The literal Creationist argument against the idea of a universe that is measurable to distances of ~15 billion light years (and then being at least ~15 billion years old) is that we’re being deceived by a natural phenomenon.
This, of course, attributes God with being a deceiver.
Which tells me that at least some literal Creationists are worshipping the wrong god.
By the way, I am a Creationist in that I believe God created a universe that we are only just barely beginning to understand. I am also deeply flattered that my Creator planned my existence at least 15 billion years ago and that He caused mountains and seas to rise and to fall in order to bring me about right here and right now.
Our God is an Awesome God and the revealed secrets of the Universe prove it!
“This, of course, attributes God with being a deceiver.”
No, you attribute it to God being a deceiver. The possibility exists that, if that were the situation, God had other motivations for doing it besides deceiving us. So, if you dismiss those possibilities, that’s a purposeful choice you are making.
I have heard of the “deceiver God” objection and could counter that He makes foolish the wisdom of the wise.
Most people have never gotten around to puzzling out how the stars, etc. could get there. Those people couldn’t be deceived.
Others have figured out, or believe they have figured out, some of the properties of this universe. They are stunning properties no matter how they are looked at. But if you are going to start to reason, you might want to take theology into account too. Nobody asked these modern secular natural philosophers we called scientists to ignore theology. Nobody even hid the bible from them. They may have hidden it from themselves.
If it sounds like I am arguing for both sides, well I am. I see there is a mystery here that is not easy to fathom.
Scripture plainly states God stretched out the heavens. Also, since everything is winding down, or 'wearing out like a garment', perhaps the speed of light could be changing? Finally, you must explain away the plain reading of the creation account, and the genealogies provided, which both plainly declare the earth is ~6000 years old.
So, according to your interpretation of current observations, either God lied to us in the Bible, or He lies to us with our observations of billions of light years. Perhaps it is a false dichotomy?
Relativity may yet be useful in resolving this.
Starlight and Time by Russell Humphreys.
Hi. Have you ever seen this book before? I don't believe God is a deceiver, and I don't think young earth creationists are deceivers, either. P.S. I know both Russell Humphreys and John Baumgardner, astrophysicist and geophysicist, respectively, the two were formerly at Sandia and Los Alamos, respectively.