Opening disclaimer: This may seem controversial at first glance, as the subjects (Young Earth or 6-day Creationism and Big Bang or Darwinism) have always seemed to contradict one another, but I think I have imagined a theory that could support both sides without disproving either. The keyword here is "could." Just because it is possible, does not mean that belief in this theory means one must accept both sides whole-heartedly. The purpose is rather to remove any fear of evidences present for either side.
Allow me to explain my theory. As I had articulated in my previous post, "Should Christians Study Sciences?," a creator cannot be disproven by his creation. "It would be like reading a book to find evidence that the author doesn't exist." If God created this story, then He would exist outside of it. Unbound by it. To say that He is limited by the rules of this universe would be to put God inside a box--one that He created.
So, If God created the universe and the physics that bind it all together, one can also surmise that He invented the concept of time and chronology, as time can (theoretically) be altered by mass and speed, part of the universe's physics. If He did create the concept of time and a sequential order of events, then He would not be limited by it. He would exist outside of its limitations. logically, He would remain eternal, unaffected by age or the effects of time's passing.
So, what happens when someone creates something from outside of time? Lets look at the creation of a story for an example. When J.R.R. Tolkien wrote "The Hobbit," the setting of Middle Earth didn't just spring into existence on the first page. From the perspective of the characters, it had already existed for thousands of years. The world was full and rich with history, despite the fact that J.R.R. Tolkien only spent roughly 38 years creating it. One couldn't read the "Silmarillion" and deduce that since Middle Earth is thousands of years old, but created by Tolkien only 100 years ago, that Tolkien can't exist. He created it from outside of the story's timeline.
What if the same is true of Earth's creation? Perhaps God spoke it into existence over the course of six days, some 6,000 years ago. But imagine, as He spoke each thing into existence, He placed the backstory into the universe as well. The result would be a universe that seems much older. One where light could reach us from places billions of light years away, where rock formations could appear to be millions of years old and creatures could appear to have strange origins, from our perspective, existing as characters within the story.
This thought still leaves the universe, and its creator, very wondrous. Tolkien created a wonderful world with thousands of years of history in 38 years. God created an entire universe with billions of years worth of history in less than a week. By learning and studying more about how the universe was formed, we find we can't disprove His existence. Instead, we find little bits of His character and creativity to ponder on and awe at for all of our lives, for as far as the eye can see.
Now, I have not yet found this theory published anywhere else, so I am assuming it is my own original idea. I have dubbed the idea, "Chronolism" for the time being, as it is a theory relating to chronology, and if I am the originator, "Hanrahanism" doesn't quite roll off the tongue. If you find that this theory has been established already, or that the name is already taken, please let me know, and I will make the necessary updates.
I can dig it.
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