"Can you give me one good reason to believe in a young earth", I asked.
"We have a Torah", the rabbi replied.
"Ok, but where does the Torah say anything about a young earth? That's speculation. Interpretation. Genesis could just as easily be read in support of an old universe if you were inclined to do so. In fact there are a fortune of suggestions in the Rabbinic literature that tell us the Sages were not wed to the idea of a young earth. In fact a few of our great Rabbis expressly embraced the idea of an old universe.
So, given all of that plus the piles of evidence and peer reviewed studies that tell us the universe is fantastically old what, specifically, obligates us to believe in a young earth?"
The rabbi acknowledged my point, to his credit but left my question unanswered so I'll repeat it here:
Why do otherwise intelligent Jews think that denying the ample scientific evidence for the old universe and rejecting the ample rabbinic support for the old universe is some kind of high religious accomplishment? Isn't it just stupid?
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