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Originally Posted by Displaced Flames fan

I disagree on a couple of levels.

First, I don't think they are equally laughable at all. I think the notion that the Earth is 10000 years old is far more ludicrous than the notion that man was created by something other than nature. I don't laugh at people who believe in creation, but I would laugh uncontrollably at someone who was trying to convince me Earth is 10000 years old.

The amount of evidence for an old earth and for an evolved man are equally strong. Creating man 10,000 years ago to look evolved over millions of years and creating earth 10,000 years ago to look 4.5 billion years old both seem equally probable to me. I don't see how one can be more or less ludicrous than the other.

Originally Posted by Displaced Flames fan

Secondly, for people of faith, when given the choice between acception creationism and the Earth being young (which is essentially the choice here) it may be more difficult for them to go with evolution over a new Earth. Why isn't there a 4th question? God created Earth 6 Billion years ago?

There isn't a fourth question in this case because the question is about human origins, not the origin of the earth or the universe. That and they've kept the questions consistent over time to be able to track the data, change the questions and you have a new set of data, which means you can't compare it to old data.

I agree with you, the way the questions are phrased people who believe in a 4.5 billion year old earth would be combined with those that believe in a 6,000 year old earth, but since the question is about human origins, that doesn't matter. Those that believe in a global flood and those that don't would be combined based on their views on human origins as well. Heck even non-Christians that believed in special creation would be combined with Christians.

Originally Posted by Displaced Flames fan

You do realize, I hope, that I am not arguing my own beliefs here. I just think you can create poll questions to get the result you want.

Of course, and I agree you can manipulate polls. I think the questions here are clear enough for their purpose though, human origins. To take that and extrapolate people's views on the age of the earth from it is incorrect as you say.

If you did include the age of the earth in the poll I suspect you would find more people accepting of an old earth than would accept an evolved human, but nothing revolves around the question of the age of the earth for most Christians theologically. There's enough wiggle room in Genesis that all but the most staunch literalists could slide in a 4.5 billion year old earth. But evolution cuts right to the heart of some Christian's doctrine; original sin. Without Adam and Eve there's no original sin, without original sin there's no need for redemption, no need for Jesus.

So while they'll accept a 4.5 billion year old earth because it isn't a threat, they reject evolution because it contradicts their beliefs. Neither based on actual evidence.