Showing posts with label archaeology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label archaeology. Show all posts

Christians' Views on Cavemen and Dinosaurs


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:

Confused About Faith and God

Question:
I want to believe but it's so hard for me to believe in God. A while back I had a lot of faith in my religion (Christianity) and I was the happiest guy in the world because I always felt there was someone who truly loved me no matter what. I would do my best to keep the commandments and in doing so I felt that I was doing the right thing and so no matter how much I would go through I wasn't worried because according to scripture, God would help me get through it. I would even go to church by myself because my mom was an Evangelical Christian and I was LDS so I would sit by myself in church, however I never felt lonely. Recently I lost my faith due to everything that goes on in this world. For example, the Bible says the Earth is only 6,000 years old but I know better than that and I know evolution was the means by which Humans came into existence but then again I had a friend who believed that god used Evolution to create Humanity. In conclusion I don't care if I have to blindly follow my religion because having faith in God made my life soooooooo much better! Even if there is no God I'd rather believe than not. I need advice on how I can gain faith.


My Reply:
So let me get this straight...you were solid in your faith when it came to going through anything in your personal life, and you lost your faith when it came to questions about things outside your life but in the rest of the world?
My friend, I see that your problem was recognizing Christianity as a religion where you had to do things in order to feel holy, and how you feel as your confirmation of God's existence. But being a Christian is about being in a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, and because of this relationship, you are already ARE holy (regardless of how you feel).
There are problems in the world simply because we live in a world tainted by sin. Check here to help with another view on this, as well as other questions: http://www.answersingenesis.org/
The LDS' idea about God and Jesus is also tainted by sin, which may also be what helped you get to where you are now. Have you tried talking with your mom about Jesus? Try reading her Bible (not the book of Mormon). For example, look at John 14:6, and compare that to what the LDS said about Jesus.
To be perfectly honest, if questions about the world are what caused you to fall out of faith, I have to wonder what kept you in the LDS faith for so long?  For example, have you ever seen the golden plates?  History says nobody but Smith has. Have you done research on events and places in the book of Mormon? Archaeology has and continues to prove and give evidence to the Holy Bible and its events, cultures and locations, but nothing has been proven or discovered in terms of the book of Mormon. So what (other than the feeling of God's presence) kept you involved with the church of LDS?  And with so little to base your LDS faith on, why such difficulty in believing in God through Christianity?

---Pastor Andy

Why do atheists attack Christians without merit?

This was actually an answer to a post in Philosophy that surprised me: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;…
Atheists, not scientists, believe its time to end religion. Science never proves or disproves religious origin and all unbiased scientists will cop to that. Only the hard-core atheists use science as evidence for their claims, but they are irrational about it.
The above was a great lead in for:

http://www.deism.com/dogmatic%20atheism.…
Then, a leading atheist, based on science, changes his position.
http://www.biola.edu/antonyflew/flew-int…
There is room for a creator!

My Reply:
I honestly find it odd that Atheists want to get rid of religions altogether, for Atheism seems to have turned into a religion of its own.  Anyway, here's how I understand it all:

It's not that Atheists don't believe, but that they REFUSE to believe in the existence of God...they CHOOSE not to  believe, even when the evidences are staring them right in the face.  (Agnostics are those who just don't know).
But at the same time, we both (Christians and atheists) are out on a mission.
I heard a guy on the radio the other day who said, "When asked if there's anything better than going to heaven, most people say 'no'. But I say 'yes. The one thing that's better than going to heaven is bringing somebody there with you'."  So you see, we Christians are out to introduce people to Jesus, the only one who can save them from death, sin, hell, etc., while atheists are out trying to save them from...(foolishness?) believing in a God that they refuse to believe exists.
I guess you could also look at it in the way that we each witness to people of other faiths. We tell them not of our own opinions, but of Truth, thus trying to persuade them to realize their need to turn  to God and repent.  Atheism, on the other hand, has become a faith that witnesses to people of God-believing faiths with their own opinions about God, trying to persuade them to NOT believe in God at all.
So in the same way that we believe in the urgency of getting the Word out about Jesus, atheists believe in the urgency to "save" people from what they consider as the "foolishness" of believing that God exists.
And so this, I believe, is why they attack us so much...we're “competing” for souls.

In terms of science, I agree that it's mostly about theories. But in trying to prove or disprove God's existence, many scientists have actually become Christians due to the results of their research, especially archaeologists.  So as more and more discoveries are made about the evidences of God's existence, as well as events mentioned in the Bible, atheists may soon have to begin looking for a new source to back up their opinions.

---Pastor Andy