R2: I'm a sub and just got a week long job so need to focus on my wardrobe : ) so am not going to take time to respond to every detail... But from where you sit your viewpoint makes sense. If I had only encountered such folks with regards to the supernatural I would tend to discount it myself. I do know a very religious person with the tendency to get carried away with such things. At one point she told me that when she looked at the clock at say....10:15 and then again at 10:15 that meant something was going on with a certain type of angel (depending on the time she saw twice....) Hmmm. I've actually found myself avoiding her since then along with the fact that her husband was always cooking up schemes for her our husbands to do gimmicky things in the music business.

Your other points about timelines, etc. also make sense from your perspective. I don't know enough, honestly, to comment intelligently on the matter. To me....however the creation happened or how long it took does not matter so much. I don't think it affects my salvation. I'm not so sure you are right about Catholocism, but am not Catholic so can't answer to that point, either. I just know what I believe. I'll just say that whatever the absolute truth turns out to be....it will be consistent with Gospel truths. Other than that, it doesn't really matter to me. Perhaps this earth was recycled???? I really don't know..... My church simply teaches that we don't know. But someday those details will be revealed. At the very least we do believe that each creative day was at least 1000 years (as in God's time being a day to our thousand years based on a planet closest to where he resides and how large it is and how long it takes for it to rotate - obviously its quite large) but that the days were specified without exact time frames..that the "days" basically specified a "period of time" or a distinction for that process (for what occurred during that part of the creation) vs. the other creationary periods. (In my own words). So it could leave more time...definitely. I personally do believe the earth is old...(which I've stated about 50 times). But I do not accept that we came from apes. If we are related....and I believe we are cause we are all God's creatures - it isn't, to me, because we evolved from each other. I really and truly believe that we were created more or less as we are now and simply made adaptions...at least within species or "kinds" as its put in the Bible. I get the break downs for phylum, etc. mixed up so don't want to be too specific so will stick to "kinds" which is good enough for me. I know science now breaks it down quite minutely. Whether it be micro or macro.... I just keep it to kinds. And, again, don't know how to answer to how old artifacts, etc. are. Adam and Eve were the first. I accept that on faith.

Do you really believe the cave man nonsense? (I know I'm baiting you here, but not my intention). I mean I know that men have lived in caves, but except for the dark ages, men were a lot more progressed at times than people may realize. Abraham himself knew about the solar system and universe and beyond. There were civiilations here on the America's that were quite advanced at times. I personally think to discount history via actual records kept and the Biblical (and other scriptural) accounts based on pottery, etc., and perceived ages of them is kind of.....well...missing out on something. I believe in all sorts of things. It doesn't mean I accept everything at face value, though. I try to keep a balanced viewpoint. (Talking about supernatural, etc. as well as what science claims). I've always been pretty progressive and open minded believe it or not. But I have a stopping point with this issue... You have to keep in mind, though, that I believe so strongly in my faith that I would deny what to you is accepted as fact if not consistent with revealed truth. Again, though, not informed enough to speak intelligenty on details.

Not gonna be on here as much due to school... Thanks for being reasonable without being insulting : )