Rubio: Age of the Earth is "one of the great mysteries"

[Indy Texas]

I want my kids' science class to discuss the merits and drawbacks of Zeus's role in creating lightning and thunder, and the possibility that volcanoes may just be created by the fire from Hephaestus's subterranean blacksmith workshop.

Governor Jindal, where's my voucher?

[DC Al Fine]

I want my kids' science class to discuss the merits and drawbacks of Zeus's role in creating lightning and thunder, and the possibility that volcanoes may just be created by the fire from Hephaestus's subterranean blacksmith workshop.

Governor Jindal, where's my voucher?

Find another 300 in the county that share your views & we'll talk.

[Absentee Voting Ghost of Ruin]

Most Catholics believe in the Big Bang theory. Heck, a Catholic Priest STARTED the Big Bang theory. The Church has no problem with it.

Also, there are no other alternative science-based theories about how/when the universe began. There's just the Big Bang, and a bunch of hypotheses.

Rubio is terribly and shamlessly pandering to the evangelicals in Iowa. It's so transparent.

Mitt 2.0?

Nah, not quite. Even with that interview (although not necessarily that question) he shows at least a little of the self-awareness that Romney was so lacking. That said, pandering to the religious right like he is so obviously doing with this answer could quite easily lead  Rubio down the path to a Romney-style defeat.

And yes, after reading this, I wouldn't ever vote for him either. So that's one white male vote in a swing-state he's already lost.

[Rooney]

"I am more interested in the rock of ages than I am in the age of rocks."

[Mr. Morden]

Should help him in Iowa.  From a poll of Iowa Republicans in 2011:

http://strategicnational.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=2:huckabee-leads-early-among-iowa-caucus-voters&Itemid=441

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[Indy Texas]

I want my kids' science class to discuss the merits and drawbacks of Zeus's role in creating lightning and thunder, and the possibility that volcanoes may just be created by the fire from Hephaestus's subterranean blacksmith workshop.

Governor Jindal, where's my voucher?

Find another 300 in the county that share your views & we'll talk.

So finding 300 other people who believe the same thing you do is the threshold that divides unadulterated bullsh*t from taxpayer-funded bullsh*t?

[Gass3268]

People that don't believe in evolution and the fact that the earth is 4.54 billion years old make fellow educated Christians and I look bad. It's pretty annoying.

[pbrower2a]

Is it alright with you all if I and other Christian members of this forum ridicule an atheist candidate for expressing a view that God does not exist? I reckon it wouldn't be... but I would not do so, because a candidate's views on issues like these are distractions from the issues at hand.

Your choice, I suppose. That said, anyone who still believes that the overwhelming evidence of life, the Earth, and the universe being far older than a few thousand years old is a fool. The fossil and geological record, and even genetics affirm that Darwin got it right.

It might be unsettling to believe that the first chapters of Genesis is not the last word on how the Universe, the Earth, and life came into existence... but even the obvious classifications of life suggest a shared origin between, for example, cats and dogs. The only way in which the Genesis chronology can be right is if God created a universe roughly 6000 years old (there are different estimates) with the forgery of geological and astronomical evidence that much is older.

If I am to attribute to any God the creation of the Universe, than part of that creation is the physical and mathematical laws by which the universe operates.   Such includes the properties of fundamental units of matter and energy, the speed of electromagnetic radiation in a vacuum, the attractive power of matter called gravitation, the binding curve of energy in matter, periodicity among the chemical elements, and the rigid rules of arithmetic and geometry.  One can say with complete confidence that 5 + 6 = 11, that the two lightest elements are gases at all but the lowest temperatures, and that nuclear fusion in stars stops at iron. The universe would be far different if the first atomic shell filled after four or six electrons or if the binding curve of energy  reached its low point in calcium or zirconium instead of iron -- something in which conscious life might never form.    

 

[Maxwell]

Very Iowa answer.

[BlueSwan]

He might as well have called childbirth "one of the great mysteries". We really don't know how these women end up pregnant. Maybe it's a divine intervention? Maybe it happens when they take a sh**t? We sure know it doesn't happen as a result of rape.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

"I am more interested in the rock of ages than I am in the age of rocks."

See that's what he should have said, to justify saying that science types should put together science curricula.

[DemPGH]

Aww, he didn't pay attention in science class. It was probably too boring for him.

One of the reasons why these guys are scary is they don't think anything of simply ignoring information that they don't like or that runs counter to what some holy book says.

[Mr. Morden]

He might as well have called childbirth "one of the great mysteries".

I think the biggest mystery of all is mankind.

Maybe in order to understand mankind, we have to look at the word itself: "Mankind". Basically, it's made up of two separate words - "mank" and "ind". What do these words mean? It's a mystery, and that's why so is mankind.

What were we talking about?

[Zioneer]

"I am more interested in the rock of ages than I am in the age of rocks."

Basically, as a self-described secular religious person, that's how I treat it. I believe in both God and the "billions of years" thing, but I don't see the age of the Earth as particularly important to religious matters.

[Reaganfan]

"I am more interested in the rock of ages than I am in the age of rocks."

Basically, as a self-described secular religious person, that's how I treat it. I believe in both God and the "billions of years" thing, but I don't see the age of the Earth as particularly important to religious matters.

I thought his answer was perfect. Not dismissing obvious science but mentioning God's work in the mysteries of the universe. All the bases covered.

[DemPGH]

For the record, Charles Lyell is to Geology what Charles Darwin is to Biology. Lyell started publishing his theory on an "old Earth" and the evidence for it (Lyell thought the Earth underwent gradual changes as opposed to sudden upheavals) between 1830 and 1833. He revised his work periodically after 1833, called The Principles of Geology. He was Darwin's very chief influence. Darwin correctly surmised that Lyell's approach could be applied to biological life, and if you think the Church bureaucrats got pissed at Darwin, they really did at Lyell.

Up until the late 18th century the Earth was very commonly believed to be between 4,000 and 5,000 or so years old. The Bible never outright says this, but many theologians over the centuries have tried to count generations that the Old Testament accounts for in order to arrive at that figure. Which would be like using the collected stories of King Arthur to try to rewire your house.

[Skill and Chance]

I really hope he ends up running against Hickenlooper (former geologist) now.  This is the kind of stuff that Western libertarians recoil at.  If he keeps moving in this direction, it may blunt the SW appeal the Republicans are hoping for.  That having been said, this doesn't even approach the Akin level of out there and there are a lot of people who sincerely believe in the young earth, but they aren't generally swing voters.

[Chaddyr23]

DO PEOPLE ON THIS THREAD REALLY BELIEVE THAT THE FREAKING EARTH WAS MADE IN 6 DAYS A COUPLE THOUSAND YEARS AGO!?

Anyways, the fact that Marco Rubio is more well versed on the role Pitbull plays in music today than the age of the earth is disconcerting at best and damning at worst.

[Person Man]

Most Catholics believe in the Big Bang theory. Heck, a Catholic Priest STARTED the Big Bang theory. The Church has no problem with it.

Also, there are no other alternative science-based theories about how/when the universe began. There's just the Big Bang, and a bunch of hypotheses.

Rubio is terribly and shamlessly pandering to the evangelicals in Iowa. It's so transparent.

Mitt 2.0?

This. He's saying he's a creationist that has no problem with evolution ala Mitt's stance on abortion. 2016 looks like 2012 again. Maybe the economy will be better and maybe people will be even sicker with Obama, but it'll all even out at THIS rate.

[BM]

I was raised Catholic and I honestly never experienced all these anti-science attitudes. People would say things like "Earth started with a big bang, but who lit the match?" and "The Bible says 7 days but that's not meant literally." I don't really have a problem with that kind of compromise people make in their minds, but the sheer willful ignorance and stupidity of the radical evangelicals is disturbing. I'd like to believe Republican politicians are feigning these attitudes to pander to their base of dumbs, but I'm not so sure anymore.

[argentarius]

This is a distraction from the real issues. Believe it or not, knowing how old the earth is doesn't really come up that much in life.

[bedstuy]

This is a distraction from the real issues. Believe it or not, knowing how old the earth is doesn't really come up that much in life.

It's not necessary that it's a useful piece of information on a day to day basis.  It's what the statement says about him in general.  Rubio's stated belief either comes from: extreme ignorance, a disbelief in mainstream science or blatant pandering to crazy fundamentalists.  Those are not qualities we should want in a US senator.

[Mr. Morden]

Comparing Rubio's answer to the one Obama gave in 2008:

link

[pepper11]

Rubio did not say, "I believe in God."  He said he basically that he doesn't know whether they earth is billions or thousands of years old. 

Umm no he didnt. He just didnt answer the question. Lots of politicians don't answer lots of questions every day.  Not sure why this one is a big deal. If they had asked him, "would you favor reducing the mortage interest tax deduction as a way to reduce the federal dececit?"  then his non answer may actually be relavent to some of you, though I doubt it would get all this faux outrage.

[bedstuy]

Rubio did not say, "I believe in God."  He said he basically that he doesn't know whether they earth is billions or thousands of years old. 

Umm no he didnt. He just didnt answer the question. Lots of politicians don't answer lots of questions every day.  Not sure why this one is a big deal. If they had asked him, "would you favor reducing the mortage interest tax deduction as a way to reduce the federal dececit?"  then his non answer may actually be relavent to some of you, though I doubt it would get all this faux outrage.

He didn't answer the question directly, that's true.  But he said:
"Whether the Earth was created in 7 days, or 7 actual eras, I'm not sure we'll ever be able to answer that. It's one of the great mysteries."

That is saying that you don't know the age of the earth.  That was the whole point of his answer.  I don't think there's any other interpretation of what he said.

And, you know what, sometimes a non-answer speaks volumes:  What if someone asked him if he believed that the holocaust happened and he said, "It's one of the great mysteries."  I bet people would react negatively to that.