Exploring Earth Creationist Claims for the Age of the Earth :: Creationism Science Essays

The relative age of the earth is not much seen as a topic of controversy. Much of the scientific data promulgated in school textbooks and taught to students indicate an age on the order of billions of years. Radiometric go out, as well as geological rock studies, have been used as evidence to software documentation such a large expanse of time. However, a small but determined minority, mostly composed of fundamentalist Christians, has been vehemently challenging this age. These so-called creation-scientists have disputed the evidence in support of a raw earth. They have added their own measurements and observations, as well as interpreted other scientists data, in an attempt to convince others of the possibility and ultimately, the righteousness of a young earth, one that is no more than 6,000 to 10,000 years old. The young earth idea has its roots in the Bible. If the lineages and families were traced back from known dates in the not-to -distant past, the creation of the world by the eternal Creator would have been close to 4000 B.C. Because these creationists call their endeavors scientific, the question arises as to their method for making the claim of a young earth. Creation-science discussions of the age of the earth usually contain several ideal items. The first is usually a criticism of the standard evolutionist methods for age determination, radiometric dating. Radiometric dating is the process of determining the age of a substance based on the ratio of isotopes in a given sample. The number of protons in the sum of an atom defines a particular element. However, the number of neutrons in the nucleus keep vary, giving rise to different isotopes of the same element. Some of these isotopes are stable, piece others are not. These unstable isotopes radioactively downslope to more stable, often brightness level elements, called daughter atoms, thereby releasing energy in the fo rm of high-voltage particles or electromagnetic waves. A particular isotope will have a characteristic half-life, based on the time that it takes for half of the population of the isotope to decay into the daughter elements.