To a Creationist--- In 6000 years will the earth still only be 6000 years old?

[trumad]

6000 years from now, will they say the earth is 6000 years old or 12000 years old? If they say 12000, how are they going to prove it---Carbon Dating?

[Ediacara]

1. The rapture'll happen before then, duh!

[Buns_of_Fire]

12. Better still -- the rapture has ALREADY happened!

It ticks off some people royally when they consider they might have been left behind with the likes of me and Ozzy Osborne. :evilgrin:

[DawnIsis]

2. They don't have to prove it they have "faith". Science is for us heathens.

[BOSSHOG]

3. Oh they'll pick and choose some rationale

The question I have yet to have answered by one of them is why they don't stone to death those who work on the sabbath as it says in the old testament and yet they proclaim homosexuality an abomination as it says in the old testament. There must be different versions or additions of the old testament. Go forth and pick and choose, and tithe heavily.

[tandot]

4. they'll have to figure out first if the carbons are opposite sex to allow them to date

As ignorant as they are, do we really think they know what "carbon dating" is?

[jobycom]

5. They date the age of the Earth based on the Bible.

Starting at the time of Jesus, who is sort of the end of the Bible, they count backwards using generations listed in the Bible. All of the "begats," in other words, where Joshua knew Elizabeth and begat Petraeus, or whomever. Since those generational chains are meant to show connections to someone else in the Old Testament, they eventually cross paths with a more famous figure whose chain of descent is also listed elsewhere in the Bible. You can do this all the way back to Adam and Eve, since the Bible lists Adam and Eve's ages, and the lifespans of their children. I think there are places where they have to estimate the length of a generation because they don't have specific ages, but I don't remember for certain. Adam, of course, was created on the sixth day (I think), so the creation of the universe is six days before Adam was born.

This was first done in the Roman era by a monk somewhere, and it's been fine-tuned over the millenia, with the date of creation being narrowed down to the exact minute. No idea how they arrive at the exact minute.

After Jesus, they have historical records to measure time until now, since Jesus was born during the reign of Augustus Caesar, according to the Bible. We have records for Pontius Pilate, King Herod, and other figures of the time. (They don't exactly agree with the Bible, but in that case, of course, the facts are wrong and the Bible is right.)

So in another six thousand years, the earth will by twelve thousand years old, assuming it is still here and there are any Christians left to keep that claim alive.

[AlinPA]

11. But the Bible says some of them lived 400-600 years.

[jobycom]

13. And they believe it.

I think Methusula lived over 900 years, and there was one guy, Elisha, I think, who ascended live into Heaven. Hey, it's someone else's religion, I don't judge, I just explain. :)

[tjwash]

6. I don't know; my pastor hasn't spoon fed me the answer yet.

In all seriousness however...if you want to make a hardcore young earth creationist's head spin; ask them how in Genesis, daylight is created on Day 1, but the sun is created three days later, on Day 4.

If they attempt to retreat into the old tactic of using the bible to prove the bible is correct, explain that the biblical creation story is really a mixture of several other, much older creation stories. It is full of elements from Egyptian, Babylonian and Sumerian mythology. Some examples:

**The Epic of Gilgamesh (Sumeria, 2100-2000 BC): The gods create Gilgamesh from a lump of clay.

**The Atrahasis Myth (Sumeria, 1700 BC): The Gods are bored with dirty work. So they take some clay, mix it with blood, and create the first humans

**The Instruction for Merikare (Egypt, 2100 BC): The first human is breathed to life through his nose:"He gave the breath of life to their noses, for they are likenesses of Him which issued from His flesh"

Genesis itself, which is their basis for the young earth creationist dogma was only written three or four centuries BC. That makes it one of the most recent "ancient" religious books from the Middle East. Creation stories like "Enuma Elish" or "The Instruction for Merikare" are hundreds, even thousands of years older.

Of course by this time, the young earth creationist will usually have their fingers in their ears screaming "LA-LA-LA-LA I CAN'T HEAR YOU..."

[MGD]

7. Or, better yet, will it still be six thousand years old tomorrow

or will it be six thousand years & one day.

[bryant69]

8. Well they have a historical date in mind

The earth started 4000 years before Christ, so 4000 years before Christ plus 2000 years since Christ equals 6000. In 6000 years, assuming things don't change (and it seems certain they will), they will say, well, 4000 years before Christ, plus 8000 years since Christ gives 12000 years.

It's a bit like saying, to a Revolutionary war believer, in 200 years will the revolution still have happened only 231 years go?

Also you should specify that you are talking about young earth creationists, not intelligent design creationists who might well believe the earth is millions of years old.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[BlooInBloo]

9. Um, since when does a religious person want to *prove* anything?

It's all "faith" and "you can't prove I'm wrong" to them.

[DontTreadOnMe]

10. Simple Answer.

Three shall be the number of the counting and the number of the counting shall be three.

[mmonk]

14. Yes, the words in the Bible won't change.