I wonder how those who believe in Intelligent Design and/or a recent creation view the concept of a Mature Universe.
Some time ago, I read an essay about god creating a so-called Mature Universe. From the point of view of an atheist, the concept seems like a much better view than the typical view of those who believe in a creation thousands instead of billions of years ago. The basic idea is as follows.
The above view does not require explaining why dinosaur fossils seem to predate the existence of humans. Such a view need not try to refute evolution or any other scientific view to support the concept of a recent creation of humans and the universe as currently observed by scientists.
Some time ago, I read an essay about god creating a so-called Mature Universe. From the point of view of an atheist, the concept seems like a much better view than the typical view of those who believe in a creation thousands instead of billions of years ago. The basic idea is as follows.
- Consider a tree in the Garden of Eden created some time during the first six days. The tree might appear to be 100-200 years old, even it had only existed for a few days. If the tree were cut down and the stump polished, I would expect to see 100-200 growth rings.
- A botanist would mistakenly view the rings as proof that the tree was over 100 years old, even though it had been very recently created.
- The fossil record cited as the basis for belief in evolution could have been created during the first six days (perhaps 6000 to 20,000 years ago).
- Similarly, all geological and astronomical evidence indicating a universe billions of years old could have been created only thousands of years ago. Consider light from Quasar seeming to have traveled for billions of years. The Quasar and the light (already almost finished its journey to Earth) could have been created only thousands of years ago.
- If god wanted to create a vast universe far larger than our solar system, why would he create such a universe appearing as it would if it had been created recently? If he did create it exactly as it would be if created recently, no human alive today would see light from distant stars. If he created stars millions or billions of light years from Earth, why would he not allow them to visible sooner than the millions or billions of years required for the light to travel to Earth?
The above view does not require explaining why dinosaur fossils seem to predate the existence of humans. Such a view need not try to refute evolution or any other scientific view to support the concept of a recent creation of humans and the universe as currently observed by scientists.