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I am trying to figure out what denominations hold the 6000 year Earth belief to be true? Is it your belief or is taught by your denomination?
It is my belief that the earth is several billion years old. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has no official doctrine on the age of the Earth, only that God is the Creator.
Tell me where Jesus actually taught anything about the earth's age.
Mark 10:6 (NIV) - 6 “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ <emphasis mine>
This is a statement of Jesus' taken from his teaching about marriage... why there is marriage and why it is between a man and woman. Notice the wording I highlighted - "at the beginning". He didn't say "sometime after the beginning" or "many ages after the creation" He said "at the beginning". So, when was the beginning?
That, according to this thread, depends on who you listen to, who you believe. There are those that believe in millions and billions of years of history until the rise of man via God or evolution or a combination thereof. However, that would mean millions/billions of years before humans even entered the picture. Humans purportedly showed up ~100,000 years ago, long after the universe began and the earth was formed and long after many, many, many species lived and died. Well, to me is not "at the beginning". That's sometime long after the beginning.
My belief is "at the beginning" is as described in Genesis and can be understood clearly from a plain reading of the text. Don't bring pre-concieved notions to the bible. Read what the bible tells us. The beginning was the sixth day of creation. Jesus is even quoted as using the terminology from Genesis 1. Jesus is confirming the accuracy of Genesis by using it as a reference for teaching. Jesus confirms other parts of Genesis as well, but that is another posting.
So how do we know when the sixth day of creation was? The bible provides the information in the geneologies contained within Genesis. There have been several calculations made regarding the geneologies, adding the ages of the patriarchs, going all the way back to Adam. This is working from known dates, such as the exodus, etc. They get roughly ~6,000 to at the very most (giving consideration to arguments for 'gaps' in the geneologies) ~10,000 BC as when Adam was created by God. So, for me, the earth is ~ 6,000 yrs + 6 days old.
I know, I know, then we get into the arguments that a "day" in Genesis is not a regular, 24-hour "day" as we understand it. Well, I don't buy that argument either and disagree. I believe the days of creation were regular, 24-hour earth days. But that's another posting.
mams1559, I never noticed that before about what Jesus said in Mark 10! That's awesome. Good work by the way in that last posting, keep it up. God's plan for humanity revolves around the way He created the earth. 6 days we work, 7th day we rest. God works for 6 thousand years, on the 7th thousand years God rests. That's why satan is locked away for a thousand years because God doesn't work on His rest day. Earth is around 5,993 years old. Get ready...
Mark 10:6 (NIV) - 6 “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ <emphasis mine>
Creation of what? Looks like the only thing mentioned in this verse with a beginning is "them." Similar to Mt 19:4, apparently he is teaching that it has never been, is not, and never will be God's plan that man not be male and female, nor that they would practice separation from each other. That's the point - not a statement on the age of the earth. It doesn't matter what the creator did before He created man, only that from the first creation of man until now and until the end of man on this earth, God has created man to be male and female, and married - it has always been the plan. Looks like a heavy application of eisegesis to finally get around to the conclusion that Jesus was a YEC. That just seems like a real stretch. But of course YMMV. Even at best this old argument (yes, Preppy, it has been circulating for quite a while) for YECism is inconclusive.
Creation of what? Looks like the only thing mentioned in this verse with a beginning is "them." Similar to Mt 19:4, apparently he is teaching that it has never been, is not, and never will be God's plan that man not be male and female, nor that they would practice separation from each other. That's the point - not a statement on the age of the earth. It doesn't matter what the creator did before He created man, only that from the first creation of man until now and until the end of man on this earth, God has created man to be male and female, and married - it has always been the plan. Looks like a heavy application of eisegesis to finally get around to the conclusion that Jesus was a YEC. That just seems like a real stretch. But of course YMMV. Even at best this old argument (yes, Preppy, it has been circulating for quite a while) for YECism is inconclusive.
Not "Creation of what?" as you state, but "at the beginning of creation". What is the creation? Everything is the creation... us, the earth, the universe, everything. Clearly when someone says "the creation" we all understand what that means. So I don't believe it to be a stretch that Jesus is saying from the beginning of the creation God created man and woman.
I understand Jesus is not specifically directing his comments to the age of creation. I even said this is his statement as regards marriage. I'm pointing out that God has said "at the beginning" man and woman were created ... not millions of years after the beginning.
It is not I utilzing eisegesis to believe in YEC. It is others using eisegesis to believe the bible allows for millions/billions of years.
Not "Creation of what?" as you state, but "at the beginning of creation". What is the creation? Everything is the creation... us, the earth, the universe, everything. Clearly when someone says "the creation" we all understand what that means. So I don't believe it to be a stretch that Jesus is saying from the beginning of the creation God created man and woman.
I understand Jesus is not specifically directing his comments to the age of creation. I even said this is his statement as regards marriage. I'm pointing out that God has said "at the beginning" man and woman were created ... not millions of years after the beginning.
It is not I utilzing eisegesis to believe in YEC. It is others using eisegesis to believe the bible allows for millions/billions of years.
See, it is inconclusive. But I understand. However, I see it as eisegesis and a big tree you go around to get that conclusion when it is not really spelled out in that verse. I see it as adding from just creation of the only thing mentioned in that verse (man) to get creation of everything (an extrapolation). As always, YMMV.
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Am I right?
