Kentucky's Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate Rand Paul says that until he's running for minister, he doesn't have to say how old the earth is:
Paul, a Presbyterian layman, campaigned at a Christian Home Educators of Kentucky convention where he was peppered with questions about his religious beliefs, brushing aside one about the age of the earth that he later described as ridiculous.
"I'm not running for minister," Paul said later. "I'm more than willing to stand up and say I'm a Christian, but I don't think I have to go into every detail of what my religious beliefs are. If I were going to be the minister of their church, they'd have a right to ask me that."
No, people don't have to know every detail of his religious beliefs. But the voters of Kentucky might want to know if Paul thinks that dinosaurs walked the earth with humans.
Although the convention attendee who asked the question and who hoped that Paul agreed with him that the earth is 6,000 years old, understood why Paul refused to answer:
"I'm not at all surprised that he didn't want to answer that question," Willis said shortly after posing it. "I know that is hugely controversial."
No, it's not hugely controversial. Unless Rand Paul believes it.