# Prove that the earth is 6,000 years old **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 23, 2003, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prove-that-the-earth-is-6-000-years-old/190295 "2003-07-23T02:25:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/df788c/32.png) [@Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ben)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prove-that-the-earth-is-6-000-years-old/190295/1 "2003-07-23T02:25:35Z")
I have another challenge, this time for the young-earth creationists: Provide scientific evidence to prove that the earth is 6,000-10,000 years old. ---
**Author:** ![Aldebaran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Aldebaran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aldebaran)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prove-that-the-earth-is-6-000-years-old/190295/2 "2003-07-23T02:32:40Z")
Sorry, but who on earth comes up with the incredible story that the earth is only 6000 years old? Salaam. A ---
**Author:** ![The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f8ce5/32.png) [@The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Peyote_Coyote)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prove-that-the-earth-is-6-000-years-old/190295/3 "2003-07-23T02:36:03Z")
Aldebaran: I believe it was Bishop Usher or some other divine back in the 17th or 18th Century. Theology is not my strong suit. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prove-that-the-earth-is-6-000-years-old/190295/4 "2003-07-23T02:42:09Z")
That’s easy! [The Dendrochronology Laboratory at the University of Sheffield](http://www.shef.ac.uk/uni/academic/A-C/ap/dendro/) has a continuous master sequence going back to about 5000BC. Given that there would be an extremely long period prior to that in which trees evolved it can be assumed that the Earth is an easy 10,000 years old. In fact, you could say it’s more like several BILLION years old. Oh? That isn’t what you were looking for? ---
**Author:** ![Nomadic\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/858c86/32.png) [@Nomadic\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nomadic_One)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prove-that-the-earth-is-6-000-years-old/190295/5 "2003-07-23T02:46:05Z")
> [@](#): > > Given that there would be an extremely long period prior to that in which trees evolved it can be assumed that the Earth is an easy 10,000 years old. In fact, you could say it’s more like several BILLION years old. This is something that I have a problem with. Wouldn’t He already make trees the way they are today grown and such. It would be awfully boring to look at a planet that is just dirt. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prove-that-the-earth-is-6-000-years-old/190295/6 "2003-07-23T02:51:13Z")
**Alderbaran** , It is the contention of certain segment of Christians called “Young Earth Creationists” that the Earth is only 6,ooo years old. Bishop Usher (as alluded to by **Peyote Coyote** ) arrived at this conclusion by counting up all the “begats” and “begots” in the book of Genesis. It is, as you say, incredible, but they are so locked into an absolutely literal interpretation of the Bible that they delude themselves into believing it. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Urt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8491ac/32.png) [@Mr\_Urt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Urt)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prove-that-the-earth-is-6-000-years-old/190295/7 "2003-07-23T02:51:43Z")
What everybody seems to be missing is the fact that a lot of stuff happened between the time the earth was created and the time the earth became populated with humans. In fact, the entire angelic conflict took place where Lucifer and the other fallen angels got banished to the earth for an indefinite period of time. Therefore, the earth may very well be several billion years old, and that wouldn’t hurt the creationists in any way. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prove-that-the-earth-is-6-000-years-old/190295/8 "2003-07-23T02:58:54Z")
Relevant website ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prove-that-the-earth-is-6-000-years-old/190295/9 "2003-07-23T03:00:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Nomadic\_One \* > \*\*This is something that I have a problem with. Wouldn’t He already make trees the way they are today grown and such. It would be awfully boring to look at a planet that is just dirt. \*\* If the presumption of evolution were merely hypothetical you would be correct…but since evolution is a proven fact it _must_ be factored in. The examole was facetious anyway. \*\*dropzone was showing evidence that the Earth is _minimally_ 10,000 years old. It was a joke. We actually have better ways of dating the Earth to 4 billion years. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prove-that-the-earth-is-6-000-years-old/190295/10 "2003-07-23T03:08:25Z")
**Mr. Blue Sky** , why don’t you articulate your own argument instead of simply linking to a creationist website. It’s not fair to expect the OP to waste time with a comprehensive debunking of an entire site. Post your own argument or at least paraphrase what you believe are some of the strongest arguments from your site. A succession of dueling links would make for a boring thread. ---
**Author:** ![Aldebaran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Aldebaran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aldebaran)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prove-that-the-earth-is-6-000-years-old/190295/11 "2003-07-23T03:11:30Z")
Thank you for the information. And I looked at the “relevant website”. Relevant indeed. I’m still laughing about their “origin of Islam”. OK… Now I know I don’t worship God… What a relief. Oh wait… Maybe they wanted to say that the Jews and the Christians don’t worship God? That must be a relief for them. I’m confused… But then I have only one functioning braincell… Well… No miracle that according to that website there is “scientific proof” that the earth is a newborn baby. It must be true. Salaam. A. ---
**Author:** ![Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/df788c/32.png) [@Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ben)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prove-that-the-earth-is-6-000-years-old/190295/12 "2003-07-23T03:32:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mr Urt \* > \*\*What everybody seems to be missing is the fact that a lot of stuff happened between the time the earth was created and the time the earth became populated with humans. In fact, the entire angelic conflict took place where Lucifer and the other fallen angels got banished to the earth for an indefinite period of time. Therefore, the earth may very well be several billion years old, and that wouldn’t hurt the creationists in any way. \*\* Bear in mind that I explicitly directed the question to young earth creationists. Has it occurred to you that not everyone believes in your “fact”? Even if it were a fact, I wouldn’t be “missing” it so much as _dismissing_ it. And even if I believed it, there’s no reason why I would be “missing it” when I challenge YEC’s to prove their erroneous beliefs about the age of the earth. Junior mints, folks. ---
**Author:** ![BrightNShiny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@BrightNShiny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrightNShiny)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prove-that-the-earth-is-6-000-years-old/190295/13 "2003-07-23T04:01:06Z")
This thread is trickery! Trickery I tell’s ya! **Ben** knows full well that the Earth is one, maybe two years old, tops. _For the humor impaired, I am making a joke._ ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prove-that-the-earth-is-6-000-years-old/190295/14 "2003-07-23T04:11:40Z")
> [@](#): > > I have another challenge, this time for the young-earth creationists: > > Provide scientific evidence to prove that the earth is 6,000-10,000 years old. According to Jewish doctrine, it’s even less. 5,763 years. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prove-that-the-earth-is-6-000-years-old/190295/15 "2003-07-23T04:16:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Diogenes the Cynic \* > \*\*The examole was facetious anyway. \*\* (blinking innocently) _Moi?_ \*\* > [@](#): > > We actually have better ways of dating the Earth to 4 billion years. \*\* Yeah, but how many of them can take you to the exact YEAR? Dendrochronology is so cool! And totally misused on that _History Detectives_ show (wait–didn’t they use the U of Sheffield lab? Ooops!) And did you see on that site they are still using an Apple II? Cripes, that COMPUTER’S nearly 6000 years old! ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prove-that-the-earth-is-6-000-years-old/190295/16 "2003-07-23T04:45:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Aldebaran \* > \*\*Sorry, but who on earth comes up with the incredible story that the earth is only 6000 years old? > > Salaam. A \*\* [James Ussher](http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Ussher), Anglican Archbishop of Armagh in the early 17th century, calculated that [Creation](http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estimates_of_the_date_of_Creation) occurred on October 23, 4004 B.C. One of his colleagues, [John Lightfoot](http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lightfoot), gave an even more precise figure: > [@](#): > > [T]his work took place and man was created by the Trinity on October 23, 4004 B.C., at nine o’clock in the morning. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prove-that-the-earth-is-6-000-years-old/190295/17 "2003-07-23T04:47:45Z")
> [@](#): > > [T]his work took place and man was created by the Trinity on October 23, 4004 B.C., at nine o’clock in the morning. One wonders what time zone that’s measured from. It follows, in fact, that at 9 am on The First Day - the instant the world was created - it was in fact The Previous Day in some parts of the world. There’s a brainbender. 😛 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Soup\_du\_jour](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Soup\_du\_jour](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soup_du_jour)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prove-that-the-earth-is-6-000-years-old/190295/18 "2003-07-23T04:50:21Z")
> [@](#): > > [T]his work took place and man was created by the Trinity on October 23, 4004 B.C., at nine o’clock in the morning. What about the timezone? ---
**Author:** ![Aldebaran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Aldebaran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aldebaran)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prove-that-the-earth-is-6-000-years-old/190295/19 "2003-07-23T04:50:23Z")
Thank you for the link N.P. Seems interesting to read… To see how they come to such theory. ---
**Author:** ![Aldebaran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Aldebaran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aldebaran)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2003, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prove-that-the-earth-is-6-000-years-old/190295/20 "2003-07-23T04:51:47Z")
Maybe they also thought that God named the days and months. Nevertheless, it’s fascinating to see how people come to these ideas. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prove-that-the-earth-is-6-000-years-old/190295.md?page=2)