If all scientific evidence and years of rigorous research point towards an ancient earth and evolution of species, how can one believe the Bible's account that the earth is only 6,000 years old and that humans did not evolve?

Robbie Lindauer 1488

Your question was "why does the bible say the earth is 6000 years old". The answer is very clearly that the bible does not say that the world is 6000 years old. If you want to talk about whether or not there could have been people who were 800+ years old, that's another topic altogether. I suggest you ask that question separately.

However, prior to the Egyptian discovery of the solar-year, it's likely that the word "Rosh" referred to a different time unit than our own. Given the life expectancy of humans, it's likely that "rosh" meant what we would think of as a lunar-cycle month. So Adam wasn't 900 'modern years old' he was 900 'ancient-proto-hebrew-years' old and 'ancient-proto-hebrews' counted days in lunar cycles and 'Rosh' was likely their word for that cycle.

Lastly regarding your "contradiction of evolution" argument.

A) if Evolution is an explanation for why species are the way they are (and I think it is), then God is an explanation for why there is Evolution.

B) As I said before, the bible doesn't claim to be a natural-history-text, it's a testament of people who have spoken with God, those are very different things and there's no reason to expect them to cover the same topics in the same way.

Robbie Lindauer 1488

The bible very clearly does not state that the earth is only 6000 years old.

The first chapter of Genesis describes the creation of the world in general in six ages. The hebrew word "yom" can be used to mean 24-hours or "an age".

The world "day" used in genesis 1 is best understood as the word for "Age" or "Era". If you wanted to read it better in English you would say "In the first Era, God separated the heavens from the earth" - which correctly represents what happened - the Earth was distinguished from the Heavens during the early expansion of the universe. Similarly, God separated the waters from the land, made the plants, the lower animals, the higher animals in their ages. Recently, in the "sixth-age" God created mankind.

The second chapter of Genesis begins with the creation of the Garden of Eden, not mentioned in the first chapter, and obviously takes place after the major events of Chapter 1. The 6000-year timeline from you hear about is a rough estimate of the generations of Adam AFTER the events of the creation in Chapter 1. Contrary to many popular interpretations of the bible, Adam was not created on the 6th day, but in the 6th AGE - the age of man. Nor does the bible claim that Adam was the first of these, only that after God created Men, male and female, he also created a Garden at Eden and then in that Garden he made Adam specifically and breathed his Spirit into him.

The bible is not a natural history - the glosses over what natural historians think of as all the important parts. It is a history of the interactions of God with Man. And in this it is correct to start with Adam - the first (recorded) man into whom God breathed His Spirit.

If human history is 3 million years or so old, the history of interactions with God is similarly old, but the history of recorded-language history of such interactions would only be about 6000 years - the time when the earliest humans were able to coherently communicate important abstract ideas and communicate them to their children. Roughly about the time of the existence of higher-level abstract languages, as we would expect.

Robbie Lindauer

Robbie Lindauer

Glenn McCarver 1164

Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.

* Albert Einstein

Susan Thomas 1445

Evolution completely contradicts creationism if you understand the true meaning of both and there is plenty of scientific evidence to support creationism and shoot down evolution. It simply amazes me that so many "fact" are stated supporting evolution and all that goes along with it. I cringe every time I hear something about the world being millions of years old as if it were absolute, no-questions-asked, 100% truth. I personally believe that idea goes along with evolution because some people have a hard time believing that God is able to create in such a short span of time (6 days).

Anyway, if evolution were a fact, where is all the "in-between" stages of "people" or whatever they would be called? And think of just our bodies alone and how intricate every detail is and how it works together. It's unimaginable that it happened randomly. The same applies to nature and this universe.

Glenn McCarver 1164

Simple question...What stopped (or, if you prefer stops) the process of evolution? Life is not without purpose (that is what the natural flow of your logic would purport)

Glenn McCarver 1164

Prove that man is getting better. IF man is getting better.. then why are there more wars, murders, poverty etc. than ever. Mankind's nature isn't to help but to tear down. 30 years ago what did you hear on the news, it sure wasn't about the Natalie Holloways, Callee Anthonys, OJ Simpsons of the world. The progression of the deteriorating moral values of mankind is self evident.

Glenn McCarver 1164

There is absolutely no proof that evolution (bettering of mankind) is or ever has taken place.

Glenn McCarver 1164

The belief in evolution involves circular reasoning. The date one object by another object, then they do the reverse.

Joe Ammar 1451

it's because the Bible isn't necessarily made to be taken word for word literal. There's no where in the Bible that says that. In fact there are two creation stories, proving that they are just theories and that the moral truths found in the story are what are still relevant.

Guaranteed Success 1341

To answer your question quickly and generally without too much minutia, I will give you a little object lesson:

Grab two glasses one for drinking, something clear. The other fill with water. (The clear glass represents your BODY and the water in the other glass represents your SOUL) At this point we need to establish the time period. Your SOUL exists NOW and your BODY exists NOW; however, the glass or BODY just didn't come into existence it was created, modeled and forged or perfected by the hands of time, in this case we will say Evolution has made the glass, over time, a perfect specimen to hold your SOUL or water. From raw atomic forms separated by distance, to molecules of glass particles, then to a melding process, finally shaping into a glass. Now your SOUL has always existed, from the beginning, and has created, guided, and influenced the perfection of this container until it's forthcoming union. Now pour your SOUL into your BODY and EXIST. This Evolution/Creation process can be applied to any time frame you'd like. 7 Days, 7 minutes, 7 Years, whatever time is at your disposal or required.

You believe in God that's a good start. You've named God, and it's a he? What if He/She/It doesn't have a name and doesn't have a sex? What if _______ is Everything and Nothing at the same time? All of the particles, atoms and nothingness in existence at once? You've said your God created the Heavens and Earth, what about the other planets and the Sun? How about the other Stars, Suns, Quasars, Pulsars, Black Holes, Solar systems and Galaxies? Are you grouping all of those celestial bodies into the unequivocally inadequate underwhelming expression of; Heavens found in the bible? There might be more of these less-than-adequate words in the bible that don't exactly describe what is happening within AND without the Human experience.

If you believe your God to be the creator of everything then how can Evolution NOT be an integral aspect of creation? I'm a firm believer in the following statement: 'God created Atom split its side and created Eve-olution.' You have been given 2 gifts by your creator that cannot be taken away without your permission or complacence; Your body and Your Earth. Everything else is second hand information subverted to make you question your purpose with the first two gifts. The bible is second hand information, although transcribed by men of God, it still had to pass through their brain filters and were limited by their lack of technical universal understanding. If you took your car to these same transcribers and popped the hood and gave them a week to describe what they saw; how much detail could the give in Motors 1:1? The bible got US from Jesus to now. A perfect guide to civilize an unruly world but its outdated. The spiritual concepts are still valid but those are universal as intended and can be adapted to any new application of whatever comes next. All we need now is Knowledge and Courage to step away and forward into OUR futures. A real Spiritual Evolution.