by Bill Nugent
Article #103
In my DTF articles I have tended to seldom discuss the scientific evidence that points to a young age of planet earth. Of the 103 DTF articles written so far only a few have taken up the subject of young earth. It is these articles that have gotten the most resistance and most criticism from my atheist and semi-atheist readers.
There are several reasons for this strenuous resistance. For one thing a young age of earth (say less than 10,000 years) is absolutely fatal to Darwinian evolution. There’s just not enough time for evolution to take place. It can be said, by extension, that young earth is fatal to atheism.
Another reason for the resistance is that young earth just seems to be just too radical an idea to some people. Old earth dogma is so ingrained in us from what we were taught all through our years in the secular education system.
I can point out other fatal flaws in evolution (flaws unrelated to young earth) and not get nearly the resistance. I can point out that single celled life forms are far too complex to have come into being by random collisions of atoms in the primordial soup. I can also point out that genetic mutations — the supposed mechanism of evolution — result in a deletion or scrambling of preexisting genetic info and result in virtually no uphill addition of genetic info. When I point these things out I may get a polite rebuttal out of a semi-atheist but when I mention sound scientific evidence for young earth the fireworks start.
Creationist John D. Morris, Ph. D. has written an excellent book titled The Young Earth that lists much evidence supporting young earth. Even secular scientific journals contain much evidence for young earth but the significance for young earth is played down or ignored by the secular authors.
I’m told that in the former Soviet Union the creation versus evolution debate proceeds under very cordial academic terms without the lapse into ad hominem attacks against the creationists. In the west, the academic establishment vigorously resists the creationist and intelligent design movements. The evidence for young earth is an enigma to those who believe in old earth. It should spur them to do some sober critical thinking. It is unfortunate that this is not the case in the USA at present.
For instance you’re not likely to open the latest issue of National Geographic and read about the fact that secular (i.e., noncreationist) paleontologists have found dried blood compounds inside the long bone of the leg of a Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton that was unearthed in Montana. Mary Schweitzer of Montana State University was the scientist who reported the find.
The center of the bone was not fossilized (not mineralized). The hemoglobin and other red blood cell proteins like those found in the T. Rex bone are fragile and would certainly not be preserved 65 million years. The T. Rex bone, unfossilized at the center and complete with blood vessel channels and dried red blood cells containing verified hemoglobin infers an age in the thousands of years! (See secular article: M. Schweitzer and I. Staedter, ‘The Real Jurassic Park’ in the Journal Earth, June 1997 pp. 55-57.)
The Montana find is by no means an isolated example of unfossilized dinosaur bone. To read of other documented finds in secular journals I refer the reader to Geological Society of America Proceedings Abstract 17:548 and also K. DaviesJournal of Paleontology 61(1):198-200.
Notice that the above are rather obscure sources not likely to be encountered by the average person. How long ’till these findings make it into high school and college textbooks? Do you think PBS will do a Nova special on unfossilized dinosaur bones?
Oh! I did it again! I strayed into the realm of offering evidence for young earth! I brace myself for the withering fire.