quote:
Originally posted by Punisher:
Please do not use phrases like "the fact that coral takes thousands of years", when in fact, we don't know for sure.
How do you know for sure that we don't know for sure? That may seem flippant, but it's a difficult question to answer well.
You are scratching the surface of one of the most thorny issues in the whole debate - what is the nature of scientific evidence and to what extent can current observations be used to infer historical processes?
Do you consider all attempts to infer historical processes from current observations to be unsound by their nature?
If so, do you think this poses a problem for Young Earthers who must still apply their current observations to the past? Your Mount Saint Helens example is a prime case of this.
If you think it is possible to infer historical processes from current observations, what are your criteria for judging whether the inferences are tenable?
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