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YosefYosep
Guest
Where do the young earth creationists derive from the Bible that the earth is only 6000 years old? Why has the Catholic Church decided not to make this a fundamental teaching?
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Aelred_Minor
Guest
I think they get it by counting backward through all the generations mentioned in the Bible from some starting point at which Biblical narrative and secular history intersect.
I would speculate that, ultimately, the Catholic Church has not made this teaching formal doctrine because it is not true.
I would speculate that, ultimately, the Catholic Church has not made this teaching formal doctrine because it is not true.
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edwest2
Guest
The short answer is a reference in the Bible that to God a day is like a thousand years, so 6 days of creation = 6,000 years. The Church has not decided and as far as I’m concerned: if they are in no hurry, neither am I.
I wonder why the age of the earth thing gets brought up here on a regular basis. If the starting premise is that the Bible is not a science book, then it shouldn’t be an issue.
Peace,
Ed
I wonder why the age of the earth thing gets brought up here on a regular basis. If the starting premise is that the Bible is not a science book, then it shouldn’t be an issue.
Peace,
Ed
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edwest2
Guest
That is incorrect.
"The Time Question
Much less has been defined as to when the universe, life, and man appeared. The Church has infallibly determined that the universe is of finite age—that it has not existed from all eternity—but it has not infallibly defined whether the world was created only a few thousand years ago or whether it was created several billion years ago."
From a Catholic Answers tract.
Peace,
Ed
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Aelred_Minor
Guest
That answer is correct as well. It’s just looking at the subject at a different level.
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Aelred_Minor
Guest
Regarding counting down vs. 1 day=1000 years, according to Wikipedia:
The Septuagint has traditionally been calculated to date the creation around 5500 BC, while the Samaritan Torah around 4300 BC, and the Masoretic around 4000 BC.
Most people who hold this view today are presumably Protestants, and they are likely to favor the Masoretic text as the authentic one. That means a date of about 6000 years ago, which just happens to coincide with this odd mixing of the six days of creation with the thousand year day idea. The weird thing of course is this correspondence would not have held at all in Biblical times.
The Septuagint has traditionally been calculated to date the creation around 5500 BC, while the Samaritan Torah around 4300 BC, and the Masoretic around 4000 BC.
Most people who hold this view today are presumably Protestants, and they are likely to favor the Masoretic text as the authentic one. That means a date of about 6000 years ago, which just happens to coincide with this odd mixing of the six days of creation with the thousand year day idea. The weird thing of course is this correspondence would not have held at all in Biblical times.
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Bobby_Pandaram
Guest
According to my understanding of the text, it would be:
From Creation to Noah +_ 2000 years
From Noah to JESUS ± 2000 Years
From JESUS to now ± 2013 years
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Freekevio
Guest
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jasperg357
Guest
The way I look at it is does believing the Earth is 6000 years old are several billion years old affect were you will spend eternity in Heaven are Hell? The answer is no it doesn’t, so why lose any sleep over it?
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Freekevio
Guest
If you wish to make fruit for Jesus it can be very helpful for answering atheistsThe way I look at it is does believing the Earth is 6000 years old are several billion years old affect were you will spend eternity in Heaven are Hell? The answer is no it doesn’t, so why lose any sleep over it?
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Judas_Thaddeus
Guest
First: Why is it NOT a “fundamental teaching”? Because the Catholic Church is
LOGICAL and more importantly HONEST. The Creationists derive the age of the
Earth in part from the Jewish Calendar (**5774 **Anno Mundi began at sunset on 4
September 2013 and will end on 24 September 2014).
HOWEVER, some Creationists (Edited) having yielded slight-
ly to science and have forsaken the 6,000 year junk, widening their margins to 10,000,
because they cannot prove the 6,000 year thing.
The Roman Catholic Church is smart enough (and again Honest enough) to say that science
has made very good points in demonstrating how the Universe is about 14 BILLION years old
and the Earth about 4.5 Billion years old, that life has evolved, that human civilization long pre-
dates what the Creationist Mythology claims, etc.
Creationists however will again and again try to deceive not only others but themselves, using false science, applying false conclusions to REAL SCIENCE (like “there can’t be a God if evolution exists, can’t have that!”), whatever is necessary to preserver the literal interpretation of the Creation Account.
So in Short: Roman Catholic Church: Honest, Logical, Intelligent…
(Edited)
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thistle
Guest
The age of the earth is not a matter of faith or morals so why would there be a teaching on it?
It has no impact on our salvation.
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Freekevio
Guest
In the beginning there was nothing and then it exploded.
That is the pre borns philosophy and we are called to bring people to Christ.
Science confirms the creation account so use it. The book of Genesis is the foundation of the Holy Word in the world, Thats why it is important to defend. If that book is false then so are the rest, such logic goes
That is the pre borns philosophy and we are called to bring people to Christ.
Science confirms the creation account so use it. The book of Genesis is the foundation of the Holy Word in the world, Thats why it is important to defend. If that book is false then so are the rest, such logic goes
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edwest2
Guest
Back in the 1970s, all the way to here, here’s what I got: “Show me God. If you can show me God I might believe in him.”
We can’t put God in a lab. The supernatural is outside the boundary of current science.
Peace,
Ed
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MyPseudonym
Guest
That’s quite rude.
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Judas_Thaddeus
Guest
the truth can
often be rude.
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Judas_Thaddeus
Guest
Let me add this video to expose the Creationist mind: ** * Top 25 Creationist Fallacies * **
No I don’t hate the belief, but the measure some Creationists go to, URGHGH!!!
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MyPseudonym
Guest
Do you really think that everyone who thinks the earth is 6000 years old is “Deceitful, Ignorant, Lying, Illogical, Misdirect-
ing, Cunning, Scheming, Disinformative, Duplicitous, Falsifying, Unreli-
able, (See More Using Thesaurus)…” ???
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StrawberryJam
Guest
I think the best words would be indoctrinated, lazy, misinformed…Willfully Ignorant
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larsont7
Guest
So, I wonder what traditional Catholic doctrine speaks about creationism. Well, here’s a good start: kolbecenter.org/the-traditional-catholic-doctrine-of-creation/
I guess many early Church fathers, popes, and saints were deceitful, ignorant, lying, illogical, etc…
Whether the earth is young or old (the Catholic Church allows both points of view), your comments were unnecessary and uncalled for. You are lumping a lot of faithful Catholic men and women with your diatribe against young earth creationists, and unless you were there “In the beginning”, I’ll gladly take your opinion with a grain of salt.
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