Christianity and carbon dating?

Question

Christians (most) dn't believe in evolution coz according to them the earth is only some thousand years old. And that carbond dating is inaccurate!

So explain how you know that the gospels are from the time which they claim to be?Didn't they carbon date the gospels?And if not, how do you know that the "date" of the gospel isn't a fake or that the gospel isn' a "knock-off" copy?

Answer 1

The majority of Christians do accept evolution. The late Pope John Paul II, leader of one billion Catholics, even wrote an encyclical on the subject. See the wikipedia article
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolution_and_the_Roman_Catholic_Church

Mainstream Protestants also have no real problems with evolution.

It is only the loud, far right wing of evangelicals who insist the first 11 chapters of Genesis are literally true, as absolute scientific fact. This group does NOT represent the majority of Christians.

Answer 2

Thanks for the good question!

Just a point - Carbon Dating isn't used to date the Earth, the half-life is way to short to start with. Uranium-Lead and Potassium-Argon dating of minerals are the main 2 techniques (among many others) that are used. These two radiometric methods, using different isotopes with different half-lives and hence different logarithmic decay curves, converge on the same ages. This would be mathematically impossible if there was a problem.

But of course immoral Creationist propagandists never mention the real methods that are used to date the earth. Wonder why?

(not that there are real problems with Carbon-dating - every scientist knows that it can't be used in some circumstances, shadow_wings83 deceptive 1981 quote-mine or not)

Answer 3

Good question.
I do believe in evolution (not the "we evolved from apes" evolution, but the "gradual changes within species" evolution), AND that the Earth is quite possibly as old as scientists believe it is.
Now, as for the gospels, those are corroborated by other things throughout history, even secular accounts. Also, even though the gospels have been copied many times, the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls proved that they had been translated correctly.

Answer 4

Robert Lee summed up the reasons behind the controversy over the Carbon dating method in his article "Radiocarbon, Ages in Error," published in the Anthropological Journal of Canada: "The troubles of the radiocarbon dating method are undeniably deep and serious. Despite 35 years of technical refinement and better understanding, the underlying assumptions have been strongly challenged, and warnings are out that radiocarbon may soon find itself in a crisis situation. Continuing use of the method depends on a 'fix-it-as-we-go' approach, allowing for contamination here, fractionation here, and calibration whenever possible. It should be no surprise, then, that fully half of the dates are rejected. The wonder is, surely, that the remaining half come to be accepted. …No matter how 'useful' it is, though, the radiocarbon method is still not capable of yielding accurate and reliable results. There are gross discrepancies, the chronology is uneven and relative, and the accepted dates are actually selected dates"

Hope this helps.

Be Blessed and Blessed Be

Answer 5

Actually, Christians (most) do believe in evolution. The Catholic church accepted the idea as plausible in the 1950s, and Catholics represent 52% of all Christians. Other progressive denominations likely count for an additional 10-12%.

Christianity depends on Jesus. Not a young Earth. So why evolution is supposed to represent a challenge to Christianity is not entirely clear to me.

Answer 6

No, it has no longer. i do no longer understand why human beings nevertheless think of that in simple terms because of fact the bible isn't a clinical textbook and is largely allegorical (and the 6000 years previous isn't interior the bible, it quite is actual), that the inaccuracies in it, that have been consistent with the ideals of the present day societies of the area. proves something. learn background, no longer technological know-how. Judaism and Christianity are amalgams of assorted present day religions. The present day evidence for various stuff interior the bible (the two testaments) is largely lacking. If one have been to heavily question Judaism/Christianity, you would be greater desirable recommended to look on the background. i'm agnostic, individually. yet attempting to disprove Christianity via carbon relationship is a lazy and intellectually cheating ideas-set. advantages on your journey!

Answer 7

According to science, carbon dating breaks down around the time of the 13th century or so.
The theory of Evolution is one the biggest jokes ever played on mankind. If you believe in Evolution, then Santa is coming to your house on Dec 25, no foolin'
I Cr 13;8a
10-13-6

Answer 8

The books have been in a printed form from approx. the time we attribute them too

The carbon dating, well, I have read ( in science journals mind you) that LIVING trees have been carbon dated to be millions of years old.
So......whether it is a inacurate test or that particular test was done wrong........who knows.........but the fact is, it isn't reliable

Answer 9

christianity and corbon dating may not match but Hinduism and corbon dating do match .check the link

http://www.google.co.in/search?hl=en&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=mahayuga&spell=1

christianity is not a religion of science but hinduism is.

http://www.hinduwisdom.info/Advanced_Concepts.htm

Answer 10

fundamentalist christians will always find a way to disprove it using pseudo-science.

peeps, please don't let religion get in the way of science and progress, like it did in the dark ages