Stupid For Jesus: A Tennessee lawmaker refuses to support a resolution about the Cumberland Plateau because he doesn’t believe the Earth is 500 million years old.

Tennessee State Rep. Chris Todd argued against a resolution in support of the Cumberland Plateau because the resolution cites scientific research showing the plateau’s sandstone and shale are 500 million years old.

Commenting on the resolution, Rep. Todd said he rejected the science, declaring:

(The resolution is) claiming that these sandstone and shale areas date back 500 million years and I take issue with that because I don’t believe we have any solid evidence that the Earth is that old so I don’t want anything to do with with a statement like that.

The Tennessee Holler reports on the story:

WATCH: “I don’t believe we have any solid evidence the Earth is that old.” ‬ ‪Rep. Chris Todd opposes a Rep. John Ray Clemmons resolution about the Cumberland Plateau’s beauty because it says sandstone shale there is 500 million years old

For the record, Rep. Todd is wrong. Earth is approximately 4.5 billion years old. Scientists have calculated that Earth is 4.54 billion years old, with an error range of 50 million years. Regardless of the exact age, it is significantly older than 500 million years.

The Nature Conservancy reports on the Cumberland Plateau:

Stretching across eastern Tennessee from Alabama north into Kentucky, the Cumberland Plateau rises more than 1,000 feet above the Tennessee River Valley to a vast tableland of sandstone and shale dating as far back as 500 million years.

The resolution in question, House Joint Resolution 826, is offered “to recognize the beauty and cultural heritage of the Cumberland Plateau region.” The particular passage troubling Rep. Todd reads:

WHEREAS, the Cumberland Plateau was formed by flowing water and now rises more than 1,000 feet above the Tennessee River Valley to a vast tableland of sandstone and shale dating as far back as 500 million years;

As for Rep. Todd, according to his official website, in addition to being a state representative, he has also been a Deacon at the West Jackson Baptist Church for 21 years. Thus, the man’s devotion to religious superstition may explain his willful ignorance when it comes to science.

Bottom line: Tennessee lawmaker Chris Todd rejects scientific truth and refuses to support a resolution about the Cumberland Plateau because he doesn’t believe the Earth is 500 million years old.

The stupid, it burns.