Sunday Walk 71 – Radioisotopes and the Age of the Earth

The Institute for Creation Research finished an eight year project some years ago countering claims that the Earth is billions of years old based on radioisotope dating. Articles by John Baumgardner on carbon-14 dating and Andrew Snelling on radioisotope dating of the Grand Canyon and radiohalos provide an introduction to what they discovered.

Ian Juby’s recent video linked below also summarizes some of this.

For over a hundred years naturalists have attempted to undermine Genesis as history. Christians who accept the naturalist’s worldview think they can add God to deep time, abiogenesis or evolution leaving their Christianity unharmed. What they do, however, is undermine Christianity from within making a similar mistake the Trojans did when they accepted that horse given to them by the Greeks.

Weekly Bible Reading: Zechariah and Malachi
Commentaries: 
David Pawson, Zechariah, Part 58 and Malachi, Part 59, Unlocking the Bible
Bible Project, Zechariah and Malachi
Weekly Torah Readings
14 Tevet, 5782, Vayechi: Parashat Exodus 47:28-50:26; Haftarat I Kings 2:1-12

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Author: Frank Hubeny

I enjoy walking, poetry and short prose as well as taking pictures with my phone.

17 thoughts on “Sunday Walk 71 – Radioisotopes and the Age of the Earth”

  1. Thanks for the great resources. I endeavor to understand this better but some of seems to be “above my pay grade”. I am learning though and appreciate your help.

    What I do know is to believe scripture and the word of God.

    Blessings.

    Liked by 2 people

  2. There are many who will do anything to discredit Christianity, look at how they do not agree with the findings on the Shroud (burial cloth of Christ) The Shroud — >”Many experts have stood by a 1988 carbon-14 dating of scraps of the cloth carried out by labs in Oxford, Zurich and Arizona that dated it from 1260 to 1390, which, of course, would rule out its used during the time of Christ.

    The new test, by scientists at the University of Padua in northern Italy, used the same fibers from the 1988 tests but disputes the findings. The new examination dates the shroud to between 300 BC and 400 AD, which would put it in the era of Christ.

    It determined that the earlier results may have been skewed by contamination from fibers used to repair the cloth when it was damaged by fire in the Middle Ages, the British newspaper reported. The cloth has been kept at the cathedral since 1578.

    He also said his tests also supported earlier results claiming to have found traces of dust and pollen on that shroud that could only have come from the Holy Land.”

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Contamination is the first issue raised when someone does not accept the measurements of a Carbon-14 test. Another problem is that the rate of decay may not be constant.

      Here is a detailed article from Creation Ministries International. The authors do not think the Shroud is authentic: https://creation.com/turin-shroud However, they may be wrong. I disagree with some of the findings of Robert Carter such as his views of the Paluxy footprints, but I am no expert on this.

      The authors write the following about whether it matters if this is authentic or not:

      “Protestants may be least inclined to be biased about the Shroud. Based on the principle of sola Scriptura, Protestants hold the Bible as the sole and highest authority pertaining to faith. Therefore, if the Shroud is real, it is just one more proof that Jesus rose from the dead. But if the Shroud is fake, Protestants lose nothing. Catholic doctrine does not hold to sola Scriptura but also allows for tradition to help form their doctrine. Catholics should lose nothing if the Shroud is not real, as long as they have not gone too far out on a limb in accepting it. The fact of the Resurrection of Jesus is what is at stake, not the Shroud.”

      Admittedly, I know little about the Shroud but what I have researched just now.

      Best wishes, Myrna!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Very recently I carefully watched this video and you should too! This person Barry Schwartz is not Protestant, not Catholic but he is Jewish, it is interesting to hear him since his findings do not boast of Catholic nor Protestant points of view.
        https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#sent/KtbxLxglnPqwrWdhczVcnlZBkpfGkvMmjq?projector=1

        He mentions when his very Jewish mother heard his findings from one of his presentations, he asked her what she thought and she said something profound,”of course, it’s authentic if it was anyone else this cloth would have been long lost.” She was correct in my opinion, just the fact that it is still available after all it went through is a miracle in itself.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. I wasn’t able to open the video. I think it was a link to a mail message. Do you have another link perhaps on YouTube?

          Good point about the survival of the cloth having significance. It could be authentic.

          Liked by 1 person

            1. I just finished watching the video. Barrie Schwortz is convincing.

              I will assume the Shroud is authentic based on this evidence. The part about Jesus having long hair was interesting. I also didn’t realize there was a problem with the blood remaining red on the Shroud.

              What the Shroud provides is material evidence that Jesus existed. I know He did and I know He resurrected from the dead. However, this provides evidence for those who may not accept that.

              Here is the site Schwortz refers to which contains more information: https://shroud.com/

              Thank you for sharing this video, Myrna! This is the first time I heard about Barrie Schwortz.

              Liked by 1 person

  3. There are so many Trojan horses being smuggled into the church as congruent with Biblical teaching, but this is certainly a big one. I noticed in your readings list, you have this: 14 Tevet, 5782, Vayechi. I am so unfamiliar with this, except that it is apparently extra-Biblical Jewish teaching. How have you found it to complement your study?
    Pax,
    Dora

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I have been trying to learn Biblical Hebrew over the past year. I am at the point where I can read some of the Bible. To reinforce that and to try to understand how a Jewish believer sees the Torah I began using the resources at Chabad.org to follow the weekly Torah readings.

      So 14 Tevet 5782 is the Jewish calendar date for this coming Saturday, December 18. During the week prior to this date a Jewish believer is supposed to study that portion of the Torah.

      My original schedule was based on about 100 of David Pawson’s videos. I split them into two per week to cover the Bible in a year. I added the shorter Bible Project commentaries as well.

      I have two Bible readings going on here. One covers the whole Bible while the other focuses on the Jewish Torah cycle to better learn Hebrew.

      Blessings, Dora!

      Liked by 2 people

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