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To: PetroniusMaximus; Dominick
Just like all intelligent people once thought that the speed of light was a constant...

(eyes rolling) Not that hoary business again. The earliest several published measurements of the speed of light were several percent greater than the modern (extremely stable) value. So young-earth creationists decided that light was much faster a few tens of centuries ago. This explains why we can see galaxies that are millions of light years away. But that's a hell of an extrapolation! Physicists say that if the speed of light were higher, all the physics tied to it would change as well; the results would be tremendous. Chemistry, etc. wouldn't work properly.

But what I want to argue here is that we don't need to believe in a God who created a world that looks really old even though it is very young. We can believe in a God who created a beautiful world and universe that are intelligible to us -- everything makes good sense if you understand the science. No need for contrivance ("do you believe in progeria?"). Newton and the other great scientists who created the scientific revolution in the 17th century were all profoundly devout men. Modern science would not have arisen without the understanding that God created a universe amenable to human understanding. Newton thought he was learning about God by studying his creation. He was right.

103 posted on 08/29/2004 11:35:33 AM PDT by megatherium
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To: megatherium; PetroniusMaximus

I know about the measurement problems, I never considered for a second that someone would be able to claim the measurement was accurate but the speed of light actually changed! Is this the position?


108 posted on 08/29/2004 11:50:10 AM PDT by Dominick ("Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought." - JP II)
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To: megatherium

***we don't need to believe in a God who created a world that looks really old even though it is very young. We can believe in a God who created a beautiful world and universe that are intelligible to us -- everything makes good sense if you understand the science.

If you cast aside the notion that God created the world, you may suffer no harm for it in this life - but your grandchildren or great-grandchildren will. The devil move people away from the true knowlege of God quietly and in stages.

Let me pull from another post...

Jesus coninually spoke of Adam as a real historical person. Jesus continually refered to the account of creation as literally, historically true.

If Jesus was wrong about creation - wrong about such a central event in the Bible, then how do you know he's not also wrong when he says,

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life."

I submit to you that if what you believe is true, you CANNOT know that he was not wrong and that your faith, therefore, is just mere personal opinion and preference.

I emplore you to take the time to look up the verses in the Gospels where Jesus refers to creation and seek to discern his opinion of the event - whether he views it as allegory or literal truth.



If you consider yorself smarter and more knowlegeable than Jesus Christ, would you find it hard to be his follower?


121 posted on 08/29/2004 12:15:33 PM PDT by PetroniusMaximus
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