Why I'm inclined to believe (or at least want to PURSUE) a young-earth interpretation and disinclined to believe (or pursue) an old-earth interpretation

My conversation partner a couple of weeks ago asked something like, "John: Why are you spending so much time and energy on this issue? Neither the young-earthers or the old-earthers would ever claim it is central to salvation!"

He also said, "Are you letting this kind of study take the joy out of your life?"

Reality: This area has already taken a bunch of joy out of my life. As I admitted in a previous post, it led me at least to contemplate suicide for a few minutes, and then, not wanting to do that, social suicide--"disappearing" without a trace and without notice to family or friends. That was ten years ago. On the morning of 9/11/2001, actually. A couple of hours before the planes began flying into the buildings in New York City.

No. This path I've been on has been no fun. No joy. In fact, it has carried me through an extremely long and painful "Dark Night of the Soul."

But/and that is part of the reason I've been strongly inclined to believe (or at least to want to pursue) a young-earth interpretation of Scripture: Because

Genesis 1 - "plainly" or "straightforwardly"

I'm already behind in my attempt to read through the Bible in a year this year.

It doesn't help that I'm trying really to read it (rather than simply skim; see my last post).

So I'm reading Genesis 1, the part of the Bible that Ken Ham and company warn we must interpret "without compromise," in "a plain or straightforward manner."

Reading the Bible “plainly” means