Christians' Views on Cavemen and Dinosaurs

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Question: Do Christians think cavemen, dinosaurs, and other prehistoric creatures existed? I wonder, since obviously most don't believe in evolution, how fossils of such creatures are explained? Especially Neanderthal fossils?

  

My Reply:

Actually, even though many of us don't believe in evolution, we do believe that cavemen and "prehistoric" creatures existed...not only because of the evidence though, but also because the Bible even mentions them.

Cavemen:
In Genesis when Lot and his daughters were running from the destruction of Sodom, they asked the Lord if they could instead live among those in the caves, for safety from those in the surrounding towns. Also, in Judges 6, due to the continuous attacks from surrounding nations, the Israelites were forced to live in the caves.

Dinosaurs:

1. "Answers In Genesis" has done several reports on this.
2. During creation, God created all the creatures, and brought them to Adam to name. They also lived together in the garden, and no doubt outside of it once everybody and everything was kicked out.
3. Several dinosaurs are mentioned throughout the Bible, only they don't have names like T-Rex, or even the name "Dinosaur". Instead, they have names from back then. Check out Job 40:15-24 for details on the "Behemoth", and Job 41:1-34 for the "Leviathan". Granted, scientists have tried relating them to modern day hippos and crocks, but if you'll look at the description, such is not actually possible. In fact, many Christians are beginning to believe that even dragons (flying, fire-breathing, etc.) once existed, some having to do with the descriptions of such in the Bible.
4. The Bible also says that the animals were created before humans.  Some have suggested the idea that dinosaurs were before man, and that this part in Genesis 1 confirms such a possibility.
5. The Bible also mentions that God created the world, and that there was a place called, "Eden", and that in it, God had placed a garden.  In this garden was where humans and all the animals brought to humans lived.  But since fossils have been found worldwide, some have also suggested the idea of dinosaurs living OUTSIDE Eden's garden at a time, whether before or during the existence of humans, and whether before or after humans were kicked out of the garden.

Some other online resources you could check out include:

http://www.bible.ca/tracks/b-dinosaurs-mentioned-in-bible.htm

Dinosaurs and Smoking Pot

Questions:  I have 2 questions:

1. Are dinosaurs mentioned in the Bible?
2. Is Smoking weed bad? 

My Reply:

Well then I've got 2 answers:

1. Are dinosaurs mentioned in the Bible?  Actually, yes, they are...and there are dinosaurs around today, also.  But the dinosaurs in the Bible weren’t named the same as we know them today.  For you won’t see them mention a Triceratops, whale, or Alligator.  Instead you’ll read names like “big fish, behemoth, or leviathan".  I’ve actually answered a question like this before.
2. As for smoking pot, yes, it's bad.  Granted there are some medical uses for the leaf, smoking it for any other reason can do more damage than good.  And among all those reasons, one you've gotta figure: the reason you get high from natural drugs (those made from plants) is because such plants are armed with a poison of sort, originally meant as a defense mechanism against animals, bugs, and such predators. So yeah, it makes you high, but it's originally on there to keep you away from it.  I’ve actually blogged on pot, and I think you'll get a kick out of it.

---Pastor Andy

Did Dinosaurs Co-Exist With Humans?

Question: I was raised Catholic and still believe in God, but I’m confused about a lot of things, like did we co exist with dinosaurs? If the earth is only 6000 years old then dinosaurs could not have existed right.... if they are billions of years old…

My Reply:

Hi, first of all, you know about the Gospel...does the existence of dinosaurs really matter in terms of your salvation and relationship with God?
2nd, dinosaurs co-exist with us today (gators, whales, sharks, squid, etc.). Remember, Noah took land animals on the ark...those in the water didn't need to be saved from the flood, so they remained.

Job mentioned a dinosaur that can't be pointed out today (described like a fire-breathing hippo/crock).  And when it came to extinction, didn't the whole endangered species control-thing begin in the 1900s? So who's to say they didn't exist at the time of humans? Who's to say they didn't exist in the Garden of Eden?
And as for the 9000-10000 year old earth, from all the things you've seen God do in no time at all, who's to say it's not possible? But then, who's also to say that Adam and Eve weren't in the garden for several million/billion years before taking a bite of the fruit?  "Answers in Genesis" has some neat information (both facts and theories) on Dinosaurs, as well as some takes on why we don't find fossilized human bones with them.
 
Bottom line, a lot of this stuff is just theory...it's fun to ponder and discuss, but technically speaking, it has nothing to do with our future in Christ Jesus. Remember, the Good News is our message...everything else is just (as the Apostle Paul called it), "Meaningless talk".

---Pastor Andy

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