Today I’m going to go “off topic”.  Instead of talking about faith & science I’m going to do my best to answer some of the questions/doubts/struggles that have been coming in to the website (anonymously).  I can see there are a wide range of things that get in the way of our faith and I think maybe it’s a good idea to deal with them as they come up.

One of the questions I got this week was:

Were dinosaurs on Noah’s ark? I saw a children’s picture book that showed dinosaurs on the ark and I had never thought about it before.

I guess this one isn’t really off topic at all… in fact I guess it fits right in with the whole realm of faith –vs- science.

So what is the deal with dinosaurs?  Scientists will tell you that dinosaurs and humans didn’t live on the earth at the same time (unless you count komodo dragons, alligators & lizards).  So does that disprove the Bible?  I don’t think so (but I’m a preacher… I make my living by saying that, right?).

First off, I guess I’d say something similar to what I said in my last entry about how the universe got started… I don’t really care if dinosaurs and humans lived on the earth at the same time.  But there is plenty of evidence to suggest that they did.  There is ancient artwork that depicts dinosaurs (artwork that was made

Ancient Inca burial stone

before there any museums to go to and see skeletons of these dinosaurs).  There are examples of dinosaur footprints and human footprints found together… including one example of a human footprint having been left inside a dinosaurs footprint before the mud had a chance to dry.  And the Bible even has some descriptions of “animals” that are unlike anything I’ve ever seen outside of a museum display of dinosaurs.

 

“Look at the behemoth, which I made along with you and which feeds on grass like an ox.  What strength he has in his loins, what power in the muscles of his belly!  His tail sways like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are close-knit.  His bones are tubes of bronze, his limbs like rods of iron.  He ranks first among the works of God, yet his Maker can approach him with his sword.  The hills bring him their produce, and all the wild animals play nearby.  Under the lotus plants he lies, hidden among the reeds in the marsh.  The lotuses conceal him in their shadow; the poplars by the stream surround him.  When the river rages, he is not alarmed; he is secure, though the Jordan should surge against his mouth.  Can anyone capture him by the eyes, or trap him and pierce his nose?

 

What kind of an animal is God (who is the one speaking in this part of the story of Job) talking about?  I have heard people say that the behemoth of Job chapter 40 is an elephant or maybe a hippopotamus… but I’ve never seen a hippo or an elephant with a tail that sways like a cedar tree.  The only thing I can think of that fits that description is something from the kids movie, The Land Before Time (think of little foot).

Does that mean that dinosaurs existed at the same time as humans?  I’m not sure… kind of seems like it to

I don't actually think Jesus ever rode a dinosaur... but I thought this picture was hysterical!

me.  But when we go around making this point the most important part of our discussion with those who are searching for God we often make ourselves seem irrelevant.  Whether it’s true or not… science is winning the public relations battle for the hearts and minds of those who are unsure about God and if we want to convince them to give God a try we need to stop seeming like we discount every aspect of science with our own ridiculous theories (not that they are ridiculous… but we need to consider what we sound like to outsiders).  God invites us to be a breath of fresh air to a corrupt world that is dying all around us.  Let’s be thoughtful about how we do that.  I’m not suggesting we water down the truth… but let’s think about where we use what few credits we might have with our culture to bring about change in their lives. 

 

I think on Saturday we’ll deal with some of the other questions that have been coming in that don’t have to do with science at all but rather with questions of doubt, relationships, forgiveness, etc.  Until then you can continue to ask your anonymous questions by clicking here.

Peace

Ed