Longtime Televangelist Pat Robertson, (90 years old) who should have retired decades ago/ never started at all, took to the airways on his program The 700 Club to a question asking why his show promoted the Old Earth Theory “rather the biblical viewpoint that is shared by most Christians.”
Robertson, whose advice tends to fluctuate between the passable to the unbiblical ramblings of a decrepit old man, responded:
… I don’t think most Christians are stupid enough to believe that other… The other is the Ussher theory… if you added all the generations from Adam until the current time, and you say, “Alright, that adds up to 7,000. Okay. And so, therefore, the Earth’s only 7000 years old.” Well, that’s just nonsense.
I mean, there are just too many geological factors, too many things that have happened on our Earth. The Earth is about 14 billion years old, and there’s just no question about it.
You’ve got the dinosaurs. You’ve got all the things that have happened on this Earth. And there’s too much geology, I mean, it’s just established science. So the idea of having a 6-7,000-year Earth is just… It’s just… Any Christians who believe that, just, I’m telling you that, they aren’t very up on today’s…
I believe science! I mean, let’s face it! You know, God didn’t… This whole planet was set up for God’s purpose. The universe is tuned for life. But it didn’t get here in 6-7,000 years! It got here over… almost 14 billion years to get this Earth to where it is right now.
It’s not the first time that Robertson has taken potshots at Biblical Christianity presentation of the timeline and origins of the earth. In 2015 he responded to another question in the same vein, proffering:
… I appreciate the fact that you’re trying to grapple with it… the truth is, you have to be deaf, dumb, and blind to think that this Earth that we live in only has 6,000 years of existence. It just doesn’t. I’m sorry…
…We haven’t worked all the wrinkles out, but I think to deny the clear record that’s there before us makes us looks silly… There’s no way that all this that you have here took place in 6,000 years. It just couldn’t have been done, couldn’t possibly have been done.
H/t to the unfriendly pagans at the Friendly Atheist for this story and for the transcript.