During an interview with the future of the GOP, Senator Marco Rubio (who is already pandering campaigning in Iowa), GQ dropped this bomb question: “How old do you think the earth is?”
Rubio’s response is one for the ages, even if he is completely mystified by the panoply of dating techniques (i.e., basic science) that determine things like ages:
I’m not a scientist, man. I can tell you what recorded history says, I can tell you what the Bible says, but I think that’s a dispute amongst theologians and I think it has nothing to do with the gross domestic product or economic growth of the United States. I think the age of the universe has zero to do with how our economy is going to grow. I’m not a scientist. I don’t think I’m qualified to answer a question like that.
At the end of the day, I think there are multiple theories out there on how the universe was created and I think this is a country where people should have the opportunity to teach them all. I think parents should be able to teach their kids what their faith says, what science says. Whether the Earth was created in 7 days, or 7 actual eras, I’m not sure we’ll ever be able to answer that. It’s one of the great mysteries.
There are mysteries and then there are mysteries. This isn’t one of them. If this is the future of the GOP, it’s not very bright.
While this may seem trivial or inconsequential, it isn’t. The Economist explains why. It is at times like these that I can almost appreciate the work being done new atheists. It’s gutter work but someone has to do it.
