How old is this earth?

Answer

No one knows for sure but many people think they know how old earth is. The evolutionist would say the earth is millions of years old. Dr. Kent Hovind thinks the earth is 6000 or 7000 years old. He said it's that old because if you add up all the ages of the people in the Bible it comes to that long. He made a chart of how old each person was and how old the earth was. There are lots of theories on how old is the earth but no one has time machine to go back in time. But they also found problems with the theory if the earth is millions of years old.

[As an informational but relevant note, Kent Hovind holds no degrees from any accredited institution. (He is not a "Doctor" of anything.) And at this writing, he is currently housed in Federal prison. A link is provided for factual data.]

Answer

There are two major ways to put an age to the earth. They involve what is effectively "counting backwards" to find an answer. And in counting back, one can only make approximations, the accuracy of which will vary depending on the method. The individual counting backward has two choices. He can use the Bible (or other religious text) and "tailor the calculation" to "fit the text" of the reference. Or he can use his eyes and his (working) brain and believe the evidence that suggest the history of the earth stretches far into the past. Back millions of years. Billions of years. First, let's look at the theological evidence.

If one uses the Bible to date earth there are basically two ways to approach that. Let's take a "by the book" approach first. One can attempt a "literal" interpretation of the Bible and, thereby, arrive at an answer that puts creation back a few thousand years. Something on the order of six to ten thousand years is common. Those subscribing to Young Earth Creation (YEC) are on board with this. They reject current scientific thinking on the age of the earth. They also reject evolution, yet are they aware that they are reading from an "evolutionary" text? The Bible did not fall from the sky as the complete work currently used. It evolved over time. The Bible, the "Word of God" as is oft quoted, was not, in fact, written by God. It was "inspired" by Him, but written by men. And reworked by men. The methods and circumstances by which the old information was translated, interpreted (as differentiated from moving it from one language to another), and edited (this work will be accepted cannon and included, that work will be consigned to the Apocrypha and stricken) are usually not obvious (or "thought about") by the average Bible user. He is probably largely unaware of the facts - all the facts - leading to the publication of the Bible he reads. Isn't it remotely possible that through all the various interpretations, reviews, edits, committee hearings, arguments, agreements and "final drafts" that occurred before the Bible was set down as we know it today that a "typo" of sorts was included? Say in Genesis? Enter, the majority of Christians, who do not subscribe to the ideas of YEC.

The second method of using the Bible to date the earth does not demand the suspension of logic, or abandoning critical thinking, or the denial of (tons of) real physical evidence like the YEC ideology does. These non-YEC Christians (who are the majority of the Faithful) believe that if an honest approach to scripture is taken, the Believer won't have to cave in to the illogical and to the contradictory (mutually exclusive) ideas in Genesis. This will allow the student of the Bible to accept what science shows about the world and its age. And what is that? Let us look.

The earth is between 4.5 and 4.6 billion (with a "b") years old. Radiometric dating is within a single percent (or less) of placing the age of the planet. The "biblical age" of the earth was not challenged for a long period, and the standard of a few thousand years was taught (in "science class" as well as in church). But in the 1800's, things began to change as the concepts of physics advanced. One idea centered on a "cooling earth" upon which calculations across a thermal gradient could be made. William Thompson (Lord Kelvin), a devout Christian throughout his life (who attended chapel daily), made those calculations. He suggested an age of 100 million years, though later in life reduced his estimate to 20-40 million years. Later in the century, a number of researchers discovered and expanded ideas associated with radioactivity. Eventually Ernest Rutherford suggested that things could be dated using radiographic techniques. Scientific traction was applied and the age of the earth was pushed further back in time. In 1956, C.C. Patterson took the point and set the currently accepted age of the earth we now use. Two things are of note. First, Patterson arrived at the age of the earth using extraterrestrial material - a meteorite - as the basis for analysis. (Why not use the link and see the reasoning for choosing this?) Second, the procedures of dating materials using radiometric methods have been fine tuned for over half a century. We're good at this stuff. Very good.

How old is the earth? Very. It's been around as long as dirt. Longer. Links are provided. And their use is most sincerely encouraged. Particularly if the reader is a Young Earth Creationist or does not subscribe to current scientific ideas regarding the age of the earth. If one holds no truck with "uppity science" when it "interferes" with religious (or other) beliefs, consider this: one should check the facts one's self (not take someone's word for it) before one speaks out against something. One should have some familiarity with the ideas one is talking down. Particularly when those ideas directly power up something like a nuclear weapon. See the light!

First answer by I know stuff. Last edit by Quirkyquantummechanic. Contributor trust: 270 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 20 [recommend question]

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