> Bill, I would point out that those people strongly influenced me when I was
> a YEC, and I think if you really thought about it you would have to admit
> that they also seriously influenced you.
They did and still do. I love to listen to both extremes, sift through
the logic and try to ferret out the foundational assumptions.
> The arguements you are citing for
> a young earth and a global flood are precisely the arguments generated by
> those people who are not likely to change. One of the best ways to make
> one think about what he believes is to point out that their teacher is not
> consistent. And one thing is certain, the YEC apologists are not consistent.
Again, my primary concern is the origin of coal. I understand that the
floating mat model has strong implications for the YEC position, which
is exactly why the concept is so fiercely resisted by the OECs. My
understanding of mild-mannered and polite James Mahaffee's comment is
that he agrees with the observations I have presented, but he doesn't
accept the conclusion I draw. I'm sure there are other reasons why he
continues to believe coal is autochthonous (from a swamp instead of a
floating mat), and that's fine. After I finish my critique of Bob
Gastaldo's paper, I hope to get a better understanding of the supporting
data for autochthonous coal.
Bill