By Hugh Ross, Ph.D. (From his Book Creation and Time)
Reply: Some young-universe creationists concede that the stars and galaxies really are as distant as astronomers claim. What they suggest to escape the connection between size and age is that the light waves from stars and galaxies did not come to us from the stars and galaxies but were created already spanning the distance or were set in motion from points partway between their sources and earth. This argument obviously belongs to the appearance-of-age category. The overlooked fact here is that the star light and galaxy light give direct indications of their travel distances. The spectral lines (light waves at various frequencies) of stars and galaxies are broadened in direct proportion to the distance they travel. The random motions of gas clouds in space cause this effect. The radiation between the spectral lines, called the continuum, grows redder as it travels through interstellar and intergalactic dust. This reddening, like the effect of forest fire smoke on our view of the sun, is directly proportional to the distance the light has traveled.
Both theory and observations confirm that the broadening and reddening effects are reliable indicators of light-travel time and distance, even up to billions of light years. If God sent the light of stars and galaxies from points only some 10,000 light years away (not from the objects themselves), we would see a broadening and reddening indicative of 10,000 light years. We do not. What we see indicates light-travel times as great as 14 or 15 billion years.
To suggest that God artificially fixed the broadening and reddening of light individually from 10 billion-trillion stars and 100 billion galaxies is to say that He deliberately deceived us. Such action seems contradictory to His revealed character and purpose and His statements that the creation is a truthful witness.
References :
Ross Hugh, Ph. D., "Creation And Time Navpress," (1994) Reasons to Believe, p.96-97
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