Parable of the candle - should million/billion year dating be taught as fact?

The "you weren't there to see it, so you can't know" argument, if we accept it, refutes ANY explanation of how the world came to be in its present state including religious explanations. You can beleive in a 6000 year old earth because your book says that's true, but I can easily refute it by claiming that a mischievious leprechaun on a pink pony wrote that book to deliberately mislead you....Not that I'm willing to make any bets as to the existance of leprechauns.Edited by aviator79, : No reason given.

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But people walk around stating evolution as fact.

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Evolution is taught as valid theory. In the mind of a scientist, this is the same thing as fact. However, when you say fact, it seems you mean absolute truth.If you mean "should we teach evolution as absolute truth?" I say no. We should teach it and all other scientific theories as theories which are subject to revision in the light of new evidence. But we should definitely be teaching evolution as the process by which all the current plants and animals have arrived in their current forms.The parable of the candle does nothing to discredit evolution any more than it discredits the biblical creation fairytale. The difference is that evolution has a HUGE body of supporting evidence and biblical creation has none.

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A horse has generally the same limb bones as a human, but they have hoofs. Where are the half-foot, half-hoofs now, if evolution existed/still exists? Where are the half-man, half-apes? How come we don't see things with three eyes (if eyes came from freckles). How come all things have eyes on their heads, when people get freckles on their arms. How come things don't have legs on their legs, when people get warts on their legs?

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Have you thought about or researched these questions? Because the answers are readily available to anyone who looks for them. I'll refrain from going off topic here. If you're interested in the answers (I suspect you aren't) Then start a thread in an appropriate forum.Edited by aviator79, : Added quote for clarity

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I think that both evolution and creationism should be taught in school. Then, kids could choose which they wanted to believe. As for the evidence, it has the Bible (and any other ancient writings based on religion). Sure, it may be false, but people thought Homer's Iliad was false, until Troy was found.
Yes, it is a widely accepted theory, but creationism is a widely accepted religion. Most, if not all, of the world's religions have creationism in it. Most, if not all, have a story of a world-wide flood. How is it that around the world, people get the same ideas when they had absolutely now way of communicating through the vast distances?
I think that both evolution and creationism should be taught in school. Then, kids could choose which they wanted to believe. As for the evidence, it has the Bible (and any other ancient writings based on religion). Sure, it may be false, but people thought Homer's Iliad was false, until Troy was found.

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Again off topic, I'd love to reply in an appropriate forum.

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Why do you suspect I'm not wanting answers? I'm open to opposition, but I will not deviate from my beliefs. Not to deviate, but I do want answers.

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Unwillingness to accept contrary evidence = not wanting the answers.

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Back to the topic...

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Yes please

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It is a fact I exist

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Is it? Let me propose an alternative theory. An invisible, silent and odorless, and otherwise undetectable gnome can control minds. This gnome has controlled everyone "you" have ever met into thinking that you exist, even though you in fact, do not. Any evidence of your existance has been placed into people's minds by the gnome.Now I don't believe this theory, but I cannot 100% rule it out. There is ALWAYS uncertainty. Therefore nothing meets your criterion of being completely non-negotiable. The overwhelming body of evidence suggests that you do exist, so I accept it as fact even though I'm not 100% certain. Evolution is analagous to the theory that you exist. Creationism is analagous to the gnome theory.