A couple of points:
It is interesting to note that Bill Nye's education and work experience is quite limited. He earned a BS (four year) degree in Mechanical Engineering about 35 years ago. While it is commendable to earn a degree in engineering, it does NOT make a person an expert in the fields of biology, physics, geology, anthropology, ethics and, most importantly, theology. In fact, an engineer is not a scientist at all.
Many people in this world are very skeptical (and perhaps [at times] rightfully so) at the claims made by many of the holistic and alternative medical practitioners that often don't pass the scrutiny of scientific inquiry or verification. Yet, those same individuals who are so critical about such things will accept the results from individuals from fields of which they are not experts or who cannot validate their claims either.
The media will embrace the claims of a politician (Al Gore) with a bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism when he makes bold claims on Global Warming. They will publicize the statements from a celebrity (Bill Nye) with a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering if he takes a shot at the Biblical idea of Creation. Yet, they will ignore individuals with higher and more specific levels of education who don't embrace the "New Morality" of the Far Left.
There is something incredibly hypocritical about this. The story has been posted on many websites and a couple of local newspapers. With so much coverage, it is almost as if the media is trying to use a celebrity's thoughts to influence others. Now, I am not saying that a degree is necessary to pass scrutiny with such things; however, the media often uses the education and vocational background of a person to validate someone with "expert" status UNLESS they say something that the media largely agrees with.
That said...
When I was a young child, I used play with toys. I had Transformers, Voltron, Star Wars figures, spaceships, robots, legos and other things that a child of the 1980s enjoyed. I would lay out all of my toys on my bedroom floor and build my own little kingdoms with them. I would allow my young imagination to create all sorts of things. One thing that I noticed is that I would always build something complete with imaginary scenarios that I would jump in with my imagination. As "unspiritual" as that may have been, it makes me think about the Creation of this world.
Is it possible that God -- in His infinite wisdom -- created a world that was set in motion from the moment that he created it?
When God created this world, He was not confined to science (or earthly understanding of science). God did not have to "play by the rules" because God wrote the rules. After all, He is the Author of what men call "science."
I had a Physics professor who was a Christian. He was educated at a top university and his specialty was in General Relativity. I would spend quite a bit of time sitting in his office and engaging in conversation with him. Once, I asked him what he thought about Creation. While he admitted that he didn't have all of the answers, he theorized that it is possible that God could have created a "mature Earth."
In other words, this professor thought that it was possible that God created a "mature" universe in which it would only seem like things were older than they were. This would be akin to what Jeffmar said about God creating Adam as a man and not a baby...or...how, as a child, I would create my little toy kingdoms and scenarios from my childlike imagination. By His word, God could have made it so that light was able to instantly travel from stars many millions of light years away.
On a personal level, I understand the hesitations that scientists often hold when it comes to faith. They see apparent examples of microevolution and theorize possibilities to explain where we came from. Yet, "evolution" is not the reason that many scientists don't believe in a "young Earth."
The age of the universe as determined by the measurement of the speed of light is one of the main reasons that many scientists give for believing in a very old universe. You can measure the speed of light by observation. It takes nearly five minutes for light from the sun to reach the Earth. It takes nearly 15 minutes for a broadcast from a rover on the planet Mars to reach the Earth (and vice versa). The Voyager probes launched in the 1970s are traveling at enormously high speeds and still have not yet breached the outer edge of the heliosphere of our own solar system.
Even at such a high speed, the Voyager spacecraft would not reach the nearest star for over a million years. So, the age of the universe appears to be much older than what we cite from Scriptures. Yet, like this professor pointed out, God is not confined to the speed of light or having to wait for light to reach Earth before creating life on it.
Scientists are merely observers. Well, at least, they are supposed to merely observe and then record and theorize what it is that they have observed. Unfortunately, many scientists have become activists.
Many approach their science and research as avowed atheists (rather than agnostics or with open-mindedness). It is as if they are looking for reasons to not believe in God or validate their views of atheism. I even had another professor tell me that He would reject God even if all evidence pointed to His existence. Yet, I know many scientists who do believe in God. When I worked at NASA, I knew scientists and engineers who were quite vocal about their faith in God. After earning advanced degrees in their fields and through years of practice, they held firm to their faith and relationship with God.
Personally, I tend to embrace the idea of a young Earth. I believe that Earth is unique in this universe and that God designed it because of His plan for man. I will admit that I am not knowledgeable enough to know the certainty of this. There may very well have been a "gap theory" as mentioned by Jeffmar. Regardless, I do know the God in whom I believe. I have a relationship with Him. My approach to science will always be influenced by the God that I know and have given my heart to.
