 |
Dear
Gramps, My family and I are studying some history in school. We are
confused how the scientific things like carbon dating, dinosaurs, age of
mountain ranges, cavemen, etc. fit into scripture stuff like the creation
and Adam and Eve. How old is the Earth according to scripture? Only a few
thousand years old? Then how can there be dinosaurs and cavemen who lived
millions of years ago? Please
help! We're confused. Thanks, Aubrey, from Oregon |
Dear
Aubrey,
A
very similar question was asked last week. I think the answer to that question
will also answer the questions that you have. Below is the answer from last
week’s question---- I will add, however, a comment on carbon dating, which
may be used for only rather recent geological time estimates. There is a
radioactive isotope of carbon, called carbon 14, (14C). It has a
half-life of 5100 years. That means that for any given amount of 14C,
half of it will have dissipated in 5100 years. 14C is produced by
neutron bombardment of 14N in the atmosphere, and unites with
oxygen to form carbon dioxide, (CO2). Only an extremely small
amount of the carbon in the atmosphere consists of the isotope 14. CO2
from the atmosphere is absorbed into the structure of plants through their
leaves. Scientists can determine the ratio of the radioactive isotope to the
stable isotope, 12C, and from the known rate of decay of 14C,
they can estimate how long ago the plant material was living and absorbing CO2
from the atmosphere.
The
question is, how accurate are the estimates? In the first place, the cosmic
ray flux into the earth’s atmosphere is known to vary. Over the last few
thousand years it has fluxuated a number of times by at least ten percent.
Secondly, the scientists assume that the relative concentrations of the
atmospheric constituents have been constant over the geological time periods
of interest. A number of factors can occur that would alter the atmospheric
composition, which would in turn affect the accuracy of 14C dating.
So, beyond 5000 years or so, I would not give much confidence to the time
estimates based on carbon dating.
---Here
is the response to the earlier question that I mentioned above.
No
time scale for events prior to the Garden of Eden experience are given in the
scriptures. There are some things, however, that we can put together
concerning this period. One, when the earth was created, it was created as a
terrestrial sphere, and did not become a telestial word until Adam and Eve
partook of the forbidden fruit. No time line is given either for the interval
between their partaking of the fruit and their expulsion from the Garden.
Indications are that they were expelled from the Garden near the beginning of
the first thousand years of the earth’s temporal existence, i.e. ~4000 B.C.
Prehistoric
time measurement is to be held in question. One of the reasons for this is
that all scientific conclusions are based on certain assumptions that are not
called into question. These are the “givens” and form the foundation for
the structure of the logic upon which the conclusions are based. They are
called a priori assumptions.
Let’s
examine a few of them upon which scientific time lines are based. The principle
assumption is that the earth has had a benign history. That is, that the
processes that effect the earth’s topology that are prominent in today’s
scientific thinking, i.e., wind, rain, freezing and thawing, imperceptivity slow
drift of the tectonic plates and continental uplift, have always been the major
influences changing the earth, and have always occurred at the same rate that
they do today. This theory is called “uniformitarianism.”
An
opposing theory suggests that the earth has had a cataclysmic history, i.e.,
that the surface of the earth as been abruptly changed by great cataclysmic
events, such as major volcanoes, earthquakes, floods, and impacts by space
debris.
Up
until the time of Sir Isaac Newton the cataclysmic theory held sway, and Newton
was one of its proponents. However, in an epic debate on the subject, the
uniformitarianism theory won the day, and has been accepted by the scientific
world ever since. However, there is some scriptural information, and writings by
the Brethren, in addition to a preponderance of rather recently discovered
information about the history of the earth that strongly supports the
cataclysmic theory.
From
the scriptures— The universal flood that occurred in 2348 B.C. according to
the English Bible, (various sources date the flood anywhere from 2288 to 3246
B.C.); and the division of the earth in the days of Peleg, who was born in 2247
B.C. and lived for 239 years.
From
the writings of the prophets— Brigham Young made this very interesting
statement about the history of the earh in 1874,
“This
earth is our home, it was framed expressly for the habitation of those who are
faithful to God, and who prove themselves worthy to inherit the earth when the
Lord shall have sanctified, purified and glorified it and brought it back into
his presence, from which it fell far into space. . . .
When the earth was framed and brought into existence and man was placed upon it,
it was near the throne of our Father in heaven.
And when man fell . . . the earth fell into space, and
took up its abode in this planetary system, and the sun became our light. When the Lord said—“Let there be light,” there was
light, for the earth was brought near the sun that it might reflect upon
it so as to give us light by day, and the moon to give us light by night. This
is the glory the earth came from, and when it is glorified it will return again
unto the presence of the Father, and it will dwell there, and these intelligent
beings that I am looking at, if they live worthy of it, will dwell upon this
earth” (Journal of Discourses, Vol.17, p.144).
We
understand from Brigham Young that before the fall of man the earth was located
near the celestial throne of God, and that it is a relative newcomer to the our
solar system. Since the scientific community cannot interface with such a
condition, as no physical evidence for it exists, it cannot be a part of their
rationale. However, the prophets have spoken, and we know that their words are
the words of God. So, since the scientific community does not have any
information on the physical conditions of the earth prior to the fall, all of
their time estimates for conditions prior to sometime before 4000 B.C. must be
held in question. We will have no definite information on the history of the
earth and the life that was placed upon it prior to the advent of mortal man
until it is revealed to us by the Lord.
Gramps