Earth Can’t be Old – Answering the Critics

It is one of our most recommended resources, and includes chapters on dating methods (ch. 4), dinosaurs (ch. 19), and much more!

---

Why do biblical creationists insist that the earth is ‘young’? Hasn't science _proven_ that it is millions/billions of years old?

Where does the ‘6,000 years old’ figure come from, anyway—and is the methodology used to get that figure defensible? What did the church fathers believe? And for Christians, isn’t this whole topic just a massive distraction from the ‘real’ issues of the Gospel?

⏳ TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Teaser
00:40 *Introduction:* Why believe that the earth can’t be old?
01:38 Why ‘historical science’ is different from ‘experimental science’
04:05 Historical science is subject to the investigator's preconceptions about history
05:09 In matters of history, the historical method trumps the scientific method
07:17 The myth of neutrality: Even scientists have presuppositions
08:52 Uniformitarianism: Is ‘the present the key to the past’?
10:19 How does the Bible give 6,000 years?
11:45 *Challenge:* “You can't use the Bible’s chronogenealogies—they use rounding”
14:07 *Challenge:* “The early church fathers didn’t believe the earth was young”
14:52 *Challenge:* “The age of the earth doesn't matter; it’s a distracting side issue for Christians"
16:04 → An old earth undercuts the logical consistency of the Gospel
19:42 → An old earth undercuts the character of God
20:12 → An old earth undercuts the inerrancy of Scripture
21:11 → An old earth undercuts the Bible’s explanation for death and suffering
25:02 → Summary: It _does_ matter!
26:14 *Challenge:* "Geology proves millions of years, via sedimentary layers and radiometric dating"
26:49 → Sedimentary layers are not consistent with ‘millions of years’ conclusions
28:43 → Fossils in sedimentary rock show the layers were laid down rapidly
29:43 → Millions of years can't be found _between_ the sedimentary layers, either
31:17 → Summary: There’s no ‘millions of years’ in the rocks at all!
32:22 → Case study: Rapid sedimentation at Mount St Helens
33:41 → Case study: Radiometric dating at Mount St Helens
37:01 → Radiometric dating does not (and cannot!) provide ‘absolute dates’
38:51 *Challenge:* “Population growth estimates don’t support biblical creation”
42:52 *Challenge:* “Soft tissue in dino bones is satisfactorily explained by the presence of iron”
44:55 → How long can DNA be preserved?
47:10 *Challenge:* “Carbon-14 in dinosaur bones is not a problem for millions of years”
49:03 *Conclusion:* The biblical account makes so much more sense of real-world observations!

✍️ LINKS AND SHOW NOTES

📚 HELPFUL RESOURCES

💙 SOCIAL MEDIA

📅 EVENTS
We present at _hundreds_ of events around the world each year.
To see what events are happening near you, or to request a creation presentation in _your_ Church (or other gathering) visit:

Thanks for watching!

[josebravo]

The universe is under no obligation to make sense to humans.

[stevebone]

It matters! When I was on my journey to Christianity, I was having issues believing in the Bible as a God inspired book. On a fluke, I ended up at a little church in Savannah, Georgia, where I was visiting friends for the first time. That weekend they had a guest speaker, pastor Paul Viet, the dino pastor. He went through the Bible with a fine tooth scientific comb, explaining dinosaurs, fossil records and all the issues with evolution. He gave me exactly what I needed, when I needed it. That pushed me over the edge, and the whole improbability of that weekend blew my mind. That was back in 2007 and is one of my favorite memories of this path to believing.

[Mythtrekker]

I have autism and OCD, for me to u derstand something I have to take it apart in minute detail. So looking into this and other Christian things has made my faith deeper and strong as when I look it is like looking into the mind of God, in my humble option.

[lawrencehalpin]

How old was Adam when he was created? He was 0 years old. How old did Adam look? Probably about 30 or 40 years old. How old was the universe when God created it. It was zero years old. How old did the universe look when it was created? It was as old as God needed it to look to function.

[alandiehl]

Mark Harwood: All of science is just based on wrong assumptions. Case closed. Lol. Give this man the Nobel Prize!

[markgerard]

Cats make cats cats, dogs make dogs. There are NO EXCEPTIONS. SUPPOSEDLY crocodiles haven't changed in millions of years. Why? They were and always will be crocodiles.

[PTHastings]

🎯 Key points for quick navigation:

00:00 *🌍 Earth's Age Determination*
- Science is about observation and repeatable experiments.
- When making pronouncements about the past, it is essential to consider the inability to observe the past directly.
- Our beliefs influence how we interpret evidence, especially when it comes to historical matters.
01:27 *🔬 Scientific Evidence Interpretation*
- Scientific evidence is interpreted in alignment with preexisting beliefs.
- Science is limited in illuminating historical events due to its focus on observable, repeatable processes.
- Assumptions and beliefs play a crucial role in interpreting the evidence presented.
05:15 *📜 Role of History in Understanding the Past*
- History often trumps science when it comes to addressing historical matters.
- Different belief systems and worldviews influence how individuals interpret scientific data.
- Understanding the history one believes in is critical when determining the age of something.
21:49 *🧭 Death and suffering as a result of rebellion against God*
- Death and suffering came from our rebellion against God, not from Him.
- God's love is shown through sending Jesus to pay the price for sin and suffering.
- Belief in a young Earth aligns with the hope for a new heaven and Earth without sin and death.
26:13 *🌍 Challenges to the old age of the Earth*
- Sedimentary layers and fossils do not align with the claimed vast periods of evolutionary time.
- Rapid sedimentation and fossilization contradict the slow processes of evolutionary timelines.
- Lack of evidence for elapsed time between layers supports rapid formation of sedimentary rocks.
33:40 *🕰 Issues with radiometric dating methods*
- Potassium-argon dating inaccuracies due to argon trapping in rocks skew results.
- Excess argon complicates accurate dating and calls the whole process into question.
- Cross-checking radiometric dates with other evidence is essential due to errors and assumptions.
43:59 *🦕 Soft tissue and DNA challenges*
- Soft tissue preservation challenges the idea of millions of years
- DNA decay analysis shows it doesn't support ancient age claims
- Recent burial in flood event likely explains soft tissue findings
47:20 *🧬 Carbon 14 in dinosaur bones*
- Carbon 14 in dinosaur bones contradicts millions of years timeline
- Scientific journal states radiocarbon dating in bones is inaccurate
- Efforts to defend against challenges to evolutionary theory
49:15 *✨ Evidence supporting biblical creation*
- Looking at the world through biblical eyes reveals design and purpose
- Clear evidence of a creator in the world around us
- Understanding the world through the Bible enhances the gospel message

Made with HARPA AI

[scmacsart]

It matters when unsaved people are seeking answers.

[MichaelJohnson-torm]

Ackshully... God created the whole Universe, the Earth, and all living creatures including Human Beings, memories and all, fully intact, five minutes ago.
Prove me wrong.

[VernCrisler]

The fact that these thick sedimentary layers also include many monoclines and synclines and folded rocks means all these layers had to be ductile in order to curve at the same time. Creationists have done microscopic analysis of these curved layers and have shown that they are no different than the horizontal layers of the same stratum. That blows away the whole idea of an evolutionary geological column. In addition, it blows away the validity of radiometric determinations in dating these rocks.

[Scorpion-md]

Obviously the creation week was supernatural. It had to be for God to create everything that fast. Therefore science is never going to get it right. Only the bible explains what science cannot.

[timothym]

Well, when God created Adam, he wasn't a baby. He was fully grown. So, to us, the Earth is billions of years old, but God created it instantly and made it ready for our use. People need to stop putting limits on what God can do.

[BCFalls]

I just saw the top of a very tall Mountain in BC and the ridge line was so narrow it was skinnier than a balance beam with a shear drop off on both sides near vertical, as soon as I saw it I thought, how can this not be warn down? I would say all pegmatite veins and mountains are the same age as my trees, 4200 yrs +/- 100 yrs

[Baseballlifer]

I clicked this video so fast!!! Thank you CMI for opening my eyes to a world of creation!!

[fcastellanos]

It is a known fact that the elements of the periodic table took millions if not billions of years to be created. They were created in the stars, and the stars took millions of years to be formed so, to think the universe is only a few thousands of years old is totally out of the question. The Bible does not give any time frame for the creation of the universe, it only says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”, from here on in Genesis, the attention is placed on the formation of the earth and the emergence of biological life, which took also billions of years.

[stevenwhite]

Not all that say to me in that day…..Lord, Lord…..
If you don’t believe what the Bible says you don’t believe God….

[jacquesgrobler]

The level of delusion of young earth creationists is beyond comprehension of all rationale thinking people. How can you place mythological writings above scientific evidence?

[TrustinJesusChrist-John.]

Also, nothing could die before the curse of the fall of mankind (bringing death).. and death is necessary for so called evolution. Bingo again.

[Alien]

Ignoring the heat problem again? Why am I not surprised 😑

[newcreationinchrist]

God bless you CMI 🙏🙏🙏✝️ We know that God's word is true and we also know Genesis 1 was written historically. Not metaphorically. Jesus also took the OT as literal. No reason for us to do any different today.