What are some differences between Young-Earth creationism and Old-Earth creationism?

Answer 1

A Young-Earth creationist steadfastly refuses to accept the scientific evidence for the age of the earth and insists that God created the earth only a few thousand years ago. An Old-Earth creationist accepts the scientific evidence for the age of the earth but insists that God created the earth and all living things.

Both are trying to reconcile their understanding of the Book of Genesis with the real world around us, but the Old-Earth creationist is perhaps a little more flexible and takes a more realistic approach. This leaves him with the dilemma of how to explain Genesis chapter 1, which says the world was created in just six days. The most common attempt at explanation is to suggest that the 'days' were not days in our understanding, but very long periods of time, an explanation that can only be described as full of holes.

Both tend to conflate the first creation account (Genesis 1:1-2:4a) with the second creation account (Genesis 2:4bff), treating the second creation account as the fuller description of the creation of man, from the first account. Here, a generally unrecognised problem for the Old-Earth creationist is that the biblical genealogy of Adam only allows the earth to be around six thousand years old, with no benefit achieved from the semantic arguments about just how long a biblical 'day' was.

For more information, please visit: http://christianity.answers.com/theology/the-story-of-creation

Answer 2

Both of these are based on the tradition that God created the universe. Young-Earth creationists base their view on the Torah and its chronology as is, without Evolution.

Old-Earth creationism was postulated by people who thought that Evolution, and an old age for the Earth, had been conclusively proven. These people, had they investigated further, would have realized that Evolution is fraught with difficulties and remains in fact a theory, open to dispute by people who choose to avoid ignoring its problems. It can neither be proven nor demonstrated in the lab (in its broader sense of giving rise to new organs or species).

Concerning the age of the Earth, and Evolution in general:

http://religion.answers.com/controversy/is-there-evidence-against-evolution

http://judaism.answers.com/jewish-philosophy/can-you-prove-that-god-exists

http://www.allaboutscience.org/intelligent-design.htm

http://www.pathlights.com/ce_encyclopedia/sci-ev/sci_vs_ev_26.htm

Answer 3

Young-Earth creationism believes that the Earth is thousands of years old and was created in six literal days. Old-Earth creationism, on the other hand, accepts scientific evidence for the Earth's age, which is billions of years old, and allows for interpretations that accommodate longer periods of creation.