayism.

[mlo]

All of our media outlets push astronomy and “round Earth” ideas on the public. Even children’s cartoons reflect astronomical philosophy! In an episode of the cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants, entitled “SpongeBob B.C.,” the narrator begins: “Ah, dawn breaks over the primordial sea. As the Earth rotates the sun rises above the horizon.” Unfortunately, large segments of the church have swallowed the round Earth astronomy hook, line, and sinker. But it was not always this way. In this chapter, we will discover where the idea of a round Earth came from and why the church went along with it. We will see that science does not require it, but rather it is a necessity of astronomy and cosmological theory...