Home \ Online Books \ The Way it Was

The Age of the Earth

Let us go back to our candle. A close observation shows wax was dripping down the side. Assuming the wax drips at a constant rate, we can determine how long the candle has been burning by measuring the wax drippings every hour. Divide the amount for one hour into the total amount of wax drippings and thus calculate how long our candle has been burning. If we find six hours of wax drippings, it is fairly reasonable to assume the candle has been burning six hours -- provided of course our rate does not change so that we get exactly the same number of wax drippings every hour. Remember, we have made this assumption. We may have problems with it, but it seems reasonable because the people in the room do not breathe out wax and there is no was naturally present. We can be reasonably sure that all the wax came from that decay process. Therefore, since we have six hours worth of wax and the candle burns one inch per hour, the candle was 12 inches high when it was lit.

Our rock has a by-product too. As uranium decays into lead and as thorium decays into lead, they give off helium. As far as we can tell the helium being formed on the earth escapes into the upper atmosphere but is trapped there. Scientists have not shown that helium escapes our atmosphere. We do know that helium is being added to our atmosphere by the solar winds, streams of high velocity charged atoms from the sun. The total amount of helium in our atmosphere today can be accounted for at the present rate of decay of uranium and thorium alone, ignoring other sources, within the last 12,000 years. If helium from the solar wind, meteorites, and other sources is also taken into account, the age becomes even younger. What am I saying? I am saying that scientifically, it is impossible for the earth to be 4 1/2 billion or 6 billion years old on the basis of these dating methods because there is simply not enough helium, not enough by-product present. The total amount can be accounted for within the last 10-12,000 years, which means 12,000 years is a good maximum age four the earth. Remember, too, that we are assuming a beginning with no helium which is unreasonable because helium is the second most abundant element in the universe.

Scientists whose theory of evolution desperately needs a very old earth adopt a set of assumptions which yield a great age for the earth. but again, that is what they are setting out to prove and so that is what they are looking for. They ignore many of the young earth dating methods. One of these methods depends on the nitrate content of the oceans and its rate of flow into the oceans. This ocean nitrate dating method gives a maximum age for the ocean of 13,000 years. Evolutionary scientists also ignore the fact that meteorite dust falls on our planet at such a rate that if it has been falling for 4 1/2 billion years at the same rate, we would be walking at the bottom of a pile of meteorite dust at least 150 feet thick. Obviously we do not find that much dust. Erosion would eventually work it into the earth, but the high concentration of nickel and iron should make it easily identifiable, especially in the oceans. It has not been traced.

Dr. Cook postulates over 100 different evidences that show the earth to be no older that 10,000 to 100,000 years. His personal calculations would indicate that the earth is no older than about 10,000 years at a maximum. Dr. Donald Chittick (Ph.D., Chemistry from Oregon State) also feels the earth is quite young. He says the earth’s age is around 5,000 - 6,000 years but he is willing to allow it to go back a little further in order to fit the Biblical chronology.

There are many evidences for a young earth but we do not hear about them. Why? The various dating methods proposed by the evolutionists support the concept that the earth is old, for unless the earth is old, evolution is impossible. How do they support that? They build a framework of assumptions, fit their numbers into it, and come up with the answers they want. As an illustration, choose any number; add 12 to it; divide by 2; subtract the number you started with from the number you have now and the answer will be 6. We worked out the formula and it provided us with the answer, I supplied a few unknowns in order to provide you with the answer six and regardless of what number you choose in the beginning, six will be the answer. But we have not proven anything, we have simply manipulated numbers to come up with a preconceived answer. In reality we have proven nothing. In the Bible, God tells us that in the beginning He created the heaven and the earth. The beginning was six days before the completion, the days were literal days, and the beginning took place somewhere within the last 6,000 to 12,000 years. Now that we have determined when God created, let us examine what He says He did.