If the Universe was created in 4004 BC why can we see stars that are more than 7000 light years away?

Question

Archbishop Ussher claimed the world was created in 4004 BC using geneologies in the Bible. This puts the Earth's age at 6010 years. Why can we see stars that are more than 7000 light years away if their light hasn't had enough time to get here yet?

Answer 1

I never thought I'd see Zefram Cochrane's and Captain America's avatars together on the same page (in my lifetime.)

If this isn't proof of god, what else does one need!!!

Answer 2

The Bible did not say the universe was created in the year 4004 BC. There was already the planet and there was water on the planet where the Spirit of God was hovering.

It was the surface of the planet which was created by God in the beginning. But the rest of the planet must certainly have been there much longer than that. There are even stars further away than just 7000 light years away. Even astronomers with their most modern telescopes still could not see the end of the universe. New stars or even galaxies kept on being discovered.
The book of Genesis did not mention about the creation of the other parts of the universe. It is only an account of our planet and the inhabitants.

Answer 3

Without using the bible this answer just needs common sense. Whats to say the "light" of the stars 7000 light years away had not been passing by here BEFORE Earth was created? A planet does not need to be created or formed before light decides to start it's journey to earth. Also, the light could have been traveling for 3000 light years right when the earth was created, so that would also tie in.

Answer 4

In my opinion, the way it is written in the Bible was in easier terms so that our primitive ancestors could understand the concept of time and creation. I mean imagine G-d trying to explain lightyears, supernovas, evolution, an ancient world etc...to Moses or Adam.
Of course, now that we are so scinetifically advanced, we can actually understand how complex the universe is.
To anyone who would say that the universe was created in a "mature state" that is not so, the Universe was not created, it has always existed.
Although I believe that G-d did in fact create Earth a billion years ago, the number 4,000 BC as a creation of the Universe could actually mean the creation of the human experience IN the universe, we are a very young race.

Answer 5

Archbishop Ussher and the Bubba Preachers of the world had better hear your wake-up call.

They can peddle that nonsense to me. I will simply smile and forgive them for their insecurities. I am already a Christian, a born again Christian. I don't need any fairy tales added to the Bible to convince me to have faith in Jesus, or God, or the Holy Spirit. I have faith because of a physical, mental, and emotional visit from the Holy Spirit. (I could tell you how to get it. But you probably are not interested, cause misinterpreters of the bible have made you lose faith in the Bible.)

But more and more scientific discoveries reveal not there was no creator or outside source involved.

Science does not prove that God did not and does not exist. Science proves that God as described by the un-biblical preaching of Bubba Preachers, the God that they describe does not exist. (this needs some clarification. But I am sure you get the point.)

Scientific discoveries and fossil records simply prove that we have added fairy tales of awe to Bible scriptures, not blatant lies, but rather accidental lies that come about in our conclusions and interpretation of for example what moses could understand from God 3500 years ago.

Simplisitcally: A day was a stage or eon of time, not limited to a 24 hour period.

Adam and Eve were the first of Moses ancestors, not neccessarily the first of all the Earth.

Noah's world was flooded, not the whole world. "But, to Noah, it was the whole world". (Historians said that Alexander the Great conquered the world, but what they were referring to was the known world.)

The 4,002 or whatever is the lineage of Adam to Jesus, not the first hominid to Jesus, and not the first China human or hominid to whoever.

For example: Evolution is not a theory. It is a process. God as described in the original bible text could have easily seeded this planet 550 million years ago. (Fossil records call this the explosion of life on Earth).

Then he, God, could have come here 4.000 years ago and simply mutated one of his previously seeded and evloved hominids and called him Adam for the Jews. The very next week God Could have done the same for China. or whereever. I am not saying it happened that way, But the Bible does not refute such. And if the Bubba Preacher wants to Say God didn't do it that way, cause God didn't understand Evolution. Well, then the Bubba Preacher is a moron.

Answer 6

I've heard one theory that makes a ton of sense, that to God he created the universe in 6 days, but to us it is billions of years. It has to do with the doppler effect. Unfortunately I can't think of they guy's name who came up with this theory.

This is really hard to explain without a picture, but I will try.

Imagine you standing still, and a firetruck is coming at you. The sound of the siren will sound different because the sound waves are being compressed together as it comes towards you, and stretched as it passes you and you are behind it. That's the doppler effect, very very simply.

Now imagine the siren is not moving, but you are. It would sound the same way: if you are moving towards it, the waves would be compressed, if you are moving away, they would be lengthened. (Draw it out. You are the stick figure, a round circle is the siren, little ear-shaped things are the waves. They are closer together when compressed. It makes more sense in pictures.)

Now imagine instead of the siren in one place, you have God, and instead of the sound of the siren, you have the 6 days of creation. To God, it is 6 days. The siren is going wee-oo-wee-oo-wee-ooo ...

But to us, who are moving away from the start of time (creation, and yes we are, we're not moving back towards then!) the "sound waves" are lengthened, and it is billions of years. The siren is going wee .... .... .... ooo ............... wee ................. ooo ............ wee ................ oooo .........

So the universe IS old enough for that. But also, it is only 6000 years (give or take some, I'd give more than 10 years though) to God. So that's why.

Answer 7

Okay, here you go, from one who loves God, rocks and the study of Geology.
I believe this planet to be at least four and a half billion years old.
As science teaches us.
I believe God, from Genesis 1:1 did create what we have on the surfafe of the Earth in 6 days and He rested on the seventh day.
I believe the UNIVERSE is BILLIONS and BILLIONS of years old and just keeps on expanding as God set it all in to motion to work that way.
Now I have a wonderful link for you that will help you understand some of this a little better terminology, as I do not claim to have the right words.
The site is: Christian Geology Science and Scripture.
the link is:
http://www.kjvbible.org/theworlds.html
Enjoy it, it is full of much sensible material.
From Scripture, and Geological sciences.
DJH

Answer 8

SHHHHHHHHHH! Shhht!

Shh.

But then again, the universe could be older than the earth (in reality it is). Those stars God made would have been emitting light in the direction of earth long before the earth itself was ever created. Sorry, I'm an atheist, but this one can be explained. That light would be hitting this spot right now whether earth was here or not.

The earth could be 6000 yrs old and those stars could be billions of years old. Though, that's complete nonsense. But anyway.

Answer 9

Think about it. If God created the earth and the sun and the stars, etc., don't you think light could be here? He is all powerful. Remember, there was light when he said...

Answer 10

That is an easy one. The Universe that we know has been around for billions of years. Archbishop Ussher and his ilk are charlatans who know nothing of science or God for that matter.

Answer 11

Because the universe was obviously not created 6000 years ago. Dark Age monks using the bible as science does not make truth. All a person has to do is read their bible and they'd see that even the lineages of Jesus were different dependent on who wrote them. Not only is the bible not a reliable source of history, but it's obviously not a reliable source of science.