When it comes to your salvation, that issue doesn’t matter. To be fair, there’s evidence for both sides. I have my opinion, though.
There’s a Youtube channel called Is Genesis History. I only suggest looking at it because the Old Earth evidence is taught everywhere, and is an underlying assumption in almost everything having to do with the sciences.
I have to wonder, though, why evidence for a Young Earth isn’t even talked about. If it’s such a stupid theory, why not refute some of that evidence?
Sure, there are folks who believe the world is flat, and refuting every crackpot theory is like a dog chasing his tail. Instead of refuting the theory of a Young Earth, how about refuting the evidence for it? And there’s a lot of it.
As I stated at the beginning of this post, though, belief either way doesn’t determine a person’s salvation. The Old Earth belief, though, is designed to undermine the validity of the Bible. That’s the true danger.
If science can prove something in the Bible is wrong, why would anyone believe anything else it has to say? But as I mentioned in previous posts, just because science “proves” something doesn’t mean that “proof” will stand the test of time.
SIDEBAR: The same thing applies to interpretation of the Bible. Remember when the Church taught the Earth was the center of the universe? That’s the danger of reading of things INTO the Bible instead of reading things FROM the Bible.
Some of the “proofs” the Bible is wrong includes Ninevah missing. Whoops - found it. No such places as Sodom and Gamorrah. Whoops - found them. The Epic of Gilgamesh proves the Noah account is wrong. Whoops - faulty logic. Just because there’s another story doesn’t mean Noah is wrong.
Time after time the spiritual forces for evil have tried to undermine belief in the Bible. Have there been equal attempts to disprove other faith systems? No, I don’t think the efforts are equal. The atheists primarily attack Christianity, and it makes me wonder why.
I contend that it’s because they know the others are wrong and that, deep down, they know Jesus is God - they just don’t want to admit it. In fact, they fight against it, railing about “fairy tales” and “using the Bible as a crutch.” On television they treat other faiths with dignity and respect, but inevitably the Christian is a narrow-minded bigot.
I’m not advocating treating other faiths with disrespect. It’s simply something that tells me people are not threatened by faiths they (I believe) think are total fiction. They ARE, however, threatened and offended by Jesus. More on that next week.
The foundation of the Bible is its truth. People the world over are trying to discredit the Bible on different levels. The age of the Earth is simply one battle in an entire war to eliminate Christ from the public discourse.
So, does it matter? Yes and no. Belief in Christ as the only Way is fundamental to the message of salvation. Your belief in an Old Earth doesn’t enter in unless it shakes your faith in Jesus.
Old Earth is simply an attempt to undermine the validity of the Bible, and thus your faith in Him.
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