In religion, "I don't know" is an acceptable answer.
This said, "I don't know." And I don't think anybody else does either.
What do I know? Well, not much. The more I learn, the more I learn I don't know. Let me tell you what I do know. First, let me give you an example of someone who likes to put words in people's mouths. We refer to the arguments of these people as "strawmen."
<< Some Christians actually do believe that the universe went from squat to fully formed with humans in seven literal days. Most people agree that this is madness. Those who believe this contend that the dinosaur bones and other evidence of an ancient earth were put there by the devil to lead the unwarry astray, or by God as a test of faith.
Most Christians however hold that time as we know it means very little to God and that the "seven days" was metaphorical, or indicates stages in which the creator brought things into being. They hold that the ammount of time in each "day" is indeterminate, and all "days" need not be of the same duration.
>>
Ok. First of all, whether God took 7 seconds, 7 days, 7 million days, or 7 trillion days to create the world makes no difference to me. Perhaps the best part of the above quote is that "time as we know it means very little to God." I just don't see how the world could have gotten here on it's own, and it doesn't make sense to me to believe that it has always been in existence. There are a ton of examples of systems of apparently irreducible complexity that cause me to believe that there's some design and some structure to the universe, and this design and structure couldn't -- in my mind -- have happened by random and unguided processes. Madness? I don't think so. No more mad than believing that a Boeing 747 is the product of scientific engineering and not a tornado.
Second, please don't argue that all those who believe in a literal 6-day creation (7th was nap time) hold to the idea that dinosaur bones and "evidence of an ancient earth" were placed here by the devil or by God. First of all, I don't think the devil is in the business of bone-making... do you? Secondly, to believe that God did it requires the belief that God is a deceiver. That destroys the Christian perception of God. Plus, it doesn't make sense.
Third, I don't see evidence that suggests that the earth is old. I also see evidence that indicates the contrary. It's not like the evidence is wildly pointing in either direction, and right now both ideas seem quite absurd to me. Tons of holes in both theories... if you can call them theories. The fossil evidence doesn't side with evolution... which is why when things like Piltdown Man and Archaeoraptor come up, scientists jump on them, claiming them as "missing links" which are no longer missing. Sooner or later, more evidence is discovered that causes us to discover the truth about these so-called "missing links." Is that a strong defense of Creationism? Naw... it's merely part of the reason why I don't like evolution. That doesn't provide Creation with any more credibility -- a lack of evidence isn't very strong support for a belief system.
Whether most Christians hold that the seven days is metaphorical or not, I cannot say. I don't really think it makes that much difference. That wasn't the focus of Genesis 1. Genesis -- and the rest of the Bible -- is not meant to explain the world. We can see the world. Genesis was written to introduce us to the Creator. And while we can look into how He might have done all this stuff, the fact remains that we really don't know. And I think that's an acceptable answer.
As far as evidence is concerned, I see very little in direct support of either side. I do see a *lot* of evidence, and both sides just kind of twist it together to fit into their little framework so they can try to justify themselves as superior intellectually to the other side. Then, when challenges come up, the sides give a little. Creationists come up with the idea of theistic evolution -- the idea that God worked through evolution. This doesn't make sense, because Darwinian evolution was designed to explain why we don't need a God to cause speciation -- just unguided, random processes. Likewise, the evolutionists come up with the idea of "punctuated equilibrium" to explain why there's a huge lack of fossil evidence in support of evolution. I'm tired of playing the game.
This much I know: I exist. I am a complex, integrated life form.
This much I can reasonably infer: I was created.
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