Is believing in a 6,000 year old Earth important to Christians?

Question

I've read statments made by Christians that are disturbing. One recent one was made by "ESTHER". I know Esther is a believer, but she just wrote it doesn't matter whether you believe the Earth is 6,000 years old or not, but whether you believe in Jesus.
Ultimately she's right, our Salvation comes from our Lord and Master. But Geneisis is the foundation to the whole Gospel. We cannot chose what parts of the Bible we want to believe.
If science is right, and the world is billions of years old, than pain, suffering and death came before sin. Genesis 1:31, God says everything is good. Would a worl of death and disease be good? The Bible clearly teaches that because of Adam's sin, death entered the world. The Bible also says that God will return to restore the world to a pre-sin state. Would God set up a Paradise where there is disease and blood shed? Gen 3 also says that animals and humans were vegitarians.
Christians cannot believe in evolution, they are opposed to each other.

Answer 1

You've stated the problem of not believing in a 6,000 year time frame for Earth. When Atheist say that humans evolved from a lower form a primate, they're calling God a liar. Genesis says that God made man in His image. The Bible didn't say that God started with pond scum, and let man evolve into His image.
It was in Genesis chapter 3 that God said all animals and humans were vegetarians, and it wasn't until Genesis 9:3, that God said that eating flesh was allowed. Scientist say that dinosaurs ate meat for billions of years, calling the Bible wrong.
According to the Bible, nothing died until Adam's sin, Genesis chapter three. One thing is common about fossils, they're all dead, which means they came after Genesis chapter three.
As for Christians believing Genesis, Jesus quoted from Genesis a number of times, so He believed it was true. Are you going to believe Genesis, or call Jesus a liar. Every major doctrine in the Bible has it's roots in the first 11 chapters of Genesis. Sin came into the world in Genesis. Genesis gives the plan for redemption. Marriage is instituted in Genesis. Our life with Jesus in Heaven comes from Genesis.
If a Christian doesn't believe in Genesis, they destroy the whole foundation of their faith. And it all starts with believing in a 6,000 year Earth.

Answer 2

Most Christians, including Catholics, do not take the stories of creation in the Bible literally. They believe the book of Genesis tells religious truth and not necessarily historical fact.

The religious truth is that God created everything and declared all was good.

Catholics can believe in the theory of evolution. Or not. The Church does not require belief in evolution.

The Church supports science in the discovery of God's creation. At this time, the theory of evolution is the most logical scientific explanation. However tomorrow someone may come up with a better idea.

As long as we believe that God started the whole thing, both the Bible and modern science can live in harmony.

With love in Christ.

Answer 3

This is a big problem, you cant pick and choose what to believe in the bible, either take it as it is or admit that you're wrong.