History of the human race.

[Ross]

Is humanity really only six thousand years old?

[JehovahsWitness]

One should not confuse the age of the planet with the age of humanity. Biblical interpretation allows for an earth dating back mllions of years old.

Personally I doubt the carbon dating system is entirely accurate and have more confidence in the biblical record, which has mankind's history going back only 6,000 years.

(I find it curious that so called early man did not figure out how to use rudimentary tools because he was still ape-like but present day apes, ravens and octopuses have)

[Ross]

One should not confuse the age of the planet with the age of humanity. Biblical interpretation allows for an earth dating back mllions of years old.
Personally I doubt the carbon dating system is entirely accurate and have more confidence in the biblical record, which has mankind's history going back only 6,000 years.
(I find it curious that so called early man did not figure out how to use rudimentary tools because he was still ape-like but present day apes, ravens and octopuses have)

The famous and long deceased Jehovah's Witness theologian Frederick William Franz in 1966 made some adjustments to the numerical genealogy provided by Assher, Bede before him, and others; and came to the conclusion that from the time of Christ back through to the first man Adam, there was a time period of 4026 years. When the Bible book of Genesis describes creation, it explains that there were six creative days and that at the close of the sixth, God made the first man. Then God rested on the seventh.
2Pet 3: 8: explains:
“One day is with God as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day”

Franz had observed that when he added 1966 to 4026, he arrived at 5992 years. When the zero was deducted out of the calculation from B.C. to A.D. he was left with the conclusion that in 1966 there had been 5991 years since Adam. This meant that 6000 years from Adams creation would be in exactly nine years time, in the year 1975. In the opening verses of chapter twenty of the Bible’s last book, Revelation; it describes in pictorial and figurative language, a 1000 year reign of Jesus Christ which Jehovah’s Witnesses interpret as his reign over a restored paradise of Eden following Armageddon.

When he added 6000 years to this additional 1000 years, it appeared that the entire Biblical numerical scheme of things had been revealed to him. He concluded that it was thus obvious that the creative ‘days’ must have been 7000 years in length each. God had worked for 42000 years during creation and rested on the seventh, of which time period mankind were still in. And 6000 years of this resting period would reach, to be exact, to September 1975. It figured that this would almost certainly be followed by Christ’s restoration period of 1000 years, after which Gods rest day would be finished.

When September 1975 came and went without any cataclysmic action from the heavens, Jehovah's Witnesses were all informed via the Watchtower magazine that God hadn’t actually stopped creating until he took one of Adams ribs and made Eve. It wasn’t possible to ascertain how long the first man was alone before this event while he was presented with and then named countless species of creatures as the Genesis account documents. And so there was now a convenient extension to this time calculation, providing an answer with which to reply to critics and save undue embarrassment.

[bjs1]

Is humanity really only six thousand years old?

I suppose that the question must be asked: What makes someone human?

[Ross]

Is humanity really only six thousand years old?

I suppose that the question must be asked: What makes someone human?

A creation of flesh and blood made in Gods image?

[historia]

why didn't the last 6000 years development happen already 194 000 years ago? Inventing simple tools is not something that takes tens of thousands of years.

If humans only needed simple tools to support the development of the last 6,000 years, you'd have a point. But we also needed smelting, agriculture, writing, and civilization itself to get to the point where the development of the last 6,000 years could take place.

It's not at all surprising that it would take tens of thousands of years to put all of those prerequisites in place, especially when you're the first human to even think of one of these things, and you're kinda busy just keeping yourself and your kin alive through hunting and gathering. When's the last time you invented a civilization-changing technology? It's not easy.

[bjs1]

Is humanity really only six thousand years old?

I suppose that the question must be asked: What makes someone human?

A creation of flesh and blood made in Gods image?

Agreed. Is there a way to identify when that happened? If I accept evolution as a more or less accurate theory to explain species diversification, then at some point God created flesh and bone in His image. From our current perspective, I’m not sure how we pinpoint that moment in history.

I am happy to take the genealogies found in the Scripture as symbolic. They served an important purpose, but it was not to nail down a specific time frame. But however we measure it, I don’t know how as humans nail down when in history the Godhead pronounced “This is in our image.”

[JehovahsWitness]

I am happy to take the genealogies found in the Scripture as symbolic. They served an important purpose, but it was not to nail down a specific time frame. But however we measure it, I don’t know how as humans nail down when in history the Godhead pronounced “This is in our image.”

You also have the problem of real historical figures being born to symbolic parents.

[1213]

why didn't the last 6000 years development happen already 194 000 years ago? Inventing simple tools is not something that takes tens of thousands of years.

If humans only needed simple tools to support the development of the last 6,000 years, you'd have a point. But we also needed smelting, agriculture, writing, and civilization itself to get to the point where the development of the last 6,000 years could take place.

It's not at all surprising that it would take tens of thousands of years to put all of those prerequisites in place, especially when you're the first human to even think of one of these things, and you're kinda busy just keeping yourself and your kin alive through hunting and gathering. When's the last time you invented a civilization-changing technology? It's not easy.

Maybe it is not easy, but I still don't see why this last 6,000 years development would not have happened a long time ago, if people really have existed over 200,000 years.

[Ross]

In keeping with modern historical-critical biblical scholarship, I take the genealogies of Genesis to be a (relatively late) literary construct on the part of the Priestly author of the Pentateuch, which, like much of Genesis, should not be interpreted literally.

And what is your view of the genealogy provided in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke?

How do you interpret them?

[Ross]

why didn't the last 6000 years development happen already 194 000 years ago? Inventing simple tools is not something that takes tens of thousands of years.

If humans only needed simple tools to support the development of the last 6,000 years, you'd have a point. But we also needed smelting, agriculture, writing, and civilization itself to get to the point where the development of the last 6,000 years could take place.

It's not at all surprising that it would take tens of thousands of years to put all of those prerequisites in place, especially when you're the first human to even think of one of these things, and you're kinda busy just keeping yourself and your kin alive through hunting and gathering. When's the last time you invented a civilization-changing technology? It's not easy.

Tens of thousands of years? You must believe in evolution rather than creation? Look at what has happened in the last 150 years.