by Greg Gwin
The Bible clearly teaches that
we live in a relatively "young" earth. Based upon what is taught in
the Bible, the earth can not possibly be more than 6,000 to 8,000 years old.
It is absolutely impossible to harmonize what the Bible teaches
concerning the age of the earth with the claims of some evolutionists. They would have us to believe that the earth is billions of
years old.
In defense of the "old
earth" model, some would offer the "proof' of various
"scientific" dating methods. Some
of the better known dating methods are Uranium/Lead; Potassium/Argon; and Carbon
14. Each of these methods attempts
to establish the age of things by measuring the levels of radioactive isotopes
present in the substance and comparing this to assumed original levels.
These tests often yield apparent ages in the range of millions of years.
Can these "clocks" be trusted?
In order to have a reliable
"clock" some things are necessary, such as:
The clock must be set
correctly at the beginning of the test period.
The clock must not be
disturbed or reset during the test period.
The clock must run at a known, constant rate.
As an example, compare these
necessary things to the Uranium/Lead "clock."
Uranium (U-238) is constantly
converted to Lead (Pb-206). By
measuring the relative amounts of Uranium and Lead in a sample, scientists claim
the ability to "date" a given sample.
But:
We do not know the setting
of the "clock" at the beginning of the test.
It is assumed that there was no lead in the sample initially.
This simply cannot be proved.
It is assumed that no
external sources contaminated the sample during the test period.
In reality there may have been many natural factors that either added
to or took from the levels of Uranium and Lead in the test sample - thus
resetting the "clock."
It is further assumed that
the decay rate of Uranium into Lead has always been the same.
This may be true, but it cannot be proved.
Knowledgeable scientists admit
that possibility that such rates may have varied over time making it impossible
to know that the "clock" rate was always constant.
The various methods of
radioactive dating simply cannot be trusted to be reliable over the time periods
they presume to test.
Greg Gwin, Columbia, TN ggwin@edge.net
Other evidences:
Nebraska Man The Bombardier Beetle The Flood "Scientific" Dating Methods Back to Index