Does the Bible say the earth is 6000 years old? - Phil Vischer answers

[jammycakes (James McKay)]

@JerryN

First, is it possible to determine by any actual observations whether God created this universe billions of years ago, or 6000 (or so) years ago?

We discussed that here:

• What would a young earth look like?

@jammycakes

For example:

• We would not see any stars more than six thousand light years away, with additional stars regularly coming into view with measurable distances of one light year further per year.
• Zircon crystals never being found containing more than about eighteen parts of lead per billion.
• We would have sequenced the entire T-Rex genome by now. In fact we would have whole T-Rex carcasses preserved in Arctic permafrost, just as we do with the woolly mammoths.
• Deposits of chalk, shale or other sedimentary rocks formed from fine particulate matter would never be more than a few metres thick.
• Levels of carbon-14 in ancient coals and diamonds would consistently reach as high as 25%-50% modern carbon in almost every sample that was tested. These levels would be consistent across all sorts of samples with very little variation in the lower limit.
• A measurable decrease in the speed of light or radioisotope decay rates of 0.1% per year – certainly well within the sensitivity range of lasers and other instruments.
• Alternatively, strong sensitivity of radioactive decay rates to temperature or pressure.