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Where did the idea of “millions of years” come from?
AiG ^ | Terry Mortenson

Posted on 02/17/2009 8:25:37 AM PST by 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...

(Excerpt) Read more at answersingenesis.org ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Philosophy
KEYWORDS: abrahamwerner; charleshodge; charleslyell; charlesspurgeon; ciscofield; comtedebuffon; creation; derekager; disastrous; ernstmayr; evolution; georgescuvier; georgestanleyfaber; henrycole; henrymorris; intelligentdesign; jameshutton; jeanlamarck; johannlehmann; johnfleming; johnpyesmith; johnwhitcomb; johnwoodward; liberaltheology; nielssteensen; oldearthcompromise; pierrelaplace; roberthook; superposition; thomaschalmers; uniformitarian; uniformitarianism; williamsmith
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To: count-your-change
Have we had this discussion before? Several reasons to believe they were 6 literal days:

1. Context of Exodus 20:11
2. Each day in the creation week is numbered
3. The creation happened during the "day", and the evening and the morning (of the next day) were the first "day", or 24 hour period.

Yes, "yom" can mean age, period, aeon, etc., but there is no example of that in the OT when it is coupled with an number (as in the Third Day) or when coupled with a reference to astronomical event, (e.g. evening and morning).

In addition, that means that God created the plants on Day 3, and waited aeons of time to create the Sun, Moon and Stars on Day 4. When laid side by side, the sequence of events in Genesis do not mach the sequence supposed by the Big Bang and Bacteria to Man evolutionary theory. You must also do away with original sin and that all death (animal and man) was brought by the sin of Adam. Also, we must explain how God could call his creation "good" and "very good" when it required the deaths of billions of life forms to generate the ones that could adapt and survive.

161 posted on 02/17/2009 1:45:32 PM PST by jimmyray
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To: itsahoot
I have seen nothing from you that would expand the base of conservative voters.

Really. This is a thread where Young Earth creationism is trying to make a scientific case against old earth geological positions. My posts have been well-document statements of fact to counter those claims, and rebuttals of those who try to explain away the geological and fossil record by saying it was created in situ by God.

So you basically think the GOP can gain more voters by dabbling in bad science? I sincerely doubt that. If anything, those who promote bad science hurt the GOP.

162 posted on 02/17/2009 1:49:43 PM PST by dirtboy
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To: Ditto
...accept the NT as the teachings of our Lord. It does not attempt to tell us how the heavens were made, but how to make it to heaven.
The OT I see as partly spiritual, partly poetry, partly history, and partly the unifying myths and customs of an ancient culture.

This line of reasoning is the same one used by Rudolf Bultmann to basically dismiss almost all of the NT as "...a piece of narrative, a dominical saying or a parable. In the process we learn to distinguish secondary additions and forms, and these in turn lead to important results for the history of the tradition."

This in turn has led to the search for the "hisorical Jesus" which in turn discredits almost all of the NT miracles and sayings of Jesus into inventions of the NT writers, and ultimately to deny the very Resurrection and Divinity of Christ!

Slippery slope, that!

163 posted on 02/17/2009 1:52:52 PM PST by jimmyray
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To: dirtboy
Third strike on your part.

Wow, you are absolutely correct. Saul Alinsky would be proud of you.

164 posted on 02/17/2009 1:58:39 PM PST by itsahoot (We will have world government. Whether by conquest or consent. Looks like that question is answered)
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To: itsahoot
Wow, you are absolutely correct. Saul Alinsky would be proud of you.

I see since you can't debate this scientifically, you are resorting to name-calling. Typical. You may have the last word, for what little it is worth.

165 posted on 02/17/2009 2:04:40 PM PST by dirtboy
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To: Ditto
you hang your faith on a slender thread (such as the young earth doctrine)

I doubt that any one on this thread that claims to be a Christian hangs their faith on this slender thread.

Christians have only Christ as their hope, and that without reservation.

166 posted on 02/17/2009 2:05:56 PM PST by itsahoot (We will have world government. Whether by conquest or consent. Looks like that question is answered)
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To: Wolfstar

Yup, I meant it for you. Comment #29 showed a photo of sedimentary layers. The author of that comment invited scientific analysis of it. I thought maybe you could provide some.

I guess I’d be considered a “fundamentalist type of Christian,” as I believe in Christ as the foundation of my faith. I also highly value science as a way to understand the physical world around me.


167 posted on 02/17/2009 2:06:01 PM PST by Theo (Global warming "scientists." Pro-evolution "scientists." They're both wrong.)
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To: dirtboy
So you basically think the GOP can gain more voters by dabbling in bad science? I sincerely doubt that. If anything, those who promote bad science hurt the GOP.

No, I stand by my original statement. You do nothing but offend, those you hope to persuade to think like you do. You are the Genius, everyone that doesn't agree with your every statement is delusional or stupid.

Explain how that brings a single vote into the Republican party?

You are mostly an arrogant @ss.

168 posted on 02/17/2009 2:17:01 PM PST by itsahoot (We will have world government. Whether by conquest or consent. Looks like that question is answered)
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To: itsahoot
No, I stand by my original statement. You do nothing but offend, those you hope to persuade to think like you do. You are the Genius, everyone that doesn't agree with your every statement is delusional or stupid.

This is a thread about efforts to fit the geological record into a Young Earth viewpoint. Given that I was studying to be a professional geologist, and have both upper-division college credit, work experience and field experience in the subject, I do have some expertise here.

So far, I see very poor science used by the Young Earth side. And I see the likes of you resorting to personal attacks to counter the lack of scientific analysis on the Young Earth side.

Explain how that brings a single vote into the Republican party?

Maybe by showing there are folks who are not vehemently anti-science who are still practicing Republicans and conservatives?

You are mostly an arrogant @ss.

And you are proving my point yet again that your side is intellectually bankrupt and, when finally cornered by the lack of evidence, resorts to personal attacks. Tell me how THAT will do anything but alienate folks from the GOP?

169 posted on 02/17/2009 2:24:41 PM PST by dirtboy
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To: Theo
I believe in Christ as the foundation of my faith. I also highly value science as a way to understand the physical world around me.

You and I have these things in common.

170 posted on 02/17/2009 2:34:26 PM PST by Wolfstar (Elections have thousands of consequences. Some minor, some major...and some that can kill you.)
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To: dirtboy
And you are proving my point yet again

Yet again you prove my point. This is not an intellectual argument, but a Religious argument, in which you seem to take great delight in belittling Christians, because they choose to take the Bible literally.

You claim to be here only to bring enlightenment, but instead you generate animosity, to what end?

171 posted on 02/17/2009 2:39:58 PM PST by itsahoot (We will have world government. Whether by conquest or consent. Looks like that question is answered)
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To: itsahoot

Comma problem: you mean to say “great delight in belittling Christians who choose to take the Bible literally.”

Most Christians are not in fact locked into literalist interpretations of the KJV translation of Genesis; don’t try to make this an issue of the World vs. the Church.


172 posted on 02/17/2009 2:42:47 PM PST by Philo-Junius (One precedent creates another. They soon accumulate and constitute law.)
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To: itsahoot
This is not an intellectual argument, but a Religious argument,

Sorry, but once Young Earthers try to theorize geological processes to try and fit the geological record into the Young Earth model, it crosses the line into scientific debate. Which is rigorous.

I don't chase this argument into the Religion forum. But if it is posted out here in the News forum, and scientific issues are being discussed, I will debate them from a scientific, not religious viewpoint.

BTW, I don't have a serious problem with ID - it is not in and of itself an affront to the geological record. My issue is with the horribly bad science of the Young Earthers - that is an affront to the science I have studied for years.

You claim to be here only to bring enlightenment, but instead you generate animosity, to what end?

The animosity I see is from your name-calling on this thread. If you want to post in an echo chamber, the FR News forum is not the place to accompish such.

173 posted on 02/17/2009 2:43:51 PM PST by dirtboy
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To: jimmyray
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?

I am not an astronomer and my data may not be up to date, but it seems that some quasars are 28 billion light years from here.

174 posted on 02/17/2009 2:45:21 PM PST by Fiji Hill
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To: itsahoot
in which you seem to take great delight in belittling Christians

I take no such delight. I am belittling bad science. If you want to believe the world was created 6,000 years ago, that's your business. Just don't engage in pseudo-science in the process and then belittle those who take science seriously, to the point of studying it in the field and in labs for decades.

Oh, and quite a few Christians have chimed in on this thread saying they have no problem with an old earth model for creating the world. So you are the one trying to make this into belittlement.

175 posted on 02/17/2009 2:46:51 PM PST by dirtboy
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To: GodGunsGuts
Uh, Carl Sagan?

Actually, pioneer geologist Charles Lyell might be a better answer.

176 posted on 02/17/2009 2:47:07 PM PST by x
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To: GodGunsGuts

From Satan.


177 posted on 02/17/2009 3:09:34 PM PST by ToGodBeTheGlory ("Darwinism" is Satanism.)
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To: what's up
How do you know it wasn't created that way?

If God created the Earth complete with evidence that it is billions of years old, that would imply that God wants us to believe that the earth is billions of years old. In that case anyone who refuses to believe the earth is billions of years old would be deliberately defying the will of God.

178 posted on 02/17/2009 3:16:35 PM PST by Lucius Cornelius Sulla ("men of intemperate minds cannot be free. Their passions forge their fetters." -- Edmund Burke)
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To: GodGunsGuts

If someone old enough to be reading this forum is asking that question they need to go back and repeat elementary school because they weren’t paying attention but somehow managed to graduate.


179 posted on 02/17/2009 3:34:30 PM PST by DaGman
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To: Fiji Hill

“I am not an astronomer and my data may not be up to date, but it seems that some quasars are 28 billion light years from here.”

Yes, but they weren’t 28 billion light years away when the light we see from them was emitted. The estimate of their curren distance includes taking the red shift of their spectra into account.


180 posted on 02/17/2009 3:50:06 PM PST by Philo-Junius (One precedent creates another. They soon accumulate and constitute law.)
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