Age of the Earth

Message / Question

Do you believe the earth is 13.8 billion years old?

Response

I’m sure you want more than a yes/no answer!

I must show my hand from the beginning – I am a creationist and thus believe that God created the universe and everything in it. The big question is how and when He did it.

To fully answer the question would take MANY pages so I will only attempt to write a VERY brief response on the issues of the earth’s age. In short, my answer is no, I don’t believe that the earth is 13.8 billion years old – I believe that the age of the earth is measured in thousands of years rather than billions, however I won’t put a number on that. I do believe that creation occurred in six days (encompassing everything from the beginning of the universe to the appearance of man), and in the global flood of Noah's time (as the fossil-bearing sediments laid down by the flood account for most of the geological column). I believe that the laws of thermodynamics argue against an infinitely old universe and that these same laws of science point toward all forms of energy being created supernaturally.

Many objections to claims of an extremely old age for the earth and the universe have also been put forth. For example, issues relating to the amount of salt in the ocean and the existence of comets.

A significant number of methods of aging the earth show ages that are far too young to support the idea of an ancient earth, and whilst some give an age that is too old for a young earth creationist, the ages would often be much reduced if the earth was exposed to some form of catastrophe – and the young earth creationists point to the flood of Noah’s time as one such a catastrophe.

I suggest that the weight of evidence opposes an ancient earth (e.g. the 18.8 billion years suggested in your question) and supports a much younger age, perhaps only thousands of years.