Question about those that think The Earth Is Only 6000 Years

[syntex72]

Let me start off by saying I am not trying to make fun of anyone’s beliefs with this post. I am asking an honest set of questions.

Are the people making the claim that the Planet earth is only 6000 years old primarily from the United States of America? Have they not heard of China and its culture; having documentation dating older than 7000 years?

I have trouble understanding how people can think the planet we live on is so young when there is so much proof just in human culture alone to counter that.

[DGayle]

I think the people who believe the earth is only 6k years old are mostly Christians, regardless of where they are.

I don't think this post is making fun of anyone at all. You're right. There's far too much evidence that the world is older than that. A lot of Christians choose to ignore it.

[RosyDaisy]

There are also Christians who don't believe the earth is only 6,000 years. You can't argue with scientific proof.

[anjulibai]

Fundamentalist Muslims also believe the world is about 6000 years old. We just don't hear that aspect very often.

[formergothardite]

Let me start off by saying I am not trying to make fun of anyone’s beliefs with this post. I am asking an honest set of questions.

Are the people making the claim that the Planet earth is only 6000 years old primarily from the United States of America? Have they not heard of China and its culture; having documentation dating older than 7000 years?

I have trouble understanding how people can think the planet we live on is so young when there is so much proof just in human culture alone to counter that.

I was raised believing that the earth is 6000 years old and all the proof that the world is older was just said to be a liberal, antichristian lie. That is the problem with trying to argue with people who believe this way, any facts you use that they don't agree with they will just ignore.

If you really want to understand how these sorts of people think, read Answers in Genesis.

[fun2beme]

I have a friend who is an extremely devout Catholic and also a medical doctor. She belives that the earth is 6,000 years old. I asked her once how she, with her scientific background, could believe that, and she shrugged and said that if God said that's how it was, it was good enough for her. Her sister, who has a Masters in Bio, has the same mindset.

[anjulibai]

I have a friend who is an extremely devout Catholic and also a medical doctor. She belives that the earth is 6,000 years old. I asked her once how she, with her scientific background, could believe that, and she shrugged and said that if God said that's how it was, it was good enough for her. Her sister, who has a Masters in Bio, has the same mindset.

That's interesting considering the Catholic Church accepts the scientific explanation for the creation of the universe and the evolution of life. They have come out and said this many times.

Wonder why she didn't get the message.

[fun2beme]

That's interesting considering the Catholic Church accepts the scientific explanation for the creation of the universe and the evolution of life. They have come out and said this many times.

Wonder why she didn't get the message.

Her husband is a fanatic and I think that has a lot to do with it. He thinks Vatican II was wrong and goes to Latin Mass. Doesn't like any of the "modern" Catholic hymns and makes her cover her head during Mass. Yes, I said makes her - she never used to do it before she got married, ctually told me she'd never do it - then lo and behold, as soon as they tied the knot, she started covering her head...

Sad, really

[sparkles]

Faith trumps fact.

[mstee]

Where does the 6000 number come from?

And why doesn't it go up every year? I mean I get saying ok it's 6000 years old versus 6,3455 years old. But if people in 1915 believed the same, wouldnt people now say its 6100 years old (am I making any sense? I'm trying :embarrassed: ) ?

[August]

Members of the earth's earliest known civilization, the Sumerians, looked on in shock and confusion some 6,000 years ago as God, the Lord Almighty, created Heaven and Earth.

According to recently excavated clay tablets inscribed with cuneiform script, thousands of Sumerians—the first humans to establish systems of writing, agriculture, and government—were working on their sophisticated irrigation systems when the Father of All Creation reached down from the ether and blew the divine spirit of life into their thriving civilization.

"I do not understand," reads an ancient line of pictographs depicting the sun, the moon, water, and a Sumerian who appears to be scratching his head. "A booming voice is saying, 'Let there be light,' but there is already light. It is saying, 'Let the earth bring forth grass,' but I am already standing on grass."

"Everything is here already," the pictograph continues. "We do not need more stars."

http://www.theonion.com/articles/sumeri ... worl,2879/

[August]

Where does the 6000 number come from?

And why doesn't it go up every year? I mean I get saying ok it's 6000 years old versus 6,3455 years old. But if people in 1915 believed the same, wouldnt people now say its 6100 years old (am I making any sense? I'm trying :embarrassed: ) ?

They added up the begats. The most famous was Usher, whose date was October the 16th(? or 2somethingth?) 4004BC, in the evening. So it's very close to six thousand.

As for why they stick to it despite all evidence and reason, that's what they do. You and I and most of the rest of the world look at the facts and try to come up with the best explanation for them, creationists look at the bible and cherry pick or lie to make as much of the world as they can fit the bible. This isn't snark, they fully admit and are proud of doing it.

[fun2beme]

They added up the begats. The most famous was Usher, whose date was October the 16th(? or 2somethingth?) 4004BC, in the evening. So it's very close to six thousand.

You mean Usher the rapper? LOL

[FundieWatcher]

Native American beliefs don't follow the scientific explanation for the Earth's age. I would actually say there are many besides Christians that don't believe the Earth is as old as secular people say. Of course they all have their own origin stories, so for every religion you would get a different answer for how and when the Earth was created.

[formergothardite]

http://www.theonion.com/articles/sumeri ... worl,2879/

Thank you. I needed a laugh this morning. :lol:

[Anny Nym]

Have they not heard of China and its culture; having documentation dating older than 7000 years?

I have trouble understanding how people can think the planet we live on is so young when there is so much proof just in human culture alone to counter that.

As already mentioned, there are christian and muslim fundies, who see the 6000years-theory as "proven fact", because some kind of (often enough self-claimed) authority rules them to believe so. I don´t know if jewish fundies do also, but if not, there is for sure something equal to find. And this only covers the three main monotheistic script-based religions.

There are also fundie Hindus and fundie Bhuddists, which also have their own theories, even if we don´t hear much of it in the news.

An then there are all the alternative religions and semi-religious alternative dogmas... Or just think Scientology!

This all is not a matter of intelligence, education or logic skills.

Instead it is a matter of how much pressure there is going on about to either force oneself or being forced to believe into the absolute and eternally unquestionable validity of some "proven facts" or risking punishment of various form otherwise, for "sinning/going against the authority of _______".

Are the people making the claim that the Planet earth is only 6000 years old primarily from the United States of America?

Making the claim alone? Aren´t there some in every country?

Or are you refering to people making the claim, including the whole trademark and brand-building as Duggars getting a TV show, the Creationist Museum with Stone Age people riding dinosaurs, the self produced movies, the books,blogs and the excessive Dog & Pony Shows with the 3-day conferences and the singing children?

Because this is something, which is IMHO a USA-only thing. This "Infomercial-style", does definitely not bode very well over here.

So there are probably undetected fundies of various sorts, as we are generally very private people and rather like to keep our beliefs to ourselves.

[ophelia]

Creationist are everywhere. We have a bunch of them in Germany too. Though they hardly get any attention.. except from those counties where you can find huge mennonite or baptist communities. They often forbid their kids to take part in biology classes when evolution is the subject.

I even have a friend who took biology as an advanced course when she graduated who denied the fact that our planet is older than 6000 years. :shock:

[2xx1xy1JD]

Where does the 6000 number come from?

And why doesn't it go up every year? I mean I get saying ok it's 6000 years old versus 6,3455 years old. But if people in 1915 believed the same, wouldnt people now say its 6100 years old (am I making any sense? I'm trying :embarrassed: ) ?

Jewish calendar is now in the year 5775, based on following the Biblical dating from the time of creation (if you count creation as literally 6 days). So, yes, the number of years since creation does increase every year. I assume that 6,000 was just an approximate guess, which gets repeated a lot.

[Cleopatra7]

As already mentioned, there are christian and muslim fundies, who see the 6000years-theory as "proven fact", because some kind of (often enough self-claimed) authority rules them to believe so. I don´t know if jewish fundies do also, but if not, there is for sure something equal to find. And this only covers the three main monotheistic script-based religions.

Not only do ultra orthodox Jews believe in creationism, they also believe in geocentrism :pink-shock:

http://www.skeptic.com/reading_room/ort ... d-science/ (link not broken because it's Skeptic Magazine)

jtf.org/forum/index.php?topic=4093.110;wap2 (this is kind of crazy and links to even crazier sites)

[2xx1xy1JD]

Not only do ultra orthodox Jews believe in creationism, they also believe in geocentrism :pink-shock:

http://www.skeptic.com/reading_room/ort ... d-science/ (link not broken because it's Skeptic Magazine)

jtf.org/forum/index.php?topic=4093.110;wap2 (this is kind of crazy and links to even crazier sites)

Yep. My rabbi tends not to publicize this particular belief, but he won't deny it.

Here's an example from the official Chabad website: www.chabad.org/therebbe/letters/default ... -Earth.htm

This is actually a classic example of a common Chabad trend. The late Lubavitcher Rebbe (head of the Chabad movement who died in 1994) actually had a university background in math, physics and engineering, and was known to be intelligent. His followers are very proud of this fact - but most of the hardcore ones have absolutely no idea what he is saying, science-wise. So, you can't really have a rational discussion with them about this letter and mention the role of gravity, for example. Since few in the core group (not the mere supporters) go to university or have much basic science background at all, their thought process is simply: "Our leader, who is always right, was a very smart guy who went to university and knows about science. He came up with this response, so it must be right, and we can point to it whenever anyone challenges our belief."

[Rachel333]

Here's one of my favorite Onion articles, Sumerians Look on in Confusion as God Creates the World.

Anyway, I was raised being taught young earth creation, and in my experience they would simply say that these account are wrong. Here are some responses from Answers in Genesis. Basically, they take the Bible as more authoritative than any secular resources.

Using God's Word as authoritative, we know the pyramids of Egypt couldn't have been built prior to creation. Also, they would not have been built prior to the Flood as they would have been destroyed. So they would have had to come afterwards.

Not only are these secular histories stretched in time, but they do not mention the division of languages. So, although the Bible doesn’t precisely date Babel, no other source does either. This makes the biblical dating of Babel—within a century of the midpoint between the Flood and the birth of Abram—the most precise date that we have.

Notice the logic there: no other source mentions the Tower of Babel, so the Bible's date must be accurate and thus the Bible can be trusted on other dates as well.

[doggie]

it is sad you have to ignore realty and really deny even thinking about it so it fits into your faith. does it matter that there were millions of chins 7000 years ago? nope trees 9000 years old nope many races of humans that the bible had no clue about? nope plants that are over 100,000 years old nope light from stars nope. nothing can convince these people because they willfully choose ignorance.

[Becket70]

While I appreciate that the whole 6000 years story is a requirement of their faith, it belongs in their churches and in their hearts. They have no right to insert it into our education system. More and more we are hearing about creationism being taught in schools and/or evolution being removed. It's a real danger to our form of government but there is no push back. That scares me more than any threat from outside the nation.

[JMO]

This is another great Onion article:

http://www.theonion.com/articles/god-ad ... ils,34782/

:D

[Arete]

The 6000 year dating is NOT a requirement of the Christian faith.

You can bring the entire house of cards down using the very Bible they claim is scientifically infallible. In Genesis, the sun is not created until the 4th "day". So how are we counting off 24 hour days without a sun?