[_ Old Earth _] Age Dating

[Barbarian]

(Barbarian observes that the age of the universe has nothing to do with the age of the earth)

Translation: "You do know that the age of the universe has nothing to do with the age of the earth". Except that the earth can not be older than the universe.

You can't be older than your great grandfather. But his age tells us nothing about your age.

I am beginning to believe in a ageless universe, that has always been and always well be.

Can't be. You see, we can observe every galaxy moving away from everything else. If the universe was infinitely old, we'd only have one galaxy visible, our own.

On the other hand, if you want to imagine that new matter is somehow forming to replace the old, that would mean an infininty of galaxies. And that would mean the radiation from all of them would make the night sky brighter than day. The Earth would melt.

So if the earth was not around in some form, when the universe began to expand, then perhaps you could explain how something came from nothing?

Science can't say. But I know. "Let there be light."

 

[Vic C.]

(Barbarian observes that the age of the universe has nothing to do with the age of the earth)

Vic believes Barbarian brings up a good point. :D

How long was that first day?
Did He create the heaven (universe) and the earth at the same time, or was there an indefinate span of time (as we know it) between the two creations?
Is the 'heaven' in Gen.1:1 the entire universe or just the 'visible' universe?
Could He have meant our galaxy when He said He created the heaven and earth? Or maybe just our Solar System?

hehehe. 8-)

 

[Barbarian]

Heaven is not part of the physical universe in which we live. It's quite another part of God's creation.

 

[JohnR7]

Can't be. You see, we can observe every galaxy moving away from everything else. If the universe was infinitely old, we'd only have one galaxy visible, our own.

How do you know that the rate of expansion has been consistant from the beginning. Perhaps the universe goes though periods of expansion and periods when it gets smaller.

 

[Barbarian]

There's a couple of reasons that isn't very likely.

1. It can't explain the microwave background. This was predicted as the cooling radiation from the big bang. It was accidentally found later on by two scientists from Bell labs.

2. There's no known mechanism for doing that.

 

[Vic C.]

Heaven is not part of the physical universe in which we live. It's quite another part of God's creation.

Hi. Throughout history, man has used the word heaven to describe both Heaven and what Man sees when he looks up. Also, some translations use heavens in Gen. 1:1.

Ok, if that doesn't fly, replace the word heaven in my questions with 'space'. Are my questions valid then? :wink:

 

[Barbarian]

Yeah, in the colloquial sense we use when we talk about everything off Earth as "the heavens."

 

[SyntaxVorlon]

Can't be. You see, we can observe every galaxy moving away from everything else. If the universe was infinitely old, we'd only have one galaxy visible, our own.

How do you know that the rate of expansion has been consistant from the beginning. Perhaps the universe goes though periods of expansion and periods when it gets smaller.

It all depends on the shape of the universe, whether it is flat, spherical or shaped like a Pringles potato chip. And on how the cosmological constant relates to the critical density of the universe. Uisng hypothetical models with supposed geometry we can create different scenarios for the way the universe is, and then compare that model to things we observe. Most signs point to it being flat and having a fairly smooth ride into infinity without any big crunches or big rips.(Universe will end with a bit of a wimper)

We don't know that the rate of expansion has been constant, in fact we know it not to be, that is why it is called a parameter.