Young Earth Creationists? Really believe it? Really?

[balotelli]

Cant believe that anyone actually thinks that the earth was created by a god 6000 years ago!

I have to agree with Richard Dawkins who said they are either ignorant, stupid or insane.

If you do believe it, explain dinosaurs!

I would like to see Young Earth Creationists put their money where their mouth is, and use nothing but first-generation antibiotics.

If you don't believe in evolution, you shouldn't enjoy the benefits of it to deal with your infected tooth.

I saw that too, Snorbs, and that poor girl telling him that she knew that fresh water and salt water didn't mix because it said so in the Quran.

Surely most people believe what they are told until it's proved otherwise - Father Christmas is true until your parents tell you they did it. Having the facts - lots of presents, the odd boot mark etc doesn't mean it is true

So who you believe is really only a matter of judgement. Lot's of people know lot's of things until they are proved wrong. Laughing at people because Dawkins is right is as bad as dismissing people because Jesus is right. You are just trusting that someone else has the right answers.

The difference between believing in creationism and believing in evolution is that there is tons of credible evidence for the latter and none for the former. If you don't trust the scientists to tell you the right answers, you can look at the evidence yourself.

Bloody creationists, they just won't evolve!

ninedragons: "I would like to see Young Earth Creationists put their money where their mouth is, and use nothing but first-generation antibiotics. If you don't believe in evolution, you shouldn't enjoy the benefits of it to deal with your infected tooth."

Exactly. People who choose to flout their stupid and ignorant beliefs should have their stupidity and ignorance exposed at every turn. It's only words, folks. It's not burning them at the stake or stoning them to death for what they believe - that sort of behaviour is confined to the religious. I think in return they're lucky to get away with a bit of mockery.

I just had a look at the Answers in Genesis site recommended upthread in an attempt to try and understand where the believers in creationism are coming from:

'By definition, no apparent, perceived or claimed evidence in any field, including history and chronology, can be valid if it contradicts the scriptural record. Of primary importance is the fact that evidence is always subject to interpretation by fallible people who do not possess all information.'

Well that leaves a lot of room for open debate. Oh yes, and there was this:

'Any form of sexual immorality, such as adultery, fornication, homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, pornography, or any attempt to change one?s gender, or disagreement with one?s biological gender, is sinful and offensive to God.'

Oh and this as well:

'Those who do not believe in Christ are subject to everlasting conscious punishment, but believers enjoy eternal life with God.'

Nice, huh?

But we are not allowed to be mean about them. Seems fair,what with them being all sweetness and light....

While I am as hard nosed a scientist as any, I do believe that these early stories in Genesis are more likely attempts by very simple people c 4,000 years ago to understand what was going on, and in that light its more amazing how much is directionally correct vs incorrect.

But I think the Dinosaur date denial stuff is daft.

As to the creation of religion, some of the theories of evolutionary anthropologsist that early societies that created gods were capable of forming larger, more powerful units and thus forced the absorption/extinction of "non-religious" ones quite compelling.

I'm sorry if it offends anyone that I'm laughing at something to do with their religion (nb i'm not mocking you or your religion per-say)- but if they will believe funny things I can't help it. The whole universe created in 6 days- sorry, I shouldn't laugh, I know.... I wouldn't laugh at anyone's face. I'm sorry I can't help but be tickled by it.

I know lots of wonderful Christians but none (in this country) who take things this literally.

But seriously- I agree with Chaotica. It is harmful. The way things are going in the USA, in the schools etc is worrying.

Think of all the things the world benefits from today that are down to scientific developments. Rigorous scientific methodology, rational thoought. Rational thinking is essential to fairness, justice, equality too. These things are in danger of being washed away in the most powerful country on earth, because of the power of religious groups interfering with politics, education etc.

And please don't get me started on the religious right in the USA and Women's Rights.

Bill Hicks put it .

Whatmeworry - is there any evidence of early non-religious societies? I can't think of any that don't have some element of ritual.

Gods and spirits explained things that people couldn't otherwise explain. As other explanations were found, beliefs evolved (!). Which is why the trouble many religions have now is that their god is a god of the gaps, and as those gaps disappear so does the rationale for their god. I don't think you'll find many Norwegians who literally believe that Thors hammer causes thunder or that Frigg weaves the clouds. So why oh why are there still those hanging on to ideas that are clearly untrue, rather than face up to the fact that there sacred text is no more literally true than anyone elses? Why would you want to deceive yourself in this way?

Whatmeworry - is there any evidence of early non-religious societies? I can't think of any that don't have some element of ritual.

Sorry, they mean organised religion rather than ritual beliefs etc. Here is the Wikipedia summary:

Organized religion emerged as a means of providing social and economic stability through justifying the central authority, which in turn possessed the right to collect taxes in return for providing social and security services to the state.

• Bands and tribes consist of small number of related individuals. However states and nations are composed of thousands of unrelated individuals.

Jared Diamond argues that organized religion served to provide a bond between unrelated individuals who would otherwise be more prone to enmity. He argues that the leading cause of death among hunter gatherer societies is murder

• Religions that revolved around moralizing gods may have facilitated the rise of large, cooperative groups of unrelated individuals

The states born out of the Neolithic revolution, such as those of Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, were theocracies with chiefs, kings and emperors playing dual roles of political and spiritual leaders.[13]

Anthropologists have found that virtually all state societies and chiefdoms from around the world have been found to justify political power through divine authority. This suggests that political authority co-opts collective religious belief to bolster itself.

That makes more sense - just look at christanity swallowing up paganism in Britain, adopting many pagan practices en route incidentally.

Didn't the earth being 6000 years old thing start with Bishop Usher adding up all the ages of everyone begatting everyone else listed in Genesis? Seem to remember that we worked it it was 4004 bc, around 6pm too (rusty A level RE) - just in time for tea!

No, you've misunderstood, big time. Atheists don't need any proof that god exists, we don't discover things and say aha, this is why god doesn't exist. We already know, well before anything else, that no god exists.

Evolution is NOT and provisional theory, its well established as the leading and accepted paradigm. Evolution doesn't need to explain physics, since its about biology. Physics explains physics. Same with cosmology, astronomy, why would you think that evolution would explain unrelated areas of science?

FFS, crescent if I came along and pronounced that ALL religious people do x, y, z I would be, quite rightly, accused of being ignorant and bigoted.

atheists learn how something works and then proclaim 'this means there is no God'. No. No more than I say, "birds need hollow bones to fly, that means dragons can't exist". I know dragons don't exist, I know birds have light bones. One does not follow the other.

Believe if that is your thing, but don't be an ignorant bigot.

yes, your post was realy very insulting to atheists. You really should apologise.

But its ok to continually insult evangelical young earth creationists??

Sorry but I think that's a bit double standardedededed!! :o

I live in Nevada, that belief is rife here, normal even. It scares me. Am constantly having to speak to DD to keep her having a balanced view as some of the stuff she says her freinds have told her they learn in church as absolutes ate - well - out there...

Of course evolution doesn't explain everything. I don't expect evolution to be the grand unifying theory of everything. I'm not an idiot. I also don't think the grand unifying theory of everything will be 'God did it'.

sharklet do they teach it in schools over there?

a theory doesn't have to explain everything in order to explain very large parts of it.

And really, you're going to argue evolution can't explain everything because we can't say precisely how it all started? Neither can you! If your god created your universe, what created your god. And the non-created creator guff is not an actual answer, and neither is god is special and didn't need to be created.