Anyways, I've kinda recently come to believe it's at least possible (scratch that, I'm really leaning towards it being probably true) the Earth is as old as most scientists say, being around 4.6 billion years old. Among other reasons, I believe it's because 1) God and science do go hand in hand and 2) it doesn't really matter how old it is; it's silly to hold onto the belief of 6,000 years just because it's all one has been taught. If one calls me a heretic for believing the Earth is that old, what reason do they have for it? What doctrine of salvation does it alter?
Anyways, about a month ago-ish, my Philosophy and Apologetics teacher took my brother out to spend a bit of time with him and get to know him. He came back to drop him off while there was a deaf party going on (for all who don't know, my parents are deaf), though of course, there were some hearing people there too. Anyways, the point is, the teacher came in his van with my brother, dropped him off, and I stopped him before he drove off and gave him the essay I'd written for my semester final in his class. His wife, who's also the Writing and English teacher, had read them all and graded them, and she spoke highly of mine and he'd wanted to read it. So I hopped in the van with him, since it was cold, and we started talking a bit. In the end, we'd stayed there talking for perhaps one or two hours. I really love talking with him. He's got the most interesting ideas and interpretations of the Bible, most of which I'd never heard before, so I'm always eager for him to share his thoughts.
Anyways (I say anyways a lot, don't I?), part of the conversation went to the age of the Earth. He's the one who introduced me to the idea of Earth being as old as 4.6 billion years, so we discussed it a bit. I do believe it, but I prefer being beyond reasonable doubt. I know there are some who compromise between the whole 6,000 years and 4.6 billion years and say, "God created Earth with age, just as He did with Adam. Adam was a full-grown man when he was formed, yet he would've been only a few days old after creation." And it's not a bad theory, I could live with it if it were true. So I asked about his thoughts on it. He said it's possible, though if it were true, it would make God look like a deceiver, having Earth be so young yet look so old. And of course, it's satan, not God, who is the father of lies. With this point taken, I played devil's advocate and said, "What about Adam, though? The Bible does seem to imply he was formed as a full-grown man." It was there he admitted, "I don't know." And of course, we found plenty of other stuff to talk about, but for a while, I've been mulling over that one. How can Earth and the Universe all truly be old, yet Adam be formed with age? And I started coming up with an answer, but it wasn't until last night (at the time of this typing, so "last night" is March 25, 2012) that I finally found out how to word it. I went to his church, of which he is pastor, and after service, sat with him and began a conversation and got around to talking about this subject, and the words formed right in my head: The reason the world and universe can be first created without age, yet Adam be created with it? "There was no one to deceive."
Of course! And when I said that to him, he closed his eyes and laughed for a bit. I'm not sure if he found it funny or if he was laughing in that way one laughs when something obvious hits them that they'd overlooked. Maybe both, I don't know. But he agreed, that was definitely a good explanation. Assuming there was no one before Adam (believe it or not, there are some who believe in a pre-Adamic race of humans, and there's all sorts of reasons and such, but that's a topic I'll mull over and research later), it would be perfectly alright if he were made with age, because there was no one around to deceive! We can still see the Earth and observe it, so of course God wouldn't want anything to be deceptive, especially its age. But as far as I know, we haven't found Adam, and we probably never will, so we would never be able to measure how old his bones are, so we could never be tricked by them looking older than they are!
I love thinking :) I don't know why a lot of people don't want to. It's so fun seeing what one can come up with! Not to brag on myself, of course. Not trying to do that.
But hey, waddaya think? Any holes in my theory? I don't mind being criticized or proven wrong.
J-Lindo
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