Lisa Shea Forums General Discussion Religious Research Geology and Christianity

I just don't understand how any intelligent, thinking person can claim that the earth is only 6000 years old.

Just back from Yellowstone Park and drove through the Wind River Canyon in western Wyoming. Absolutely gorgeous views in every direction, and a geologists paradise.

Many of the formations are labeled and signed, with ages ranging from 300 Million Years old near the current opening to 2.8 Billion Years Old near the tunnels.

I'm not a professional geologist, but I can understand the basic science behind strata and canyon formation.

So, with all the evidence there, how can anyone claim with a straight face that the planet is only 6,000 years old?

I just don't understand it.

Listening to the rangers, and talking with other tourists, I'd casually slip-in that this was amazing that all this beauty was only 6000 years old. Boy did I get strange looks.

And yet, so many people actually BELIEVE this to be true, and want to teach it as FACT in our schools? Why can't people close their bibles for a moment and visit some of these places and listen to experts?

http://www.geology.wisc.edu/~maher/air/air07.htm

It also makes you realize just how insignificant we are.

Did they actually think that you believed this!?

LOL

I took an Earth Science class at U of H a few semesters ago and we were going over the formations and how to date rock and stuff like that. A college graduate, mind you, spoke up saying this was ridiculous and that we should go and read our bibles about how old the earth was. It started this HUGE debate! We finally had to settle on, "our book states" in order to get through the section.

Can we say common sense?

No where in the bible does it say how old the earth is.

ultra religious zealots try to interpret the date of the earth based on the history in the bible.

It continually amazes me that these people can be so ignorant of facts.

Well, I suppose if that's the only way to avoid upset, then it has to be, but I feel uncomfortable about it.

I would, at least, prefer something like:
'Geological research indicates ...'

To explain this comment, I'll just add that I just think that saying 'Geological research indicates ...' is a more meaningful truth than saying "our book states".

After all, anyone can write a book, but long-term research by qualified geologists should be given more respect, perhaps???

Laughing, because how different is "our book states..." than "The Bible says........". Geological research indicates seems a very diplomatic way to handle it--Guess thats why PDM is our trusted moderator!


I don't even want to go into how the 6000 year figure is caluculated--which calendars were used to determine a year? What kind of adjustments were made to allow for the differences between the Hebrew calendar, the Julian calendar, the Gregorian calendar, and the influences of both the Egyptian calendar and the Babylonian calendars during period of captivity. IE. the Roman calendar only measured a year at 355 days before the Julian calendar was adopted in 45BC. I am no math whiz-but just for starters wouldn't that mean measurements are off a year every 120 years?

MBAS- I bet you got some very strange looks.