Hi Rodibidably, and welcome to EvC.
I will give you my answers to your questions, I hope they can help you understand why I believe in creation.
Rodibidably writes:
All Creationists (you believe that "god" create "types" of animals, and that species do not evolve into other species through means of natural selection. You may accept micro-evolution [breeds of dogs can evolve from a single dog type] but you reject macro evolution [dogs, cats, apes, humans, birds, reptiles, etc all evolved from a common ancestor]):
I believe in the beginning God created all the animals, birds, and man from the earth, thus they had a common source.
Micro evolution happens, it has been observed and can be reproduced in tests.
Macro evolution may or may not happen. It has never been observed or reproduced in tests.
Rodibidably writes:
1. How old is the earth (roughly)?
Eternal from the beginning until now in some form. Unless someone has come up with a way matter and energy can come into being.
Rodibidably writes:
2. And how old is the universe?
Created the same day as the earth.
Rodibidably writes:
3. How much have you yourself read or studied the Theory of Evolution?
Enough to know that the ToE has nothing to do with creation of the universe or life. It deals with the process of life evolving after life existed.
Rodibidably writes:
4. Of that reading/studying (if any), how much was reading or studying the works of evolutionary biologists or others who accept evolution as valid (such as Charles Darwin, Steven J Gould, Richard Dawkins, PZ Myers, Eugenie Scott, etc) as opposed to reading anti-evolution sources (such as the Discovery Institute)?
Are you saying that because some people accept evolution as valid, that in and of itself makes evolution a fact?
I have read Darwin's Origin of the Species in which he states on page 490 of the original:
quote:
There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one;
Darwin believed life was breathed into a few forms or at the least into one.
Rodibidably writes:
5. What is the BEST evidence in your opinion that supports the idea of creation? I'm not asking here for "holes" that you feel exist in evolution, but for specific evidence that positively supports creationism.
You are talking about 2 subjects here. Creation is the actual coming into being of something and creationism is the belief of how that creation took place, of which there are many views.
As far as the BEST evidence for creation (coming into being, existence) I think Stephen Hawking gives the BEST evidence. He said:
Here
quote:
In this lecture, I would like to discuss whether time itself has a beginning, and whether it will have an end. All the evidence seems to indicate, that the universe has not existed forever, but that it had a beginning, about 15 billion years ago. This is probably the most remarkable discovery of modern cosmology. Yet it is now taken for granted.
Hawking says the universe had a beginning.
I also like to quote P.J.E. Peebles' Principles of Physical Cosmology page 6: Where he says:
This is roughly 13.7 billion years ago. However it does not start at the beginning of the universe.
Peeble's says( T=10
-43 the earlist time we know anything about) was not the beginning of the universe. Implying there was a beginning to the universe.
Rodibidably writes:
6. What would it take to convince you that evolution is the means by which all species were "created", over the course of billions of years (this could be as simple as "god" telling you personally, or some amount of evidence you'd require)?
Someone to produce the evidence that Darwin said would be there if his theory was correct.
Rodibidably writes:
Old Earth Creationists (you believe that Genesis is not a historical account and accept the age of the universe as being 13-15 billion years old):
Correction. I believe in a universe that is as old as string theorist if not older. I also believe the account given in Genesis is a historical account of creation.
I believe Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. I also believe the record of what happened in that day as recorded in Genesis 2:4 through Genesis 4:26.
Rodibidably writes:
1. What is about evolution that you believe is inconsistent with "god" using it as a means to create new species over millions over years?
God said He formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into him the breath of life. And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air. Now if God formed them and brought them to the first man to name how could they have evolved over millions of years? Either God did it like He said or He didn't do it.
Rodibidably writes:
2. If you accept the age of the earth in billions of years, then do you think that there was one "creation" of animals, and that mankind walked with dinosaurs hundreds of millions of years ago, or were there multiple "creations" and every so often "god" creates a new "type" of animal, with humans being created long after many other species had gone extinct (such as the dinosaurs)?
I could accept any number for the age of the earth that man could come up with. It has changed over the course of time.
I believe there was a day that lasted from Genesis 1:1 that if measured in our frame we call time would be longer than any number you could come up with. During this time the only record of what happened is what we have in Genesis 2:4-4:26, and the rocks themselves. The evening of that day is found in Genesis 1:5 as that evening and the next morning was the first day.
At anytime during this day God could have repopulated the earth with animals as there was many extinction events that occurred. There are many animals that came into being that cannot be accounted for in Darwin's theory of evolution of coming into existence over millions of years.
The first man and or some of his descendants could have walked the earth at the same time as dinosaurs. They could have also been extinct by that time.
The man that was created in Genesis 1:27 was not formed from the dust of the ground but instead was created in the image of God. This was the last creature or thing God created. This man and the man formed in Genesis 2:7 which was the first creature of any kind created, are different people at different times.
Rodibidably writes:
3. If there was ONE creation millions (or billions) of years ago, why does our recorded history only go back a few thousand years (i.e. if we've been this "smart for so long, why did we only start writing things down so recently)?
In my lifetime alone we have gone from writing things down to dictating them into a microphone and putting things on tapes, and other types of media. How long will these last if the earth goes through an extinction event where very little life is left.
Rodibidably writes:
3a. If there were multiple creations over time, how does a "creation" happen, does a new "type" just appear where before there was none (let's use dogs as an example, at some point there were no dogs, but there were many other animals, and then there were dogs, what happened in that moment where dogs were created (were just two created, or many, were all different breeds created at once, or did dobermans and chiwawas, etc come from a single ancestor, etc)?
There was one creation in Genesis 1:1. 2:4-4:26. From that time until now there has only been modifications made. The only modifications we have record of is found in Genesis 1:2-2:3.
A dog is nothing more than a domesticated wolf as they can still interbreed.
Rodibidably writes:
4. Do you find the claims of "young-earthers" to be valid and reasonable claims based on your understanding of holy books and science?
In my opinion they miss the mark. But that is only my opinion, which only matters to me and God. He will be their judge as well as mine.
God Bless,
"John 5:39 (KJS) Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me."
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