Are Christians supposed to believe that Radiocarbon dating is flawed?

Answer 1

Considering evolution is actually religious dogma for 55% of Christians, and the vast majority of the other 45% accept evolution, I would say that's a "no."

Are non-Christians supposed to believe that all Christians are Creationists? You need to realize that this forum is frequented by a very small, and very radical band of the Christian population. (Because they happen to live in a part of the world that has easy access to personal computers and the internet.)

Answer 2

Radiocarbon dating is a tool. It isn't perfect, but helps establish theories for further testing. Christians love to point out that it is flawed and will often use this as proof scientists don't know what they are talking about when it comes measuring the age of the earth . Unfortunately, Christians who believe the earth is 6000 years old never discuss the other methods scientists use.

Answer 3

Well I personally believe the Earth is BOTH just over 5000 years old AND over 5 BILLION years old. AT THE SAME TIME! It is like the whole travelling at the speed of light! You can be on that ship going for that speed for a year round trip. When you come back, although you have only aged ONE year, those you knew have aged ell over 50 YEARS! How is this possible? Because time is a matter of perspective! Look back on YOUR life. Doesn't it seem you were 'just' a kid looking forward to a big holiday? When you WERE that age, didn't becoming thirty seem like a LIFETIME or more away? I just had my 20 year high school reunion a couple of years ago and I could NOT believe it had been 20 years! What happened? Time amount of minutes didn't change, it was the same amount of time, the sun rose and set as many times as it always does, but when I graduated it seemed 20 years was a loooong way away! When I got the notice to come to the reunion, it seemed too fast! I can't even remember HALF of the jobs I have had over those years, and when I attempt to put them in order, I have trouble doing so! I can't wait for the next 20 years because I just can't imagine it for being so far away!

Answer 4

Radiocarbon dating is flawed because it is based on assumptions that can not be proven. However, it is the best tool of this type that is available and people just have to take it's findings with a grain of salt and realize that it might not be entirely accurate all of the time.

Answer 5

once you're saying "radiocarbon relationship", you're speaking approximately carbon-14 which a radioactive isotope of carbon. That has a a million/2 existence of 5730 years. There are different radioactive isotopes with longer decay costs, basically look them up. You even mentioned radiometric relationship, which potential you recognize there are distinctive the style to degree time. So particularly what occurs is you discover distinctive rocks that have distinctive isotopes and that' s why the dates exchange. as long as distinctive ones are got here across/printed, the date will exchange. it is common technology discovery.

Answer 6

I've read all these posts--it's obvious that a tiny bit of knowledge is dangerous lol. Obviously all of these posts as far as I can tell--pick and choose. AS a chemist I use a mass spectrometer ever day. this instrument lets a chemist look at how a molecule falls apart my letting us know what mass the various fragments are. In living systems you always see three traces for every organic fragment corresponding to those containing carbon 12, those containing carbon 13, and those containing carbon 14. In motor oil you only see two--those containing carbon 12 and carbon 13. Why is this. Because in the upper atmosphere cosmic rays constantly bombard the carbon dioxide, and create the radioisotope carbon 14. Living systems (plants) take in carbon dioxide and in doing so they also take in carbon 14 carbon dioxide. The amount of c14 in the atmosphere is fixed, it does not vary, therefore as long as the plant is alive--it has a stable percentage of carbon 14 carbon in it. When it dies, it no longer takes in carbon dixoide. Carbon 14 undergoes a radioactive decay with a half life of about 5000 years. This half life can be measured with mathematical precision. What that means is that in 5000 years, half of the original carbon14 is decayed--gone. in 10,000 years 3/4 of it is gone. This is why C-14 dating is good only for about <50,000 years--the amounts left in organic carbon older than that--are very difficult to measure. Who ever said someone used radiocarbon dating for a 44,000,000 year old sample was flat out lying--this technique can not be used past 50,000 years or so with any accuracy. The tehcnique has error bars on it of generally +/- 500 years or so. We can say for example that mastadon ivory is 35,000 yrs old +/- 1,000 years--and the statistics tell us that when we run those samples 99.7% of the time we will come up with numbers in that range, 99.997% of the time we will come up with numbers in the range of +/- 1500 yrs--and so on. Therefore--to say for example that mastadon tusks are 35,000 yrs old +/- 5,000 years as we see on TV is essentially saying there is a 100% surety that these tusks will fall within those dates.

Answer 7

It's plausible considering Genesis' account of a watery expanse that at one time existed above the earth. This watery expanse would definitely render carbon dating useless. Of course, that's not to say that earth is only 6,000 years old.

I believe that the earth is very old, much older than 6,000 years. Each "day" mentioned in Genesis could have been thousands or even millions of years long. In view of what Genesis 2:4 says in referring to all 6 creative days as one day, it's evident that each day in Genesis would an unspecified period of time rather than a simple 24 hour period. Also, the apostle Paul indicated that we are still living in the 7th day. (Hebrews 4:4-11)

Answer 8

It is flawed. At least Carbon-14 dating is. It's a good 2-10% off to start with, but rather than recalculate the figures for every test, they doggedly stick with the original formula.

Good job there's plenty of other isotope dating techniques.

Answer 9

They are supposed to believe what they are told to believe ! Anything else is a test it is only a test if it were real god would have told them so !

Answer 10

Yes.

They have too if they propose that the world is 6000 years old.

Some don't believe in that theory though.

I am thinking of using that belief, the next time I get pulled over for speeding...

But officer, your radar is flawed........