A Dismal Science

Deadly Precision

The accuracy of Carbon-14 (C-14) dating is breathtaking.

The validity of radiocarbon dating is thrown into some doubt by the dates it has yielded of artifacts whose history can be measured in some other way.  Instances of high inaccuracy have been carefully charted, such a new wood from actively growing trees has been dated at 10,000 years; mortar from Oxford Castle in England (built only 785 years ago) was dated by C-14 at 7,370 years, and freshly killed seals have been dated at 1,300 years.  Wysong [R. L. Wysong, The Creation-Evolution Controversy (Midland, Michigan: Inquiry Press, 1976), p. 151.] protests with good reason: ". . . why should we believe dates that have not had their assumptions validated when so many dates that can be checked for accuracy are wrong, sometimes ludicruously so."  [Douglas F. Kelly, Creation and Change: Genesis 1:1--2:4 In the Light of Changing Scientific Paradigms (Fearn, Ross-shire: Mentor/Christian Focus Publications, 1997), p.149f.]

If fresh wood from existing trees can be dated as being 10,000 years old, C-14 dating clearly serves an extremely useful purpose.  It serves to validate the old-earth paradigm.  But in the end its credibility is as solid and trustworthy as a Potemkin village or acres of wooden tanks built to pull the wool over the eyes of Nazi's in 1944.