First, a cutesy news story appears about an autistic boy genius named Jacob Barnett, who possesses a precocious knowledge of mathematics and who disagrees with aspects of the Big Bang Theory. Then, Glenn Beck latched on to him like he’s a sign from god. In turn, a website — The New American— parasitically clings to the story in a way only a conservative rag could –it declares that Jacob’s work is somehow going to prove Biblical creation by disproving the Big Bang. And apparently, there’s no need for writer Raven Clabough to check her facts as to who first proposed the idea for an expanding universe. She just likes to shoot from the hip.
Christians worldwide should applaud Jacob’s intent to disprove one of the many theories put forth by atheists to explain away the Biblical creation. According to astronomer Paul Steidl, “The big bang was invented specifically for the purpose of doing away with the creation event. An astronomer would laugh at the naivety of anyone who chose to equate the two events.” [my emphasis]
I think Monsignor George Lemaitre, the Catholic priest and astrophysicist who first put forth the “hypothesis of the primeval atom”, which became the Big Bang Theory, would disagree about atheism’s contribution. And Fred Hoyle, the astronomer who gave the Big Bang its pejorative name, would also have to object on the grounds that one of the reasons he and some of his colleagues disliked the Big Bang Theory was because it sounded too much like a creation myth.
(And I was unable to find any source for an astronomer named Paul Steidl. I did, however, find the name linked with The Creation Research Society and its numerous, pseudo-scientific booklets on why astrophysics “supports” Biblical creation.)
A creationist like Raven Clabough pinning her hopes on a child by twisting his words and misinterpreting his intentions is pretty pathetic. A creationist having to rewrite history to do it makes it doubly so. And she shouldn’t bank on Jacob disproving the Big Bang just yet. In his own words he makes an obvious error:
“Otherwise, the carbon would have to be coming out of the stars and hence the Earth, made mostly of carbon, we wouldn’t be here. So I calculated, the time it would take to create 2 percent of the carbon in the universe, it would actually have to be several micro-seconds. Or a couple of nano-seconds, or something like that. An extremely small period of time. Like faster than a snap. That isn’t gonna happen.” [my emphasis]
If I remember correctly, less than one tenth of a percent of the Earth’s crust is carbon. Sorry, but as brainy as Jacob is, his parents should know better than to place this kind of pressure on him or to let him be around creeps like Glenn Beck. They should take a lesson from Fleischmann and Pons, the two chemists who prematurely announced to the world in 1989 their “discovery of cold fusion.” Boasting before the evidence is in equals colossal embarrassment.
The Darwin Report 
Mathematical ability does not equate to genius level intellect. There is a difference between genius and savant.
but you talking about the crust and he was talking about the entire earth
The entire Earth is not made mostly of carbon, either.
I question the intelligence of anyone who constantly feels the need to put others down in order to make themselves look superior and therefore “more intelligent”. Are you trying to convince readers you’re view is correct or yourself? Inevitably, the roots of the put-down stem from a fear of being inferior/incorrect.
While this kind of mathematical genius is mind-blowing, it is important to remember that it generally exists in something of a vacuum. The nature of autism is an impairment in the ability to apply intelligence to the world outside oneself–which is why we don’t see this sort of “idiot savant” (as they used to call it) anywhere except in a closed system like pure mathematics.
Note that, whatever his theory is going to look like, Jacob’s university professors think what he is doing actually makes sense. If he found problems with the Big Bang theory and can come up with one that explains our world better, everyone should applaud that, whether Christina or atheist, whether it favors your worldview or not.
You atheists are funny!
I do not lead a “christian” life but I do believe in God and the fact that he created everything. The theory Evolution is absolutely ludicrous: If I did not believe in God I would put aside my conscience and quite happily kill Muslims and anyone who annoyed me. Once one stops believing in God one can commit any atrocity and that is what is happening today. Less and less people believe in God, more and more people commit crimes.
Dumb atheist. Atheist moron is too stupid and angry at God to accept the endless evidence any super moron can find, easily google. Ica stones moron, Acambaro figurines moron, and on, and on and ooooooon, but turd brains like you love playing in their own mental feces to accept the obvious. By the way genius word twister, have you found evidence for no God yet? No turd brain, but you’re an idiot. And “hides”? Stupid turd. You’re the one hiding, Glen Beck is all over major media you lying turd. Bye turd.