How old is the Earth?

gwenc02 · **Posted:** Wed Jun 27, 2012 9:10 pm

The thing about this issue that always blows my mind is that these are issues in public schools- not in the case in the article, but in many other instances. I went to Catholic school, nuns and all, and literal interpretation of the Bible was a complete nonissue. We learned about evolution, we learned about the age of the earth and there was absolutely no controversy or creationism. Science was taught in the science classes, theology was taught during that period. We did discuss how the age of the earth and evolution may be at odds with what it literally said in Genesis, but it was explained to us the same way it was to linanil - that god's days aren't necessarily our concept of days and we should really look at it more like stages of creation - first came light, then came the sea, blah blah. It's just such a foreign idea to me that I can't wrap my head around the idea that this really goes on.

EllaGuru · **Joined:** Mon Nov 01, 2010 1:46 pm **Posts:** 128

I went to catholic school too and had the same experience. Not only where we taught evolution but we also had pretty comprehensive sex ed.

Vantine · **Posted:** Wed Jun 27, 2012 9:54 pm

Shy Mox wrote:

linanil wrote:

And I really think it is only one subset that believes that stuff. A Catholic priest once told me that the 6 days it took god to create the earth could've been billions of years because god's days aren't really ours. In some things it does seem that they don't seem to fight science as much... especially after that little 'sun revolves around the earth' thing.

There's still some literalists around who really didn't agree with Vatican II, and in the protestant side there's a lot of literalists everywhere. I even know of atheists who believe scientists planted dinosaur bones, they never existed.

It's pretty forking hard to be an honest literalist when there are two bloody creation stories in the Jewish Bible (or Old Testament for you supersessionists out there.)
But you know, shiitake happens when a book is constructed over a period of time by more than one author.

kara kara · **Posted:** Wed Jun 27, 2012 10:25 pm

EllaGuru wrote:

I went to catholic school too and had the same experience. Not only where we taught evolution but we also had pretty comprehensive sex ed.

Yep. Me too. My school was pretty progressive for a Catholic school in a small, Midwestern city. Then again, they claimed to be the best school in the lower 2/3rds of Illinois. I'm not convinced they were wrong.

wannabe · **Joined:** Tue Feb 28, 2012 3:01 pm **Posts:** 27

My crazy religious zealot neighbor told her kids dinosaurs could possibly still exist. They also think the Lochness Monster is probably real. Our country is forked.

j-dub · **Posted:** Wed Jun 27, 2012 10:57 pm

Shy Mox wrote:

linanil wrote:

And I really think it is only one subset that believes that stuff. A Catholic priest once told me that the 6 days it took god to create the earth could've been billions of years because god's days aren't really ours. In some things it does seem that they don't seem to fight science as much... especially after that little 'sun revolves around the earth' thing.

There's still some literalists around who really didn't agree with Vatican II, and in the protestant side there's a lot of literalists everywhere. I even know of atheists who believe scientists planted dinosaur bones, they never existed.

Wha?!

Shy Mox · **Posted:** Wed Jun 27, 2012 11:30 pm

Vantine wrote:

Shy Mox wrote:

linanil wrote:

And I really think it is only one subset that believes that stuff. A Catholic priest once told me that the 6 days it took god to create the earth could've been billions of years because god's days aren't really ours. In some things it does seem that they don't seem to fight science as much... especially after that little 'sun revolves around the earth' thing.

There's still some literalists around who really didn't agree with Vatican II, and in the protestant side there's a lot of literalists everywhere. I even know of atheists who believe scientists planted dinosaur bones, they never existed.

It's pretty forking hard to be an honest literalist when there are two bloody creation stories in the Jewish Bible (or Old Testament for you supersessionists out there.)
But you know, shiitake happens when a book is constructed over a period of time by more than one author.

I'm of the opinion that such people aren't really all that concerned with the Bible being true, after all a real literalist would also believe the world is flat and the sun revolves around us. I think its fear about changing the ways in which we think about the world, and increasing secularism in society.

j-dub wrote:

Shy Mox wrote:

linanil wrote:

And I really think it is only one subset that believes that stuff. A Catholic priest once told me that the 6 days it took god to create the earth could've been billions of years because god's days aren't really ours. In some things it does seem that they don't seem to fight science as much... especially after that little 'sun revolves around the earth' thing.

There's still some literalists around who really didn't agree with Vatican II, and in the protestant side there's a lot of literalists everywhere. I even know of atheists who believe scientists planted dinosaur bones, they never existed.

Wha?!

To be fair, the one I know the best (we used to be friends growing up), is (was? It was years ago I discovered this) also a Neo-Nazi.

Wait, I also knew stoners who had some weird ideas I never cared to remember.

Sarah-Jane · **Posted:** Thu Jun 28, 2012 5:13 am

I knew a girl who was convinced the world was only around 4000 years old because that is what she had been taught in church. I really don't think church is where you should learn "science." Creationists are the most frustrating people to talk to, it is like banging your head against a brick wall.

starrynight87 · **Posted:** Thu Jun 28, 2012 2:58 pm

lavawitch wrote:

Sarah-Jane wrote:

I would be surprised if a PPKer thought it was around 6000 years old.

I needed reassurance that the world is sane.

The world is sane?

lavawitch · **Posted:** Thu Jun 28, 2012 3:03 pm

starrynight87 wrote:

lavawitch wrote:

Sarah-Jane wrote:

I would be surprised if a PPKer thought it was around 6000 years old.

I needed reassurance that the world is sane.

The world is sane?

Over here it is! I'll take what I can get.

Larisa · **Posted:** Thu Jun 28, 2012 3:54 pm

j-dub wrote:

Shy Mox wrote:

linanil wrote:

And I really think it is only one subset that believes that stuff. A Catholic priest once told me that the 6 days it took god to create the earth could've been billions of years because god's days aren't really ours. In some things it does seem that they don't seem to fight science as much... especially after that little 'sun revolves around the earth' thing.

There's still some literalists around who really didn't agree with Vatican II, and in the protestant side there's a lot of literalists everywhere. I even know of atheists who believe scientists planted dinosaur bones, they never existed.

Wha?!

I know someone like this. He grew up in a pretty strict Christian church, and his reaction to that is that he pretty much doesn't believe anything, ever. Pretty much, he'll respond to any statement with, "That's not true. Who's making that up?" It must be exhausting, disbelieving the world.

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