- Apr 28, 2018
- 924
- 445
I have a question for Young Universe Creationists who claim a literal interpretation of Gen. 1. But first, I should let everyone know, I am not a theistic evolutionist, I do not agree with Darwin's theory, and I do not believe that man existed on earth for more than 6k years. So please do not assume things of me that aren't true.
This question I have asked numerous times, and no one has yet to give a satisfactory answer. The only answer I received in a forum was a sarcastic one, which doesn't help. The question is, how to resolve the light travel time problem? But before you answer, I should let you know I've already done research on the subject and read possible solutions by people like ICR and AIG, and such as at this link:
answersingenesis.org
None of them have a viable solution, since I have shown that every hypothesis has a fundamental problem that is unresolvable.
The issue has to do with the event history of supernovas observed in the past century. The most famous one (SN1987A) has been discussed around this issue in several circles. This supernova was observed in 1987 at a calculated distance of 167,000 light years. Other supernovas have been observed at up to a distance of 10B light years. This indicates a universe history of more than 10B years.
To validate this event history, let's take an event of Earth's geological history, the meteoric crater in New Mexico. It can be shown by evidence, that is, the fact of the crater, and the fact that pieces of meteor were found in the center of the crater, that it was a historical event. IOW, God didn't create the Earth 6k years ago with the form of the crater intact as is, with pieces of meteor in it, as if appearing like there was an event when in fact the event never actually happened.
In the same way, when Adam was created, he didn't have scars from cuts and scrapes as if he had 20 years of experience trimming trees and brush, when in fact it was his first day of existence.
With that said, it is reasonable to assume that if some event is observed at a calculated distance of 10B light years, that the event actually did happen 10B years ago. People who try to work around this issue trying to make a 10B year universe history to look more like 6k years usually are not taking into account the necessary stability of the universe for life as we know it to exist in it.
The only work around I've come up with so far is to reject the traditional literal interpretations of Gen. 1. I do not see that chapter as a historical narrative. I do not see that chapter as a scientific account of how God did it. I see the statement "God created the world and everything in it in 6 days" as a religious statement, not a scientific one. I think Gen. 1 was written to contradict ancient Near-East myths about origins. I think that Gen. 1 is an accommodation to man's perspective at that time, as this is the most viable explanation so far. To poke attempts at making it a modern science textbook is, IMO, a fool's errand. I interpret Gen. 1 as an allegory (for lack of a better term). I think it is not to say how God created things scientifically, but THAT He created it is the thrust of the narrative. I think that those who impose a Western scientific paradigm on that chapter is doing everyone a disservice.
So, I am a skeptic concerning YECism. If anyone can show a reasonable scientific hypothesis that Gen. 1 should be interpreted literally, by presenting a viable hypothesis solving the light travel time issue, then I am open to reading it. If you want to show me a link to an ICR or AIG article, or something similar, I'm open to reading it, but chances are that I will find a fundamental problem with the hypothesis, and respond by showing why that hypothesis is not viable.
Again, the question: how to resolve the light travel time problem?
This question I have asked numerous times, and no one has yet to give a satisfactory answer. The only answer I received in a forum was a sarcastic one, which doesn't help. The question is, how to resolve the light travel time problem? But before you answer, I should let you know I've already done research on the subject and read possible solutions by people like ICR and AIG, and such as at this link:
Solving the Light Travel Time Problem
An overview of the light travel time problem, how different biblical creationists have addressed it, and the dasha solution to the problem
answersingenesis.org
The issue has to do with the event history of supernovas observed in the past century. The most famous one (SN1987A) has been discussed around this issue in several circles. This supernova was observed in 1987 at a calculated distance of 167,000 light years. Other supernovas have been observed at up to a distance of 10B light years. This indicates a universe history of more than 10B years.
To validate this event history, let's take an event of Earth's geological history, the meteoric crater in New Mexico. It can be shown by evidence, that is, the fact of the crater, and the fact that pieces of meteor were found in the center of the crater, that it was a historical event. IOW, God didn't create the Earth 6k years ago with the form of the crater intact as is, with pieces of meteor in it, as if appearing like there was an event when in fact the event never actually happened.
In the same way, when Adam was created, he didn't have scars from cuts and scrapes as if he had 20 years of experience trimming trees and brush, when in fact it was his first day of existence.
With that said, it is reasonable to assume that if some event is observed at a calculated distance of 10B light years, that the event actually did happen 10B years ago. People who try to work around this issue trying to make a 10B year universe history to look more like 6k years usually are not taking into account the necessary stability of the universe for life as we know it to exist in it.
The only work around I've come up with so far is to reject the traditional literal interpretations of Gen. 1. I do not see that chapter as a historical narrative. I do not see that chapter as a scientific account of how God did it. I see the statement "God created the world and everything in it in 6 days" as a religious statement, not a scientific one. I think Gen. 1 was written to contradict ancient Near-East myths about origins. I think that Gen. 1 is an accommodation to man's perspective at that time, as this is the most viable explanation so far. To poke attempts at making it a modern science textbook is, IMO, a fool's errand. I interpret Gen. 1 as an allegory (for lack of a better term). I think it is not to say how God created things scientifically, but THAT He created it is the thrust of the narrative. I think that those who impose a Western scientific paradigm on that chapter is doing everyone a disservice.
So, I am a skeptic concerning YECism. If anyone can show a reasonable scientific hypothesis that Gen. 1 should be interpreted literally, by presenting a viable hypothesis solving the light travel time issue, then I am open to reading it. If you want to show me a link to an ICR or AIG article, or something similar, I'm open to reading it, but chances are that I will find a fundamental problem with the hypothesis, and respond by showing why that hypothesis is not viable.
Again, the question: how to resolve the light travel time problem?