“Actually nuclear decay and radio dating are fascinating labs that can be taught to fairly junior science students.There are unverifiable, untestable philosophical assumptions that must be taken on faith for even those to work.
Dating through other means such as geologic formations probably take a bit more background but still is something high school students can understand and college students can actually do the work for.”
“BTW, I appreciated your thread to fellow protestants on addressing other Christians respectfully - it seemed really well intentioned. It probably would have gone better if this account had not been so new to Freep.”The debates in the RF Open threads can get very heated.
>>There are unverifiable, untestable philosophical assumptions that must be taken on faith for even those to work.<<
A Geiger counter is a pretty simple instrument so students can understand how it works and not just take it on faith.
They can then measure as the decay rate of a radio active source slows down and calculate the half life.
From a table of half lives they can then date samples themselves. It can really make for a intriguing lab.
>>
I don’t think it could have gone any better if I had been here 10 years.<<
I certainly would never deny that there is often heat and tension in religion discussions. But... its human nature for a group to be resistant when a newcomer begins quickly to criticize. Even valid criticism can get a different response. That’s not specifically a Freep thing but just human group dynamics things.