Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Age of the earth?

With religion you are started off with a story that someone you don't know wrote a long time ago. There is often zero evidence for any aspect of these stories and of course never any at all for the supernatural elements. Despite this you are not allowed to ask for hard evidence or question any aspect of the story. In fact, disbelief or trying to question any aspect of religion has been rather dangerous to your health during many periods of history. Quite a few people in ancient times were imprisoned, tortured or tied to a pole and set on fire by Christians for such things. Thankfully Christianity has mellowed a bit, but people are still being punished and even killed in Muslim countries for such transgressions.

With science not only are you allowed to question everything it is encouraged and expected. The one caveat being that, like working a math problem out on the blackboard at school, you will be expected to show your work. A theory in scientific terms is not the same thing as a hunch in layman's terms. A scientific theory is supported by very strong evidence that has withstood the test of time. A scientific theory is based on a careful and rational examination of the facts.

Religion is believing a story that has no evidence for it's supernatural claims, cannot be tested for verification, and openly chastises or punishes you for daring to question any of it.

If that sounds no different than a scientific theory to you then our perceptions of the world are just different and there is perhaps no hope of reconciling them.