New Project

One of my main complaints as a stay-at-home mom has been a lack of brain activity. I teach almost every day, but I'm teaching stuff like phonics, addition, handwriting, and bathroom skills. There isn't a great deal of critical thinking involved, and sometimes my mind gets really bored. After the discussion in the comments below, I've given myself a new project.

I researched creation just after high school when I was going through my "why do I believe what I believe" phase. Since it was so long ago, I don't remember what I read or where. I do remember I concluded 6,000 - 10,000 years sounded about right for the earth's age. I also did some reading at school, and of course I took apologetics and creation was touched on there as well.

However, since I can't remember most of it and it's a very interesting subject, I'm going to read up on it again. I'm already excited!

Here's what usually stalls me and causes me to lose interest in topics like this. I'm hoping to get over it this time. I'm not an astronomer, archeologist, paleontologist, chemist, etc. So when I read studies and conclusions drawn by "experts" like these, I have no way of knowing if they are correct or not. It's not as though I can go do experiments and prove them wrong. Instead, I rely on reputation, other studies, reviews from others in the field, etc. Which means I need to do more research. Which can really drag anyone down. I also get frustrated when academic debate turns into a "he said x; no, i said y; well x is wrong; I didn't SAY X; yes, you did" kind of thing. How are we supposed to know who is correct without going out and learning how to do carbon dating, then testing the fossils ourselves? More reading, I guess.

And so I issue an invitation: Would anyone care to tag along with me? Projects are more fun if other people are playing too. Don't feel obligated, I'm doing it either way. And like I said, I am already sitting on the new earth side with the "I guess I could be wrong" attitude, so mostly I'm reading to see what some of the theories are and how they are or are not refuted. I should also mention that although my research brain is often bored, that doesn't mean the rest of me is -- I am very, very busy, so there will be limited time for this. Again, I'm doing it anyway, but the going will likely be slow.

As intelligent Christians I think it's hard for us when people imply that we are ignorant or uneducated because we accept the Bible as an authority. Although we are often compared to sheep in the Bible, we blister at the comparison when made by our peers. Some of us (and I am in this category) need to have logic and reasoning march alongside with our faith. So even though knowing or not knowing the age of the earth won't affect my salvation, I'd still like to find out to the best of my ability.

And plus, I really need something hard to do. =)