How Old Is the Earth?

Creation-Evolution Headlines ^ | 6/05/2003 | Creation-Evolution Headlines

[Fester Chugabrew]

"And the Earth is flat . . ."

Pure reason and senses could easily conclude little more than this. It took some Bible believing scientists to show us otherwise and publish that knowledge.

But how do you know it is not flat? Just because someone told you so? Just because you've read some things and seen some pictures?

[djf]

I was on a commercial flight once that got up to about 37,000 ft on an extraordinarily clear day. You can see the curvature.

[The Iguana]

I see...I see a thousand post thread in your near future.

[Drawsing]

From what I understand, the age of rocks is not settled. Current dating methods rely on assumptions about past conditions. There is also a tendency to use circular "logic".
"How old is that rock?"
"3 billion years."
"How do you know that?"
"Because it has this 3 billion year old fossil in it."
"How do you know the fossil is that old?"
"Because it is in this 3 billion year old rock!"

[GatekeeperBookman]

"he defies probability and is beyond our comprehension."

He DEFINED probability!

"God could have created everything one second ago. That would not be rational, so He did not"

But, if God is in charge of this casino & He is-He set the rules at point zero, Day One. He could have created everything yesterday. How would we know if he so arranged the rules as to make us blind to the event? 'Things' would work a bit differently for us today, but that could have been done-if desired. 'Us' would be very different & our perceptions, if we had them, would be so arranged.

God is the Original Cause. He set the Rules ( we call them Physics, Biology, &etc ). The micro & macro processes are controlled by the rules. There is flexibility in the system-we use the words uncertainty ( in Physics ), free-will ( in religion & psychology ), &etc.

Such rules likely don't exist 'outside' our Universe-ever wonder what is 'outside' our little play-pen?

Evolution is His greatest scheme-He knew the end before He began, like a brick-layer arranging the erection of a large & complex building-a building which can change over time.

He may reset the rules at the next Big Bang.

I really dislike the blindness of so many on these threads-those who ignore the possibilities. Those who are content with half an answer. For a dolt such as myself, the answers seem self-evident, considering the possibilities. No, wait! I LIKE these threads & the people who are on them-such an opportunity!!

[Soliton]

Most creationists see Usher's date of 4004 BC, derived from all the "begats" and other dated information, as the date of creation.

Because soooo much points to an older earth, it is hardly ever mentioned any more.

As an example:

Australian shrub could be oldest life on Earth
Copyright 1996 by Reuters
10/18/96

"MELBOURNE, Australia (Reuter) - Australian scientists said Friday they had found what might be the world's oldest living organism, a clonally reproducing, 40,000-year-old shrub growing on a remote mountainside on
the island of Tasmania."

Imagine a shrub 34000 years older than the earth.

Creationists criticize the conclusions of scientists while benefiting from the tools (like computers) and the quality of life those same conclusions produce. Kind of like liberals villifying America while benefitting from its freedoms.

[Prodigal Son]

I was on a commercial flight once that got up to about 37,000 ft on an extraordinarily clear day. You can see the curvature.

Aye, I've had similar experiences.
Once I took off in one direction and kept going in that same direction until I reached home again ;-)

[twittle]

As a person who believs in creation, one thing does puzzle me. How are we able to see the light from stars many thousands of light years away if the Universe is only 6,000 years old?

[Consort]

Maybe some people evolve faster than others, and maybe it doesn't matter how old the Earth, and the formation of the universe was a one-time event...and we missed it....and scientists have to get over that.

[Soliton]

Satan makes you think you see light from across the universe, and he put fake dinosaur bones in the soil to tempt you. LOOK AWAY QUICK!

[The Coopster]

An absolutely perfect answer. I can't see how anyone would think differently. I am a faithful person, but there were obviously millions of years prior to human life on earth. In Biblical times, 1000 was a considerably larger number to people than it is today, and may have been a number that people threw out there to mean "one heck of a lot".

How is it so difficult for some to see that maybe they don't understand everything, either?

I may quote your post from time to time, if that's ok with you. And I'm definitely picking up the books to read.

[Elsie]

...but probably not on THIS thread: unless it gets a LOT better than a Pee Wee Herman chat room....

[rintense]

Ask Helen Thomas. She's been around since the earth was created.

[microgood]

Creationists criticize the conclusions of scientists while benefiting from the tools (like computers) and the quality of life those same conclusions produce. Kind of like liberals villifying America while benefitting from its freedoms.

There is science and then there is science. The science used to launch the space shuttle and a Cruise Missle is verifiable scientifically. Constants for differential equations used to model these systems can be determined. How old the earth is cannot be, nor can things like global warming. Huge assumptions must be made/extrapolated.

[The Coopster]

Wow! Another great post!

This won't be a bloated, behemoth of a thread. How can you refute this logic?

[Soliton]

Maybe, but the fact that the age of the earth is measured in billions of years is a fact as solid as those you mention.

[Ichneumon]

There is also a tendency to use circular "logic". "How old is that rock?" "3 billion years." "How do you know that?" "Because it has this 3 billion year old fossil in it." "How do you know the fossil is that old?" "Because it is in this 3 billion year old rock!"

Isn't bearing false witness a sin? Don't make false accusations, please.

[Scenic Sounds]

"How Old Is the Earth?" No flesh man knows, and we are not told by our Heavenly Father.

I don't know how much I can help on all this, but it was already here when I first got here.

[Soliton]

Geological evidence suggests that Earth may have had surface water -- and thus conditions to support life -- billions of years earlier than previously thought.

Scientists reconstructed the portrait of early Earth by reading the telltale chemical composition of the oldest known terrestrial rock. The 4.4-billion-year-old mineral sample suggests that early Earth was not a roiling ocean of magma, but instead was cool enough for water, continents, and conditions that could have supported life. The age of the sample may also undermine accepted current views on how and when the moon was formed. The research was supported in part by the National Science Foundation (NSF), and is published in this week's issue of the journal Nature.

It was dated based on oxygen isotope ratios. As solid, and simple calculation.

[microgood]

Maybe, but the fact that the age of the earth is measured in billions of years is a fact as solid as those you mention.

Not being a physicist, I cannot dispute the science of universe formation, but I have read a bit about the age of rocks using Krypton's and other element's decay (kind of like Carbon dating for rocks) and there is some assuming going on there. And there is no science to support the old primordial soup theory. None at all.