Young Earth Creationism is a theory based on a literal reading
of the Old Testament. Young Earth Creationists maintain that the entire universe
is less than ten thousand years old (a typical estimate is about six thousand
years). They claim that the universe, the earth, and every living species were
created literally as described in Genesis, over a period of six days.
So, according to Young Earth Creationists, the theory of
evolution, which says that new species have evolved over many millions of years,
is false. So are current cosmological theories that say that the universe came into existence several billions
of years ago (between thirteen and fourteen billion years ago).
Young Earth Creationism is popular. Polls fairly consistently
indicate that about 45 percent of US citizens believe it. Nor is it restricted to
the uneducated. A 1972 Gallup poll suggested that about a third of US graduates
believe we are all descendents of Adam and Eve. For many, creationism is a moral
crusade. According to H. M. Morris, a leading proponent, “Evolution is the root
of atheism, of communism, nazism, behaviourism, economic imperialism,
militarism, libertinism, anarchism, and all manner of anti-Christian systems of
belief and practice.” Young Earth Creationists
typically see themselves fighting a battle over the souls of coming generations,
and are particular keen to have their beliefs taught in schools.
Extraordinarily, not only do many millions of Americans
believe the universe is only about six thousand years old, many also believe
that Young Earth Creationism is good science. They consider the biblical account
of creation to be at least as scientifically well confirmed
as the theories of evolution and a billions-of-years-old universe.
How, you may be wondering, can any sane, reasonably
well-educated person believe that Young Earth Creationism is just as
scientifically credible and well confirmed as its more orthodox scientific
rivals? After all, isn't there overwhelming empirical evidence against Young
Earth Creationism? What about the fossil record, which reveals that the species
currently living on this planet have evolved from common ancestors over many
millions of years? And of course, we might add that the fossil record is merely
one piece of evidence for the theory of evolution. The theory is also powerfully
confirmed by, for example, discoveries in genetics (indeed, an overwhelming case
for evolution can now be made without appealing to the fossil record at
all).
Surely there's also a mountain of evidence that the universe
is much older than ten thousand years. For example: What of the light from
distant galaxies, which, given the speed of light, would have taken hundreds of
millions of years to get here (and even that from stars within our own galaxy
can take tens of thousands of years to arrive)?
What of the movement of tectonic plates, which we know to be
very slow but that also have succeeded in separating the Atlantic coasts by
thousands of miles?
What of the seasonal layers of ice found at the poles, the
drilled-out cores of which reveal a seasonal history dating back hundreds of
thousands of years?
What of radio-carbon and other forms of dating that reliably
date objects to be much older than Young Earth Creationists claim they must
be?
What of the chalk beds revealed by the White Cliffs of Dover,
which are over hundreds of meters deep? Under a microscope, chalk is revealed to
be made of the compressed shells of tiny microorganisms. They died, and their
shells sank to the bottom producing a sediment that finally solidified into the
chalk beds we see today. At current rates of deposit, the deepest beds would
have taken tens of millions of years to produce. According to Young Earth
Creationists, the entire universe is less than one-thousandth as old as that.
We might go on and on. There's hardly a branch of science
that doesn't supply us with evidence that the universe is vastly older than
Young Earth Creationists claim it to be. These sciences together provide a
consistent, coherent, and increasingly detailed history of life, the earth, and
the universe that is almost entirely at odds with the biblical account.
How, then, do so many Young Earth Creationists convince
themselves that their theory is not falsified by the empirical evidence? How are
they persuaded that it is in fact scientifically confirmed? Let's begin by
looking at how they approach the fossil record.
