Discussion » Statements » Rosie's Corner » THE BIG BANG occurred 13.8 BILLION years ago. The beginning of the creation of the universe. Biblical scholars say 4004 BC. Reconciliation?
RosieG

THE BIG BANG occurred 13.8 BILLION years ago. The beginning of the creation of the universe. Biblical scholars say 4004 BC. Reconciliation?

Physicists tell us the universe is billions of years old. Archaeologists date things back hundreds of thousands of years.

The Bible, King James Version, has creation set about 4004 B.C.

You can see the problem here. Reconciliation between the two is impossible to do.

The religious community poohpoohs everything. If it's not in the Bible it isn't true. Funny. Many of them say the same thing about FOOTOO. If he says it it's true. If he doesn't it isn't. But I digress.

That is why Science is mocked and rejected by so many Christians. Only the Bible and nothing else will show you the way. Now that is true for Christians. What about those with other beliefs including not believing in any supreme being?

Who is right? Who isn't? A dichotomy to be resolved? How?

Posted - March 5, 2021
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Responses


  • 33842
    No. Most Biblical scholars are not "young earth" creationists. 

    The Bible does not give a date of earth's creation.
      March 5, 2021 12:53 PM MST
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  • 10560
    Wouldn’t it be nice if Genesis 1:1 read - "Four score and about 13.8 billion years ago, God created the heavens; then roughly 9.3 million years later, He created the earth."?

    We tend to place limits on God. We like to believe the He is bound by the same parameters that we are. We exist in a time based universe. In this universe, everything follows a certain set of parameters. Therefore, in our minds, everything anywhere must also follow those same parameters. Yet, God isn’t in our “time”. He’s outside of it. Furthermore, He’s a lot more powerful and knowledgeable than we are. It’s possible for this all powerful creator to create something “new” that has the appearance of being very old.
    Personally, I don’t think Genesis 1 is giving us an exact “blow by blow” account of how this world was created. Rather, it’s more of an outline. Kind of like God saying, I created it, now deal with it. Just one small chapter in the entire book is devoted to expelling how the earth was made. Seeing how this is where we live and all, one would think there’d be a bit more detail. Instead, the bible spends more time on sin, Jesus, and redemption. It considers that to be of greater importance than the creation.

    I know not everyone believes in God, or that He even exists. That’s a decision each person must make for themselves. However, just because a person doesn’t believe that something exists doesn’t necessarily make it so. Then again, believing that something exists doesn't mean it actually does either. I believe He exists based on the information I have and faith.  But that's just me.
    As a Christian, I don’t mock science; rather I see science pointing to God. It screams out His existence. Nowhere in the bible is science ridiculed, rather there are scientific facts written therein that weren’t “discovered” to be true until thousands of years later.
      March 5, 2021 3:42 PM MST
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  • 113301
    Thank you for your thoughtful reply Shuhak. Did you read Livvie's reply? Please do. I think it will likely amuse you. Her dad had to talk to the principal of her school and the pastor because of his view of the age of the Universe. Happy Saturday to thee and thine! :)
      March 6, 2021 3:36 AM MST
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  • 5451
    It’s really that important to some people.  I went to a private Christian school for Kindergarten through 8th grade, and they said universe was 6000 years old.

    I came home from school, and as usual, my dad asked me what I learned in school that day.  I told him we learned that the universe was 6000 years old, and that begins the story of how I got my dad sent to the principal’s office.

    Anyway, my dad said that was a bunch of horse apples because we can see things in space that are a lot more than 6000 years away.  My dad said if the universe was really only 6000 years old, then we could only see stuff that was 6000 light years away or closer.

    I told the teacher what my dad said the next day when we were in science class.  Lol, my dad had a long meeting with the pastor and the principal.  They weren’t very happy with him.

    I haven’t heard of the 4004 BCE date, but the Hebrew Calendar‘s point of reference is Creation, which began on 6 October 3761 BCE at 23:11:20 local time, with the first full day of Creation being Monday, 7 October 3761 BCE.

    Assuming it was local time at the traditional location of the Garden of Eden (confluence of Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in al-Qurnah, Iraq) that would be 6 October 3761 BCE at 14:01:02 in USA Central Time Zone or 12:01:02 in Pacific Time Zone.
      March 5, 2021 4:47 PM MST
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  • 113301
    That 4004 B.C. was not made up by me. I did some researching and that was the year that came up on whatever site I was on at the time as the beginning of time I guess. It's just so much horse puckey. Years ago on the TV show THE VIEW there was a regular member who one day INSISTED that the earth/world was 6000 years old because that's what the bible said. Of course the other panel members laughed at her but she was DEAD SERIOUS. That was the first I ever realized how limited the thinking is of some people. It exists between the front and back covers of a book written by DOZENS of people over decades. It is riddled with the politics of the time with respect to what "they" allowed to be included. A book that was edited to EXCLUDE some books that the editors of the time didn't approve of. I think the book of ENOCH is a good example of that. It was built to control the minds of people and you can see that is exactly what it does. LIMITS the thinking into a very narrow stream. SIGH. I am a Christian. I have talked to GOD daily since I can remember. I am not a limited-to-the-Bible Christian. GOD does not seem displeased with me about that. I figger he gave me this brain to use and that's what I am obliged to do. You too. I don't don't know if your dad is still alive but if he is could you give him a hug for me? Seriously Liv! He had to go to the principal and the pastor because he was a "bad boy" intellectually! That's a new one on me! Thank you for sharing your experience with us m'dear. Happy Saturday to thee and thine! :) This post was edited by RosieG at March 6, 2021 12:54 PM MST
      March 6, 2021 3:20 AM MST
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  • 5451

    I looked into it.  The date in 4004 BCE came from James Ussher, the Archbishop of Armagh.  He came up with Sunday, 23 October 4004 BCE at noon for the beginning of Creation.  His calculations contain a ton of math and references to ancient texts.

    My dad’s alive and well.  He’s 63, but people usually think he’s in his early 50s.  Both of my parents look a lot younger than they really are, and so do I.  

    My dad got in trouble all of the time with my principal.  The teachers and the principal at that school adored my half-brother, who was a jerk and a bully to the other kids all throughout school, but the teachers and the principal never mentioned it to my parents.

    My brother and I weren’t the teachers’ and the principal’s favorites, so they were pretty petty with my brother and me.  However, my dad always went to bat for me.  The principal called my dad in for a meeting because he didn’t approve of my clothes and hair.  I was a scene kid in 7th and 8th grades.  The principal told my dad the the style originated with the gay and lesbian scene in the UK, but my dad told the principal that was the one of the dumbest and stupidest thing he ever heard, so he wasn’t going to make me change my hair or clothes.

    My dad was always at odds with the principal and sometimes the pastor was brought into their arguments.  When my mom and my dad divorced, my dad quit that church and went back to the church where he went when he was growing up.  He’s still a member of that church.  According to my dad’s church, the exact age of the universe just isn’t that important.  They don’t care what their church members believe about it.

    My mom also changed churches a couple of times since the divorce.  She’s a lot different from my dad.  She likes her religion conservative and mixed in with conservative politics, so Young Earth Creationism really is important to her.  She wants to take my husband and me on a vacation to Kentucky to see the Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter because she thinks maybe that’ll finally somehow convince us that she’s right.  I’ll be willing to go because of curiosity, but I imagine it’s something that only convinces Young Earth Creationists that they’re right but isn’t very convincing at all to anyone else.

    This post was edited by Livvie at March 7, 2021 2:51 AM MST
      March 6, 2021 1:51 PM MST
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  • 113301
    I am BLOWN AWAY by the awesome nature of this reply Liv! First of all thank you so much for finding the backstory to that 4004 B.C. I appreciate that bigly and totally. Secondly I think your dad ROCKS! So do you. As for your mom well we all are wired differently. Some very efficiently and some? Well not so much. I'm glad you take after you dad...no disrespect to your mom. Different strokes. I really think we all do our best in life and it's just that some of us have a lousy "best" and some have a fantastic best. Young Earth creationists? So that's what they're called? I have other names I am thinking about and I bet by now you can guess what they are. There is a CREATION MUSEUM and an ARK ENCOUNTER? Oy vey. Well you are as far as I can tell a very stable intelligent and CALM person. You will probably be very respectful and not laugh or mock what you see. My hat's off to you m'dear. So maybe after you've experienced it could you share some of it with us? Or just me? I think of the HOLOCAUST MUSEUM for some reason. Isn't that weird? Why would that come to mind? I have no idea. Again I do appreciate your opening up and letting us in. Not everyone is willing to do that. I do all the time and so when I encounter someone who does it too I feel a special bond/kinship! Thank you for your excellent reply and STAY SAFE! :) This post was edited by RosieG at March 7, 2021 3:08 AM MST
      March 7, 2021 2:58 AM MST
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