Young earth creationism has a serious problem.
Let's just say it up front, in its present form today with leaders such as Ken Ham, Dr
Jason Lisle, Russell Humphreys and more, spreading bad science and outright false information,
Young Earth Creationism is a cult.
One of the reasons YEC is a cult is because their main leader, Ken Ham, is under the impression
that you can't be a Christian if you don't believe in a 6,000 year old earth.
Now, he will not say that directly, but when he gets pressed on it, his line of reasoning
goes something like this, He'll say, No, you don't have to believe in a young Earth to
be saved, but if you don't take Genesis 1 in it's plain reading, then you don't trust
God and are questioning him, and if people question God then what they are really doing
is questing his authority and if you question His authority, then how can you believe any
of the Bible?
And if you don't believe the Bible, then it only follows, you can't be a Christian.
That same line of reasoning gets into forms online such as Facebook pages where adherents
of young earth creationism wrongly assume if you believe in an old earth and universe,
you don't believe in the Bible, you don't trust God, you question his authority, you
are an evolutionist and some even say you are a pagan, all for believing the Universe
is really 13.7 billion years old.
With years of indoctrination from YEC leaders such as Dr Jason Lisle who actually has made
the audacious claim that a billions of years old universe is really just a pagan idea,
the thinking amongst young earthers is that if you believe in an old universe you therefore
believe in evolution.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=614p6H7evpY
From the start, the old earth position is attacked as being backwards, lacking understanding,
having a twisted worldview and outright pagan.
Go ahead and press young earthers on any age of the universe related matter and you will
see an interesting phenomenon.
Young earthers will believe anything they are told by Answers in Genesis, The Institute
for Creation Research and Ken Ham and if you introduce even the slightest bit of evidence
to suggest the universe is very old, you get labeled as an evolutionist with a twisted
worldview.
What but a cult teaches such nonsense?
One of the well worn tactics of the young earth creationist is to give no direct answers
when asked for specific evidence of their belief in a 6,000 year old Earth or universe.
"Oh yea, well, give me proof for a billion year old universe" is the usual retort from
a YEC adherent when asked to provide a scientific measurement of how they come to the conclusion
of 6,000 years.
By turning the question on it's head and avoiding answering it altogether, they actually think
they have given you an acceptable answer.
If they even had a clue how ridiculous this makes then look.
Bible genealogies will be cited, a frequent article at Answers In Genesis entitled, "The
10 Best Evidences From Science That Confirm a Young Earth" will be linked to but not a
single article gives any measurement that indicates a universe as young as 6,000 years.
Somehow, in the cult programmed mind of a young earth creationist, they think simply
citing an article that indicates a problem with the billion year old universe we are
yet to understand, therefore we have 6,000 years.
A problem with scientists understanding of an aspect of the Sun for instance, is not
a Sun issue, it is proof of a 6,000 year old universe.
To a young earth creationist, if there is less salt than would be expected in the ocean,
it is not a phenomenon to be studied and a solution found, it is by default, proof of
a 6,000 year old universe.
YECs do calculations on blue stars, question the burning of their incredible mass, see
that they burn out quickly, relatively speaking, and go, "oh that's weird, therefore, 6,000
years!"
If you noticed, even the title of the article in itself is propaganda when it says these
evidences from science, "confirm a young earth."
Well no, they may indicate something that needs to be studied further, they may point
out an issue, but they do not confirm anything.
But that doesn't matter because that is how young earth creationists operate.
We are right, you are wrong and you have to believe as we do, otherwise, you are questioning
God and we can't allow that.
And who does that, but a cult.
Young Earth Creationism is a cult and is doing untold damage to Christianity.
In the description bellow, I link to a ministry called Reasons to Believe run by Hugh Ross
that provides a very good, Christian perspective of an old universe.
Thankfully they take real science seriously and don't try to cover it up, they try to
explain it.
It is not a sin to believe in a 13.7 billion year old universe which by the way we observe
by measuring the distance to the farthest objects in
the universe.