Ben Carson Unveils His Beliefs on God, Genesis and the Age of the Earth After Bill O'Reilly Asks: 'Are You Really a Creationist?

After responding to a question about whether we're in the midst of the biblical "end of days," Republican presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson also clarified his beliefs this week about God and creation, telling Fox News host Bill O'Reilly that he doesn't know "how old the Earth is."

"I know a lot of people say that I believe the earth is 6,000 years old, and they have no basis for saying that. I don't know how old the Earth is," Carson said on Monday night. "[Genesis] says, 'In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth' — and then there's a period there."

He continued, "You don't know how much time elapsed."

Dr. Ben Carson, professor emeritus at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, turns back to the audience as he puts his notes back in his pocket after speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference annual meeting in National Harbor, Md., Saturday, March 8, 2014. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Carson made these statements after O"Reilly asked, "Are you really a creationist?" to which the retired neurosurgeon said that he believes that "God is our creator," though he did not directly address a potential belief in a historical Adam and Eve as documented in the Old Testament.

Carson also implied that some simply don't understand the power of God.

"He's God. If he wanted to create an Earth that was billions of years old he could do it," he added, speaking of critics who might flatly reject such a notion. "They can't do it. How come they're always trying to put themselves in the same category as God?"

Watch Carson's comments below:

Carson's past statements about evolution have also caught attention, with the candidate addressing the subject in an interview with Time Magazine last month.

The outlet questioned a 2011 speech in which it said that Carson "seemed to imply that Darwin’s evolutionary theory was inspired by Satan" and asked him to explain what he meant during that address.

"Well, you wouldn’t understand it, no one would understand it unless they believe that there were forces of good and forces of evil," Carson responded. "If you don’t believe that, then that would be a nonsensical statement to you."

The candidate went on to explain that by "forces of evil" he meant that there are forces at work trying to make people reject the existence of God — something that many see the theory of evolution as having accomplished.

"I believe in micro evolution. I believe in natural selection. But I have a different take on it," Carson said. "The evolutionists they say there, that’s proof that the theory of evolution is true."

He continued, "I say that’s proof of an intelligent and caring God who gave His creatures the ability to adapt to their environment so He wouldn’t have to start over every 50 years."

(H/T: Christian Post)

Follow the author of this story on Twitter and Facebook:

Follow @BillyHallowell