Sen. Marco Rubio Weighs In On "Age Of Earth" Question

Florida Senator Marco Rubio fell into a bit of hot water following his restraint to answer a question on the Earth's age in an interview with GQ. Now, two weeks after the fact, he's decided to clarify his response.

"Science says it's about four and a half billion years old, and my faith teaches that that's not inconsistent," Rubio said at a Politico Playbook breakfast hosted by Mike Allen. "The answer I gave was actually trying to make the same point the president made a few years ago, and that is there is no scientific debate on the age of the Earth. I mean, it's established pretty definitively as at least four and a half billion years old … I was referring to a theological debate and which is a pretty healthy debate."

Rubi also adds, "I still believe God did it, and that's how I've been able to reconcile that and I think it's consistent with the teachings of my church. But other people have a deeper conflict and I just think in America we should have the freedom to teach our children whatever we believe."

In the interview with GQ, Rubio summed up his answer to the question as not being "qualified" to answer a question about the age of the Earth, stating, "I'm not a scientist, man."

Here's the rest of his response in the GQ interview:

"At the end of the day, I think there are multiple theories out there on how the universe was created and I think this is a country where people should have the opportunity to teach them all. Whether the Earth was created in 7 days, or 7 actual eras, I'm not sure we'll ever be able to answer that."

Despite the heat he received for not answering the question, Rubio said he has no regrets about how he responded to the initial question.

"I don't regret it," Rubio said. "I wish I would have given a better answer, a more succinct answer, but we went from talking about hip hop and then it got pivoted to the Earth - I'm not a robot, I got caught off guard, I guess."

Should public figures like Rubio be free to express their opinion on touchy subjects like "God vs. evolution", or do they possess too much influential power to push their opinions on the public? Let us know your opinions.

Props: Yahoo! News