Below is a sample of arguments in which neither side seems to be able to prove for a fact which one is correct. When the time comes in which there is no doubt.....perhaps belief systems will change.
If the critics are correct.....one would be forced to re-examine the flood story with it's current accepted dating time. Notice the t time argument by the believers who won't say this tree could have EXCEEDED the time frame of the flood , casting doubt it happened.
THE OLDEST LIVING THINGS
The religious side:
But as tall and old as many sequoias are, they are not the oldest tree. A bristlecone pine in the White Mountains of California has this honour. It is more than 4,000 years old.
As trees such as the bristlecone pines and the redwoods are still living after 4,000 years or more, and seem impervious to the normal problems of trees, it is conceivable that they could live another 4,000 years or longer - a total of 8,000 years! Why then, are none found much older than 4,000 years?
It would seem that if these trees grew before this time, it would take something like a catastrophic natural disaster to wipe them out. This is seen as strong evidence for Noah's Flood having occurred a little more than 4,000 years ago.
The critical side:
"Methuselah" dated   Back in the laboratory, extensive analysis of the collected samples and data proved the "rumor" true and Schulman was then convinced it was the bristlecone stands he needed to explore. During the following two years of 1954 and 1955, an extensive search from California to Colorado was carried out by Dr. Schulman and his assistant C.W. Ferguson. They found the oldest trees at elevations of 10,000 to 11,000 feet (3048 to 3354m), often growing in seemingly impossible locations. These trees showed large areas of die back (deadwood) and thin strips of living bark. The trees growing in the most extreme conditions, with scant soil and moisture, seemed to be the oldest! Several trees in the 3,000 to 4,000+ year range were discovered. All but one were found in the White-Inyo Range, so Schulman devoted his attention to this area. The first tree proven over four thousand years old he aptly named "Pine Alpha". Later in 1957 "Methuselah" was found to be 4,723 years old and remains today the world's oldest known living tree. |
For several months after his discovery Schulman was known to be  awed by these trees, often speaking with amazement about their ability to live so long with so little. He wrote: "The capacity of these trees to live so fantastically long may, when we come to understand it fully, perhaps serve as a guidepost on the road to understanding of longevity in general. |
Once the doubt is cleared........how will the wrong party respond? If the latter is correct......would that negate the flood?
Gumby
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