Why would God create the universe to be billions of years old?

[jpm (Phil McCurdy)]

@Vinnie

4But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son

This came up in bible study this week, as to why God waited until 4 AD for Jesus to be born, and the covenant with Abraham to be fulfilled to include the “many nations,” As is is similar to this question, but different, will make a separate post for that question, so direct any comments there.

[jpm (Phil McCurdy)]

@Laura

We do seem to have a tendency to make ourselves the center of the universe.

That is my thought. When you read God’s response to Job, it seems to be the answer to that question.

I just reread it and while it was written for the understanding of the universe of the day, it is still humbling, and perhaps more so in light of what we know of the universe today: Job 38 - Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm. He said:

[knor (Kai)]

@rsewell

The billions of galaxies, presently visible to technology unavailable though prior human history, are unnecessary and superfluous in terms of utility focused on humans.

Yeah, apparently unnecessary from the viewpoint of us humans. That does not tell that they were unnecessary from the viewpoint of God or potential alien lifeforms.

What if there are also other worlds with life? When Earth was still a fairly boring place, God may have enjoyed of life elsewhere.
Just speculating…

[St.Roymond]

@Vinnie

For all we know, God may have made the universe insanely large and old as a testament to his power and glory. Or to give us something to do and think about.

Or to keep the angels humble.
(not that that seems to have worked)

[St.Roymond]

@rsewell

The billions of galaxies, presently visible to technology unavailable though prior human history, are unnecessary and superfluous in terms of utility focused on humans.

But not in terms of beauty and awe. The universe seems designed to stretch beyond our reach.

@rsewell

The extent of time before humans presents no more of a theological challenge than the extent of space itself. If the scale of the universe is not problematic for God’s omnipresence, why should the age of the universe be a problem for God’s eternity?

Amen. The YEC deity is (too) small.

[Apistos]

@RichardG

@Apistos

Knowledge believing ones, the majority, only necessarily exclude the possibility by definition.

Ouch

Long live the Science God.
Holder of all that is true
Unquestionable, and inerrant
All must bow down and acknowledge
No other view or understanding is permitted

Scientism reigns

Richard

Believe what you like mate, it’s a free country. Including believing that whatever you believe is true, because you believe it based on existential revulsion, fear and no reasoning is necessary. You have knowledge free knowledge, reason free reason. Brilliant.

Science by definition is wrong. Approximate. Fuzzy. The closer one looks, the fuzzier it gets. Unanswering. And unanswerable. You can rely on it completely. The further one looks, in scale, it gets utterly unknowable. But nonetheless smooth. As at every meaningless scale.

K.I.S.S. works for me.

It doesn’t matter how I feel about it, apart from acceptant. At peace with meaningless death. A tough one admittedly!

[RichardG (Richard Gillett)]

@Apistos

you believe it based on existential revulsion, fear and no reasoning is necessary.

You have complained about people caricaturing Atheism, kindly do not do it yourself with my faith.

I do not ridicule your view, I expect the same from you.

Richard

[Apistos]

@RichardG

@Apistos

you believe it based on existential revulsion, fear and no reasoning is necessary.

You have complained about people caricaturing Atheism, kindly do not do it yourself with my faith.

I do not ridicule your view, I expect the same from you.

Richard

What ridicule? Why don’t you like, embrace aspects of science for any other reason but how you feel negatively about it? The basis of such feelings is fear. Disgust and fear. And disgust is rooted in fear. Threat. Ultimately and always of, to existence. Especially with regard to full, natural, meaningless evolution. It isn’t aesthetic. And it isn’t faith. Faith cannot be threatened by science. Better educated faithful people, in science, don’t have that problem. Their faith accommodates it just fine.