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i am not trying to question any religion or cause a person to doubt his/her belief. i have always had the curiosity, for example, the bible, how do they explain the existence of for example, dinosaurs. did they ever exist? are they just a hoax? i think there is a lot of evidence out there to support the existence of dinosaurs and cavemen and mammoths and sabertooths and all of these creatures that are now extinct. does any religious text talk about these creatures? for example, in the bible from what i know it never talks about these prehistoric animals or anything like that... i dont think the book of genesis talks about the existence of dinosaurs and what came along... can anyone correct me if im wrong or can someone explain how it is?

2007-03-22 15:22:56 · 13 answers · asked by nickname 4 in Society & Culture Religion & Spirituality

13 answers

Start with reading Genesis 1:24-31. Here is a basic form of logic called a syllogism: T. Rex is a land animal. Land animals were made on day 6. Therefore, T. Rex was made on day 6. So, according to the Bible, dinosaurs lived beside man. Dinosaurs were made on day six of the creation week the same as man; they were beasts of the earth.

And then read Job 40:15-24. Job was questioning God because of his suffering, and so God comes and challenges Job with His creation.

Many people say, “Job 40 can’t be speaking of a dinosaur.” They say that, not because the description of Behemoth doesn’t fit, but because of their preconceived conception that man and dinosaurs didn’t live together.

The margin of the NIV says, “Possibly the hippopotamus or the elephant.” Something to keep in mind—the footnotes are not a part of the original text.

Well, the tail of an elephant or hippo is like a twig, not a cedar (most dogs have longer tails). Throughout the Scriptures, cedars were known for their great size and length. Nothing on earth today fits this description, but a sauropod type of dinosaur does.

The largest we have found was over 120 feet long. That sounds to me like the “chief”—not a hippo.

And then in Job 41, God describes the Leviathan (Isaiah 27:1 calls it the dragon in the sea.)

The margin of the NIV says, “Possibly the crocodile.” But the description again doesn’t fit any animal alive today. Besides, man has never had a problem catching crocodiles, even primitive tribes, but God says in Job 41 that Leviathan couldn’t be caught.

Some think this was just a mythical creature since it speaks of it breathing fire. And yes, Job is a poetic book and those could just be poetic descriptions. But not necessarily. Impossible you say?

What about the electric eel that can produce enough electricity to stun a horse? If the electric eel was extinct and all we could find were its fossils, would we be able to know that it could generate electricity? Nope. What about the firefly and anglerfish that can produce light? What about the bombardier beetle that can fire a boiling mixture of chemicals at its enemies that is 212 degrees Fahrenheit?

Why couldn’t God have created certain water-living reptiles that were capable of expelling hot gaseous fumes that could ignite? Most animals produce methane anyway, which is a flammable gas. Stories of fire-breathing dragons have circulated for thousands of years.

Also, keep in mind that Behemoth and Leviathan were included along with real creatures that Job knew about. Read Job sometime.

In Isaiah 30:6, Isaiah speaks of flying serpents [reptiles]. I also find it interesting that Herodotus, the Greek Historian who lived around 450 BC wrote about flying serpents in Arabia. He talked about finding their bones and described their snake-like bodies and bat-like wings. And the Jewish historian from the first century, Josephus, wrote about Moses and the Israelites having a difficult time passing through a particular region because of the presence of flying serpents. I think they were speaking of one of the pterosaurs like the pterodactyl, pteranodon, or rhamphorhynchus.

2007-03-24 10:43:44 · answer #1 · answered by Questioner 7 · 0 0

This is so strange that you ask this. I have been thinking about dinosaurs lately, but I was wondering about the evolution theory on them. Like the T-rex and how small the arms were on that thing. I also wonder how all the different plants, trees, animals and everything evolved to what they were and then most of them disappeared. Then a whole different variety of plants and animals evolved, with very little hint of the previous evolution of things. Yes I know some kind of things are still around since back then. Very few things though. I have not found any evolution theory about all of this.

2007-03-22 15:30:33 · answer #2 · answered by Rosalind S 4 · 0 0

I am curious as well. Because if there were dinosaurs in the garden of eden, then Adam & Eve may have eaten the apple just to escape the garden before they were eaten by a T-rex.

Also I wonder how Noah got the penguins, polar bears, and woolly mammoths to survive the trip on the ark in the tropics. Did he have an ice machine or something?

2007-03-22 15:32:40 · answer #3 · answered by bandycat5 5 · 0 0

Well the bible is not a history or science text book so it is not its place to explain anything but the culture as it is a cultural book. Dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures did not walk the earth at the time of the cultural writing so they are not part of the cultural compilation.

2007-03-22 15:28:08 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2 0

The Bible is not an archeology text. Even if you are a believer you have to admit that if there was a Gospel on dinosaurs, evolution or any of the dozens of sciences we take for granted no one at the time would have the faintest idea what it was about. There is nothing in the Bible about electricity but our entire society is built on it.

2007-03-22 15:32:32 · answer #5 · answered by Michael da Man 6 · 0 0

Hello Ivan C,
It appears that you are not up on your Bible studies. For in the Book of Job it speaks of the mammoth creatures that have existed. As for any religious text, can't help you there as I don't follow religions of man.

As any Christian you happen to see whether they know of the creatures that God created that were alive in the First Earth/Heaven Age and I'm sure if they are indeed a true Christian they will tell you all there is to know about it.><>

2007-03-22 15:31:04 · answer #6 · answered by CEM 5 · 0 1

I see you are an initiate of the "So Why?" rule.

Dinosaurs, would anyone miss them were there no fossils. So Why?
What difference would it have made if the tree of knowledge of good and evil had never been planted. So why?
The God of the JCMs (Jews, Christians, Muslims) walked around the Garden and couldn't find Adam, but is supposed to be omniscient. So Why?

Getting the drift?
.

2007-03-22 15:35:15 · answer #7 · answered by Terry 7 · 0 0

Your question concerns science and religion in The Bible, specifically historical scholarship. What is that? Well, for one thing, The Bible is not a single book but a library of books; and like any library it contains a great many different literary types: history, fiction, poetry, drama, legend, myth. All of them were an attempt to capture the ineffable experience people had had of their God.

The Holy Spirit prompted and helped the human authors to use their natural talent to capture a profound religious experience. As gifted story tellers or writers, they retold the experience of their ancestors or related the ministry of Jesus in a compelling way.

Aware of this, scholars are now quick to tell us that what we find in the Bible is not a scientific but a religious text. For millennia God has used this text to give us his answer to our perennial human question: “What are we and our world really all about?”

It is not supposed to be a biology textbook. It is supposed to be the revelation of God from beginning to end to point to Jesus Christ.

"And these are written that you may believe in the Son of God - and believing - have life in his name"

Period.

2007-03-22 15:30:41 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0 1

You still stuck on that 'Piltdown man', or how about Lucy? Case you haven't heard they have both been discredited as frauds.
"existence of dinosaurs " "Behold Boheimith", as mentioned in the Bible Tail like a tree trunk and can stand upright? Not an crokadile as many try to explain that verse. Ever see one that big or that could stand upright?

2007-03-22 15:29:12 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0 2

Because the Bible says that it's the word of God. It's simple logic: -the Bible says it is the words of God -therefore, the Bible is the word of God -the Bible says that it is the only word of God -therefore, all other holy books are written by men -the Bible says that God is omniscient -therefore, the Bible was written by an Omnipotent God -things that are written by an omnipotent God are more reliable than things written by man

2016-03-29 00:22:31 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

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