Creation Science Book Review

Thousands...Not Billions

Chapter 11: RATE Conclusions

Published May 2006

In this chapter, DeYoung summarizes the work of the RATE group and gives some conclusions based on the eight-year study.

A BEGINNING

DeYoung characterizes the RATE research as a beginning. He freely admits that "there is a need for additional research on nearly every topic in this book." This is because none of the topics were scientifically convincing. Although some interesting data was presented, there was nothing that would overturn the belief that radiometric dating is wrong. DeYoung claims that "the RATE project has made good progress in challenging evolution's icon or assumption of deep time." In reality, the RATE research will only convince young earth creationists that RATE is a first-rate scientific study, when in fact, if you look into their science, you find that they make no valid points against radioisotope dating. This book will be a "winner" among lay young earth creationists, but it fails completely within the scientific community.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF RATE

The first sentence says "One principle agreed on by all the RATE members is that the earth is young, on the order of 6,000 years old." This is the major problem with RATE. Science, when done properly, consists of conducting an experiment, or making observations, or both, and then coming to a conclusion. In contrast, the RATE members already had their conclusion before they conducted these experiments. Thus, they were able to look at the data, and "see what they wanted to see." This is not science. At best, they could be called "theorists." For more on this, see Creation Scientist?

In defending their beliefs, DeYoung says that the young earth viewpoint does not require you to stifle science or reject any data. He is correct. However, it does require you to twist the data into something that it does not support. Feel free to browse around this website's thousands of rebuttal pages, and you will get a feel for the quality of the work done by the young earth creation scientist.

The other guiding principle DeYoung lists is the RATE team's belief in accelerated nuclear decay. Again, this is not based on any evidence for accelerated nuclear decay. It is based on the fact that creating this so-called decay is the only way to fit the scientific data into the last 6,000 years. And, it is a horrible "fit." As you have seen, if this accelerated decay occurred, it would have melted the earth. To explain away this, the young earth creationist must turn to other dimensions of reality to dissipate the heat. Nuclear decay as we observe it today produces heat in our own time and space...there is no reason to believe that the heat from the past dissipated any differently.

RATE FINDINGS

DeYoung lists eight findings of RATE, which have already been discussed in this review. None of the findings cast doubt upon the old age of the earth.

CHALLENGES FOR THE FUTURE

In this section DeYoung lists six known problems of these studies, which need further research. Since none of these RATE studies has presented any valid data, RATE should be seen as a failed attempt to prove a young earth. Future studies along these lines will merely be a waste of the church's money. Since you can accept an old earth, and a literal Genesis, we should not focus on science, but on Jesus Christ.

THE IMPACT OF RATE

The first sentence claims that "The RATE results provide support for the young-earth paradigm or model of earth history." The RATE results will be accepted as the truth by young earth creationists who are not scientifically inclined. This is an integral part of the young earth culture. The words of these scientists are taken as absolute truth, and no thought is given to the validity of the words. If you doubt the words of these "experts" in a young earth church, your faith is questioned.

The real truth is that the RATE results provide no support for a young earth. And, by producing such poor scientific work, the RATE group has succeeded in driving young earth creationism further into a corner. Eventually, young earth creationism will go away, just like geocentrism did. However, we still have geocentrists around today, so it will not completely disappear.

Don't get me wrong, though. There is no harm in being a young earth creationist. There are many fine Christians who believe in a young earth. However, there is harm to the church as a whole when young earth creationism is paraded as true science, when in fact it is so full of holes that it cannot hold water. The world sees young earth creationism, and stereotypes Christians based on these observations. In essence, this drives the world away from Christ. The church would be better off embracing old earth creationism, and then we can have a credible scientific witness to the world.

Because of these issues, the overall impact of the RATE study upon the church will be negative, although this will not be realized by those caught up in its untruths.

If you are not a Christian, and you have been holding out on making a decision for Christ because the Church always preached a message that was contrary to what you saw in the scientific world, then rest assured that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God, and you can believe in Christ and receive salvation, while still believing in an old earth. Click here for more.

Are you a Christian who believes in young earth creationism? Now that we have shown the many difficulties of the young earth creation science model in this and many other articles, how does this impact your Christian life? If you are a young earth creationism believer, click here.

Thousands...Not Billions Review Home

Chapter List

Chapter 11

Related Articles

R.A.T.E. Project Rebuttal Section

To learn more about old earth creationism, see Old Earth Belief, or check out the article Can You Be A Christian and Believe in an Old Earth?

Feel free to check out more of this website. Our goal is to provide rebuttals to the bad science behind young earth creationism, and honor God by properly presenting His creation.