Sorry- by “mainstream” I meant media, like New York Times, Washington Post, etc. Agreed on all else you say below!
In this article, Schroeder shows his humility to being corrected. Now, he calculates 13.6 billion years-
http://geraldschroeder.com/wordpress/?page_id=53
I got to meet Schroeder in person 18 months ago and have very seriously considered going to sit with him in Jerusalem for his classes. He leaves them open and welcomes all people to listen to him.
Thank you for the Freepmail!
The question is neither blasphemous nor trivial. The knowledge base (and language) of the nomadic herdsman/men who received the revelation of Genesis were so limited that the concept of "galaxy" almost certainly did not exist in their time.
(The answer is that they could see two galaxies from the Holy Land's latitude:
It is extremely doubtful that they perceived them as the same sort of thing -- or had a name for that thing.
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But, God gave humankind the brains to build tools to observe his Creation -- and now, we bear the responsibility that comes with having this sort of magnificently-expanded knowledge of His Creation. (Enjoy the video...)
Do we not, then, bear proportionally greater responsibility for an expanded knowledge and awe of Him -- and of his incomprehensible power and creative majesty?