Agreed, though I tend to be biased toward the many centuries as more interesting.

I've also asked people why they don't think that God was clever enough to orchestrate this whole mechanism of evolution by natural selection or the big bang or any of it, because that seams reasonable enough to me, and in fact a lot smarter on this mysterious god's part. (Still don't believe that, but it would make it easier for me to understand THEIR belief.) I have yet to get a satisfactory answer. They just insist, as Robin Williams put the belief: "Nope. God just went 'click.'"

I don't mind religion as a metaphor, but I am rather obsessive-compulsive and often have trouble fathoming a belief that conflicts with clear empirical evidence. I'm afraid it makes me snarky at times. ;)