Does the Bible teach the young Earth?

[McCulloch]

Nowhere in the Bible does it say that the Universe is 6,000 years old. That calculation comes from one James Ussher, an Irish archbishop of the 17th century, who was neither a saint, a prophet, nor a scientist.. It has been, shall we say, disputed.

My point is only this; even if one takes the Bible as the literal Word of God that does not require one to believe in a young Earth. That is an extraBiblical doctrine and not required by any reading of the Bible but Archbishop Ussher's.

Question for debate: If you take the Bible as the literal Word of God, would it require a belief in a young Earth? What about a young Universe?

Notes: For the purposes of this debate, let's define young as less than 10,000 years, so we need not quibble over rounding errors and such.
Remember, for this debate we are discussing whether the young earth is a necessary consequence of taking the Bible as the literal Word of God, not whether the Bible is the literal Word of God. That question is for other debate threads.

[McCulloch]

Because mans time on earth may seem to cover 10,000 years, what is clear is the first man when created was adult as were all the animals.

But according to the Bible, he died 930 years after his creation. He was created on day six.

The earth would also have been a mature earth. It had to be sustain life for the animals. I would deem that the bible shows us that God made everything older than a day it was created to be an old earth.

Yes, and God could have made the stars on day 3 or 4 (I forget) and made them seem to be billions of years old, complete with light already coming from them so that we could see them, even though that would be impossible. Why? Is your God that deceptive?

[Thought Criminal]

Given the uproar over the whole evo/ID debate, I would say the Bible does teach a young Earth. Comparing the loudness of theists who don't believe a young Earth to those practically demanding a young Earth, I again say the Bible teaches a young Earth. Just to make it clear, I say its an old Earth, based on science and not the Bible.

If you're already rejecting all of biology to make room for God, you might as well reject all of geology (and astronomy, and other related branches of science) for the same reason. Not only does a young Earth leave no time for evolution, it moves God closer in time to us, making him much less abstract than saying God acted a dozen billion years ago.

To answer the topic directly, the Bible teaches whatever you want it to teach. It certainly supports a young Earth, and it even supports a flat Earth. You just have to pick and choose which parts to take literally and which to downgrade or ignore.

TC

[israeltour]

A detailed answer I just gave in another thread is appropriate for this thread as well. However, I would rather not post twice. Here is the link: ref:No Proof the Bible is untrue.

[Fisherking]

Not only does a young Earth leave no time for evolution, it moves God closer in time to us, making him much less abstract than saying God acted a dozen billion years ago.

... and in my opinion the reason atheists fight tooth and nail against the young earth view. If the earth is young, macro-evolution is impossible... leaving atheism without a leg to stand on.

[McCulloch]

in my opinion the reason atheists fight tooth and nail against the young earth view. If the earth is young, macro-evolution is impossible... leaving atheism without a leg to stand on.

Objections to the young earth view are many. One is that the young earth view demands supernatural intervention and that it is contrary to the known facts.

[JoeyKnothead]

Given the uproar over the whole evo/ID debate, I would say the Bible does teach a young Earth. Comparing the loudness of theists who don't believe a young Earth to those practically demanding a young Earth, I again say the Bible teaches a young Earth. Just to make it clear, I say its an old Earth, based on science and not the Bible.

If you're already rejecting all of biology to make room for God, you might as well reject all of geology (and astronomy, and other related branches of science) for the same reason. Not only does a young Earth leave no time for evolution, it moves God closer in time to us, making him much less abstract than saying God acted a dozen billion years ago.

To answer the topic directly, the Bible teaches whatever you want it to teach. It certainly supports a young Earth, and it even supports a flat Earth. You just have to pick and choose which parts to take literally and which to downgrade or ignore.

TC

Yeah, I shouldn't post after taking my pain pills. Sorry to have spammed the thread. Science has proven the earth to be old.

[Goat]

Not only does a young Earth leave no time for evolution, it moves God closer in time to us, making him much less abstract than saying God acted a dozen billion years ago.

... and in my opinion the reason atheists fight tooth and nail against the young earth view. If the earth is young, macro-evolution is impossible... leaving atheism without a leg to stand on.

Except, of course, the evidence. It is the evidence that drives the 'old earth view'. No one who has actually had a scientific education and actually understood the concepts would deny that. The YEC has to deny the tons of evidence from Geography, from physics, from biology, from archeology, and from astrophysics. It isn't a matter of fight tooth and nail to get keep 'God' away, but to have the evidence justified.

The early geologists were trying to prove the Bible.. the evidence lead many away from the literal view of it. The evidence does not support a young earth.

[JoeyKnothead]

and in my opinion the reason atheists fight tooth and nail against the young earth view. If the earth is young, macro-evolution is impossible... leaving atheism without a leg to stand on.

Wrong! What we are seeing is the YEC crowd fighting tooth and nail to try to prove their case. This is up to and including lying to make it happen. Don't say it joey! I'm gonna say it! Don't say it joey!

The Dover Trial.

Not only did the Discovery Institute help get that ball rolling, but they dropped out at the last minute.

Not only did the Board of Education lie about their involvement, the judge called 'em on it.

Was it Demski who praised the judge before the trial for his ties to fundamentalism through George The Curious? And then condemned the judge after his ruling?

The YEC crowd has lied, distorted facts, misquoted, and everything else they could do. Now they are resorting to the legislatures of states, passing so called 'academic freedom' laws. Anyone with a portion of a brain knows this is an attempt to back door creationism.

"Darwinism leads to Hitler" "Darwinism can't explain gravity" "Darwin recanted on his deathbed" "No transitional fossils" The list is endless

Yeah, and atheists are fighting tooth and nail.

[Thought Criminal]

Not only does a young Earth leave no time for evolution, it moves God closer in time to us, making him much less abstract than saying God acted a dozen billion years ago.

... and in my opinion the reason atheists fight tooth and nail against the young earth view. If the earth is young, macro-evolution is impossible... leaving atheism without a leg to stand on.

I can't speak for all atheists, but I fight it because it's demonstrably false. Some of us care more about the truth than "winning".

TC

[Fisherking]

Not only does a young Earth leave no time for evolution, it moves God closer in time to us, making him much less abstract than saying God acted a dozen billion years ago.

... and in my opinion the reason atheists fight tooth and nail against the young earth view. If the earth is young, macro-evolution is impossible... leaving atheism without a leg to stand on.

Except, of course, the evidence. It is the evidence that drives the 'old earth view'. No one who has actually had a scientific education and actually understood the concepts would deny that.

I've shown on several occasions how this assertion is incorrect--why keep making it? There are those with a scientific education who understand the concept and reject it.