Positive Evidence for the Age of the Earth and Universe
This fact sheet is mainly concerned with exposing false lines of reasoning that are used to support the young-Earth hypothesis. Whatever one's view of the Genesis account may be, as Christians who have renounced all dishonesty and craftiness (II Corinthians 4:2), we must face up to the fact that the young-Earth hypothesis has no basis in the scientific evidence. Before closing, I will briefly mention many of the lines of evidence that indicate that the Earth and Universe are ancient. However, since this is not the focus of this fact sheet, I cannot cover the subject in detail. Further information can be found in many sources, including the books Creation and Time by Hugh Ross (http://www.reasons.org) and A New Look at an Old Earth by Don Stoner (http://www.answers.org/newlook). An excellent discussion, dealing specifically with the evidence for an old Earth, is a set of notes by Hill Roberts entitled Evidences That Have Led Many Scientists to Accept an Ancient Date for Creation of the Earth and Universe (http://lordibelieve.org/page15.html).For many people, the idea of an ancient Earth is inextricably linked with an Evolutionary Origin of the Species. In fact, the charge is often repeated that the only reason people take old-Earth positions is because of a commitment to Evolution. On the contrary, it is important to recognize the historical fact that the evidence for an ancient Earth was recognized by geologists as early as the late 18th century, more than 50 years before Darwin published his theory. Most of these geologists were Christians who struggled with the implications of their discoveries on their faith, yet could not deny the evidence that they saw before them. Today, many Christians are similarly driven by evidence to an old-Earth view.I will now briefly outline some important lines of evidence for an ancient age for the Earth and Universe. For more detail, please see the references cited above, especially Roberts' notes.
