Why is a catastrophe like the worldwide flood in Noah's time an essential part of earth's history if the rapid-decay theory is true?

Answer 1

A:There are several unscientific assumptions that must fall into place in order to even argue the 'rapid-decay' hypothesis of Young-earth Creationists. The catastrophic biblical flood is one of these, because it is necessary to explain the deposition of sedimentary rocks, particularly those containing fossils. Even this is only a simplistic explanation, at best suitable for an unsophisticated audience that hopes for proof of recent creation.

Fossils are consistently found in the geological column in appropriate depths to support the scientific consensus that sedimentary rocks were laid down progressively over billions of years. The rapid-decay and catastrophic flood scenario ought to have deposited fossils in a complete jumble, with the fossils of recent species both above and below, or even mixed with, more ancient species. This does not happen.

So the worldwide flood is an essential part of the Young-earth Creationist story if a superficially plausible explanation is to be argued, but is not sufficient, in itself, to explain the earth's geology.

Answer 2

If the rapid-decay theory is true, it posits that radioactive decay rates were once much higher, leading to a faster rate of radioactive decay in the past. However, this theory does not necessarily require a catastrophic event like a worldwide flood in Noah's time. The flood story is not directly related to the rapid-decay theory and is not considered an essential part of earth's history from a scientific perspective.