How I Stopped Believing the Earth Is 6,000 Years Young

My fascination with creationism ultimately led me to embrace evolution

Photo: Johannes Plenio/Unsplash

Ten years ago, I never could have imagined myself sitting in a theater and watching myself, on film, explain why I left young-Earth creationism. For most of my life, I believed that the world was created only 6,000 years ago and that humans and dinosaurs walked the earth together on the sixth day of creation. Creationism was the framework of my faith and my worldview. I wrote articles and argued endlessly with anyone willing to listen.

Dan Phelps, co-directors Monica Long Ross and Clayton Brown, producer Amy Ellison, and David MacMillan at the world premiere of “We Believe in Dinosaurs” at the San Francisco International Film Festival on April 13, 2019. Photo: Miikka Skaffari/Getty Images

By the time I was approached by the documentary company 137 Films, my views had changed dramatically. I had written about science denial for multiple venues, and I was deeply concerned with creationism’s growing influence in my home state of Kentucky. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to explain the path that led me to reject the doctrine I’d grown up with, but I agreed to meet with producers Amy Ellison, Monica Long Ross, and Clayton Brown to tell my story.

We Believe in Dinosaurs explores how young-Earth creationism has gained a stronghold in the Bible Belt, particularly with the…