FOR “some time” Kentucky astrophysicist and creationist nut-job Jason Lisle has been grappling with the “distant starlight problem”.
Bonkers: Dr Jason Lisle
This, he explains:
Is the issue of how starlight from the most distant galaxies is able to reach earth within the biblical timescale. Although light is incredibly fast, the most distant galaxies are incredibly far away. So, under normal circumstances we would be inclined to think that it should take billions of years for their starlight to reach us. Yet, the Bible teaches that the universe is only thousands of years old. Solutions have been proposed by creationists, but we haven’t had a definitive answer … until now.
Dr Lisle, who “grew up in a Christian home, and was taught to respect the absolute authority and accuracy of the Bible”, has excitedly announced:
It has taken a lot of time and effort, but I have found a solution to distant starlight which allows light to reach earth virtually instantaneously. Moreover, I have found both Scriptural and scientific support for this solution. This has led to the development of a new cosmological model which makes testable predictions. I have nearly finished writing a technical paper on this topic, which will shortly be sent to various experts for qualified peer-review. If it passes peer-review, we will publish the paper in the Answers Research Journal. This is our free, online journal. So be watching for it. If the paper gains the support of experts in the field, I may later write a non-technical article that summarizes the model.
So, keep an eye on the ARJ website for the latest research on distant starlight and cosmology from within the biblical worldview.
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
July 17th, 2010 at 8:11 am
I’m no astrophysicist, but I guess that Jason Lisle’s ‘god’ may have given light a higher speed than we think it has and when we, the descendants of Adam and Eve, perceive it, it slows down for some reason, yet again showing ‘He’ works in wondrous ways. I hope my suggestion doesn’t ruin Jason’s proof, but I applied the some kind of logic some people do to explain fossils of dinosaurs that seem be older than 6.000 years.
July 17th, 2010 at 8:22 am
I wonder what he thinks is wrong with the previous whacky solution to old light in a young universe?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Starli.....0890512027
July 17th, 2010 at 8:39 am
Dr Lisle, who “grew up in a Christian home, and was taught to respect the absolute authority and accuracy of the Bible 
Based on what evidence, precisely?
July 17th, 2010 at 8:44 am
This story just re-emphasises the dangers and sheer wickedness of indoctrinating children with superstitious beliefs. This deluded individual is now wasting his talents pursuing a completely futile quest, and probably knows, deep down, that his religious ideas just cannot be reconciled with reality. Why on earth can’t they just say “God did it” and leave it at that, as Har Davids says? THEY are the ones who seem to need convincing!
July 17th, 2010 at 8:54 am
Dr Lisle is an insult to the scientific profession and suffers from a type of cognitive dissonance that affects all religious scientists. If Dr Lisle’s claim is true then all the laws of Physics that bind life, the Universe and everything together, fall apart. I look to forward to a good laugh when Dr Lisle publishes his work.
July 17th, 2010 at 9:23 am
Christian scientists. I’ve encountered one or two in my time. They must have to play tremendous mind games with themselves to maintain their faith as the contradictory evidence piles up.
Lisle says his forthcoming paper will be peer reviewed, but look at the peers. Other xian loons engaged by a creationist “scientific” journal. I’d give it more credence if it were scrutinised by Wayne Rooney, Giant Haystax and Basil Brush.
When I was a biochemist we knew who these people were. We were either warned by colleagues or they introduced themselves as Christian scientists. You would not associate or collaborate with these twats if you wanted any respect. I bet you won’t find Lisle’s name on any work published by the big names in astrophysics. Maybe that’s why he’s writing this twaddle for sympathetic comics.
July 17th, 2010 at 9:29 am
Lisle has an earlier piece on AIG /a”where he mentions Einstein’s theory of relativity and his use of the word time-dilation, then he mixes that with the claim that the earth could be in a gravitational well, and finally he stirs these and a few other ideas together in a cauldron, brings it to a boil, lets it simmer, and when he pours out the ingredients: Presto! The universe is less than 10,000 years old.
July 17th, 2010 at 9:45 am
I found a couple of pics on LOLgod that seem appropriate:
http://lolgod.blogspot.com/200.....-king.html
http://lolgod.blogspot.com/200.....rsion.html
July 17th, 2010 at 9:48 am
If the paper gains the support of experts in the field, I’ll put saddles on some of those pigs and start an airline.
July 17th, 2010 at 9:50 am
That Answersingenesis site is priceless, Charles.
The amazing size of the universe brings glory to God. (Psalm 19:1)
In what way, precisely?
It seems uncharacteristic of God to make illusions like this.
But I know many Christians who believe that that’s exactly what he did. He just went ahead and made a “mature” universe, in which everything “appeared” to have been going on for billions of years – just for the hell of it. Oh, dear!
July 17th, 2010 at 10:14 am
It’s no small thing to earn a PhD in astrophysics. I couldn’t do it. But when the basis of one’s research is, “The Bible is true,” rather than, “Let’s find out how the universe works,” no amount of native talent is going to help much. What a waste.
July 17th, 2010 at 10:28 am
I’ve only just stopped laughing at this article. The lunacy of it!
But I guess that’s what happens when you start with an answer and then try to shoe horn everything else in to fit it. Hardly what you would call good science, I would have thought.
July 17th, 2010 at 10:38 am
@mikespeir
In order to gain his doctorate Lisle must have conducted research using conventional scientific methods. If he didn’t toe the line, he wouldn’t have been awarded it. He’d have kept his god-bollox restrained throughout.
July 17th, 2010 at 10:42 am
My take:
Before “the fall”, light was infinitely fast. As part of the punishment doled out by Mr Celestial Dictator for scrumping – look it up – light was slowed down to a finite speed, imposing a limit on human perception.
Seriously, it’ll be about the fall. Guaranteed. These people are nothing if not predictable.
July 17th, 2010 at 10:42 am
I recently had a debate (read heated discussion) with a fundie about dinosaurs. The discussion with the fundie was that the earth was much older than the 4000yrs mentioned in the bible.
My argument was based along the lines that dinosaur fossils could be clearly shown to be much older than this using carbon-dating.
His argument was that ‘God is testing us’.
You cannot argue science (read fact) with these people. I came away with a headache.
July 17th, 2010 at 10:46 am
@tony e – radio carbon dating has an upper limit of resolution in the range of thousands of years. Technically, it could be done with *other* isotopic dating techniques, but most fossils are strata-dated, relying on geology’s own dating work to give a range in which the fossil falls based on the rocks in which they were found. Pretty good margin of error, given the 65 million+ timescale we’re looking at.
Yeah, I’m a pedant.
July 17th, 2010 at 11:41 am
D’oh
It’s simple. The light was created already on its way to us. It’s the same as the premise that the world was created five minutes ago and you just think you remember everything before then.
July 17th, 2010 at 11:55 am
Ha ha ha ha ha ha *slaps thighs* ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha *falls off chair* ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha *rolls around on floor* ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha *wipes tears of laughter from eyes* ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha *gasps* ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha………
Stop it you’re killing me!……..ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ……….
July 17th, 2010 at 11:56 am
As Broadsword says, Lisle’s peers are creationist nutters. Thus invalidating, in real observable world terms, anything they pass. It might be more believable if they reject it – as they would, I presume, any paper concluding an old universe.
Meanwhile, here’s one of his from Fundies Say The Darndest Things
http://www.fstdt.com/QuoteComm.....038;Page=3
July 17th, 2010 at 11:58 am
@jason,
Cheers mate, I’ll read up on that. I probably won’t understand most of it but at least it’s factual. Unlike the bible.
July 17th, 2010 at 12:22 pm
I am sure the University of Colorado is real proud of the use he is putting his PHD to. It was a waste of time and effort to teach this nut job anything, why did he bother he could have learned all he needed from his giant book of mythology the beeble. This man is a waste of space and air.
July 17th, 2010 at 12:58 pm
For centuries, Science has been rather good at disproving claims made by the credulous; faith healing, homeopathy, the earth is flat etc. Seeing this, Dr Lisle like other similar fundies, are trying – in vain – to [mis]use the scientific method and fight us on our own ground; as if it would endorse the fundies preposterous claims.
That AIG site is a hoot, there is a kids section that asks: “why can’t snakes talk anymore” I nearly wet myself laughing!
July 17th, 2010 at 1:01 pm
Back to 1925 and the Tennessee Monkey Trial when the statement was made that anyone who has read the bible knows more science than all the scientists in the USA. H.L. Mencken – where are you when we really need you?
I don’t suppose the Warp stuff in Star Trek throws some light on this? Captain Kirk and his crew seemed to get about at a rate of knots.
July 17th, 2010 at 1:19 pm
Lisle is a heretic. Anybody knows that the “stars” are just holes in the firmament that let the heavenly light through at night i.e. when the sun has revolved around to the underside of the earth. As to how far away heaven is – it can’t be far; quite a few biblical characters flew up there. If the stars were “billions” of miles away these guys and gals would still be enroute. And we know from the bible that the late JC is already in heaven (having ascended in the approved biblical manner) sitting at the right hand of the father…….the answers are all there if your exegesis is correct.
Looks to me like it’s time for U of Colorado to revoke that doctorate…
July 17th, 2010 at 2:10 pm
Yep, Broadsword, and that’s where I was going. He clearly knows how to do it right, so why doesn’t he? All he’s trying to do now is drive a square peg into a round hole, not look for the peg that actually fits.
July 17th, 2010 at 3:49 pm
mikespeir. That’s it. The Religionuts begin with solution. What they now have to do is find the explanation. And that involves selection, excisions, twisting of facts, placing unsuportible meaning on the facts, rationalisation, casuistry, fantasy, lies and, eventually, “Hey, there you are. We have proved the world was created 6000 years ago.”
July 17th, 2010 at 4:42 pm
‘Against stupidity, even the Gods themselves contend in vain’.
Friedrich Schiller (1759-1805)
July 18th, 2010 at 6:42 am
I bet Stephen Hawking is sitting by just holding his breath (figuratively of course) for this great and astounding astrophysical news from Lisle…I bet he’ll sit online all day just waiting for this article to be peer-reviewed and published. How excited Stephen must be! He has a rival!
July 18th, 2010 at 7:13 am
Dr Lisle was “taught to respect the absolute authority and accuracy of the Bible”-so despite being smart, and apparently with a first class academic record, he can’t rid himself of those superstitions instilled as a child.That Jesuit was right. The distrurbing fact is that some people with high IQs and scientific educations are still believers.
July 18th, 2010 at 7:58 am
Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world. (Matt.4:8)
Yeah – very accurate! I wonder where this “exceeding high mountain” is located from which one can view “all the kingdoms of the globe” – oops, I mean “world”! This is not a “poetical” passage – we are meant to take the story literally!!
July 18th, 2010 at 9:32 am
Presumably the Bible has ‘absolute authority and accuracy’ when it assures us that there is an afterlife, and the same ‘absolute authority and accuracy’ when it assures us that there isn’t. Don’t even the talking animals give him a clue that he might have been misled? What about all those technical questions that God supposedly asked Job to answer? Job of course was stumped put in the modern age a primary school kid could have answered him.
July 19th, 2010 at 1:01 pm
“various experts for qualified peer-review”.
in other words, Creationists for rubber stamping…….
I wonder whether this paper can be squared with God’s purpose for the stars?
“God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth” (Gen. 1:18).
What a shame that most of the stars in the Universe are so far away that we cannot see their light with the unaided eye, even when it does eventually reach us……
Experts my arse!
September 14th, 2010 at 1:18 am
It’s because of young-earth creationists like Dr. Jason Lisle that the majority of the scientific community mock the Genesis account to scorn!
Most don’t even realize that there is a whole other view that is based on modern scientific discovery and the ACTUAL Hebrew account given in Genesis. This view, however, is hated by the majority of Christians. Why? Because it actually agrees with science!
Dr. Lisle states, “The Bible teaches that the universe is only thousands of years old”…
What utter nonsense! The bible teaches nothing of the sort. No wonder so many scientists mock creationism!
Not only do young earth creationists flat out ignore modern scientific discovery, but when they look at the word “day” in Genesis 1, they automatically assume it MUST mean a 24 hour period.
This is the kind of faulty logic that has confused so many people and has caused so many to discredit the Genesis account.
The facts is, the OT was written in Hebrew, not “old English” (gee, what a surprise)!
The Hebrew Old Testament uses the word “day” in various ways. Since the Hebrew language only has a fraction of the words the English language has, context is extremely vital if one is to arrive at the truth.
Proof that a Hebrew “DAY” can mean longer than 24 hours:
Genesis 2:4
“These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the DAY [Heb: yowm] that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens…”
Hmmm…”In the DAY [yown] that God made the earth and the heavens”.
This proves that a Hebrew “day” [yowm] can be longer than a 24 hour period. In fact, this passage has put the creation of the entire heavens and earth into a single “DAY”!
Simply put, a Hebrew “day” [yowm] is a period of time that can be used in the sense of a 12 hour period (day-LIGHT) or an ERA. It all depends on the context, as I just proved.
God’s creative work in the earth lasted 6 “yoms”, or ERAS of time. The seventh “day” has still not ended. Why? Because God has “rested” [Hebrew: "ceased"] from His creative work on the earth.
This brings me to another point: Many atheists have had issues with the idea that God needed to “rest” from His work. After all, why would an all-powerful God need to “rest”? (Granted!)
However, if these same “atheists” would actually study the text a bit closer rather than to jump to faulty conclusions (like the young-earth creationists), they would have discovered that the word used for “rest” actually means “to cease”, or “to desist”, or “to put an end to”.
God did not “get tired” and “needed a nap”! He simply “CEASED” from His creative work. Pretty simple, huh? (btw: many of the so-called contradictions/problems in the bible can be solved in a similar manner)
The truth? Modern science and the Genesis account fit together like a glove.
Check out www dot reasons dot org to discover more.
Cheers,
Jeremy
September 14th, 2010 at 9:29 am
barriejohn,
Does your faulty understanding of that passage convince you that the Bible is nothing more than a fairy tale?
Satan, who is a spirit being, showed Jesus all the kingdoms of this world in a “high place”.
Where was this “high place”? In some rock in Israel? No. It was in the MIND. Satan was with Jesus to temp Him. This was Satan’s greatest attempt at breaking Jesus down.
Satan took Jesus to the highest level of emotion and worldly ambition possible. What greater way than to offer Jesus the power over every nation on earth? After all, Satan has been given rulership over all nations and therefore has the ability to give that power to whomever he wants. (Jesus did not give in, of course).
Satan can place ideas and visions into our minds. In fact, he has convinced you that he doesn’t even exist. But, whether you believe that’s true or not is irrelevant.
The fact is this text is not suggesting that Satan took Jesus to a literal mountain somewhere so that Jesus could see all kingdoms of the earth with His physical eyes. Any idiot in the first century would know that this was literally impossible! It is purely spiritual in nature.
You can’t discredit something that you know nothing about, barriejohn.
May God give you faith to believe,
Jeremy