"Polystrate" Fossils

Prode, the BioLogos position is nothing to do with treating the “book of creation” as sacrosanct and “trumping the book of Scripture.” Nor is it anything to do with “accepting the statements made by the atheistic religion as their authority.” It’s about making sure that your facts are straight. You don’t have to accept the scientific consensus on the age of the earth and evolution, but you do need to make sure you correctly understand why it’s the scientific consensus. Rejecting science may be faith, but misrepresenting science is lying.

The fact remains that the age of the earth is determined by measuring things. It is not based on “atheistic religion,” nor on guesswork, nor on circular reasoning, nor on “evolutionary presuppositions.” Anyone who tells you that it is, is either lying to you or doesn’t have a clue what they are talking about.

Yes, measurements have to be interpreted. But when attempting to interpret the measurements within the constraints of a six thousand year timescale repeatedly degenerates into either science fiction absurdity (for example, with the RATE project’s claims of accelerated nuclear decay on a scale that, by their own admission, would have vaporised the earth if it had any basis in reality) or flat-out lying (for example, with the YEC claims about bent rock layers in the Grand Canyon), we can quite safely conclude that the evidence simply cannot be interpreted as being consistent with a young earth, that “compromise” and “atheistic religion” have nothing whatsoever to do with it, and that to fling such accusations around is nothing more nor less than Pharisaic legalism. It is tying a heavy load up on people’s shoulders without lifting a finger to help, and nullifying the Word of God with your tradition.

The fact remains that the only way that the earth can be six thousand years old is if it were created with evidence for 4.5 billion years of detailed history that never happened. The Bible clearly teaches us in 2 Peter 3:8 and Psalm 90:4 that a day with the Lord is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like a day. I realise that as a YEC you probably don’t think that that’s much to go on, but at least in terms of long ages, the Bible gives us something. In support of creation of evidence for a history of events that never happened, the Bible gives us nothing. As for any suggestion that the evidence can legitimately be reinterpreted to fit within a 6,000 year timescale — I’m sorry, but that is simply not an honest option.

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