CIM Briefing Papers

CIM Outline #42
                       DINOSAUR QUESTIONS

I.  Introduction

    A.  The Problem

        1.  Dinosaurs are an enigma to both believer and non-     
            believer.  New discoveries only seem to initiate seem
            to initiate new debates and raise new questions. 
            Currently, the debate among paleontologists centers
            around two main questions:  What caused their sudden
            extinction?  And were they cold or warm-blooded?  The
            prevailing view to the first question is that an
            extra-terrestrial object (a comet) hit the earth and
            radically altered the climate.  The view gaining
            ascendancy to the second question is that dinosaurs
            were warm-blooded like birds as opposed to being      
            cold-blooded like reptiles.

        2.  Because of the popularity and intense interest of     
            people of all ages, dinosaurs have become a major
            vehicle for popularizing the theory of evolution. 
            The release of popular science fiction films     
            with dinosaur themes in 1993, heightens interest in
            these strange beasts of the past.

        3.  Much of what is being taught about dinosaurs and      
            evolution in the educational systems, museums,
            national parks, and in the media, is troubling to
            Evangelical Christians.  Some of the most difficult
            questions we are asked by our children are those     
            about dinosaurs in relation to the Biblical view of   
            Creation and the Flood.   

    B.  Background

        The first dinosaur fossil was discovered in Sussex,       
        England, in 1825, by Anne Mantell.  The word      
        "dinosaur" means "terrible lizard", a word coined       
        by paleontologist, Sir Richard Owen in 1841.  There       
        are literally thousands of species of dinosaurs       
        with a tremendous disparity in size.  The largest         
        ever found was 50-60 feet in height and over 140          
        feet in length (Seismosaurus).  It weighted more          
        than 50 elephants!  One flying dinosaur had a            
        wingspan equal to an F15 fighter plane (50 ft.)!          
        The smallest was the size of a chicken.  Dinosaur         
        fossils are found on every continent including near       
        both poles.  The scientific establishment maintains       
        that dinosaurs evolved into being about 230,000,000       
        years ago, and ruled the earth during the Mesozoic        
        Era, a period of over 165,000,000 years.  Their           
        sudden extinction occurred about 65,000,000 years         
        ago.  (Note: the Mesozoic Era was divided into the        
        Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous Periods)

    C.  The Christian Approach

         What should a Christian do when the tried and
         tested interpretations of the Scripture stand in
         contradiction to the findings of the scientific
         establishment?  

         The Christian assumes that the Bible is truth, i.e.
         God's Word.  He also assumes that since God is the
         Creator of the natural realm that ultimately, when
         all the facts are known, that there will be no
         contradiction between the natural world and special
         revelation.  If the scientific establishment
         advances an interpretation of data from the natural
         world which becomes the "accepted" or popular view,
         and which view is at the same time in direct
         contradiction to  Biblical revelation, the believer
         must not succumb to the temptation to force a
         harmonization with the Biblical truth in such a way
         that the normal laws of interpretation are
         violated.  Rather, the Christian should humbly
         acknowledge the contradiction, and at the same
         time, make certain that his own interpretation of
         Scripture has been derived by proper treatment of
         the text, and is in general conformity to accepted
         orthodoxy.  If the interpretation stands, then the
         scientific data must be honestly re-evaluated.  If
         the data still cannot be harmonized, the Christian
         must be prepared to suspend judgement, perhaps for
         an extended period of time.  Concerning the
         dinosaurs, there are definitely contradictions
         between what the Bible says compared to the popular
         interpretations of science.  The Christian must
         say:  "Yes, there are contradictions, but are all
         the facts known?" The Church and its leaders must
         encourage believers to pursue these questions with
         all diligence. 

II.  Major Questions

     A.  How did they become extinct?  

         There are probably 50 theories attempting to
         explain the extinction of the dinosaurs (e.g.
         small mammals ate their eggs, their brains were
         too small, they were too big, radiation from an
         exploding supernova, disease, change in food
         supply, etc.).  The prevailing view is that the
         extinction was sudden due to some natural
         catastrophe which quickly altered the climate. 
         Christians have been saying this for some time,
         and can certainly agree with this current opinion. 
         Why not a world-wide catastrophic flood (Gen. 6-8)
         accompanied by volcanism which brought on a great
         ice-age?  Since some of these beasts were big
         eaters they died from a lack of adequate
         vegetation.  Prior to the Flood, the climate
         system then supported a very verdant, tropical-
         like earth.  Creationists speculate that a pre-
         flood atmospheric pressure of several times what
         it is today could account for the huge size of
         plant and animal life as well as the long ages of
         pre-flood men.  Scientists are puzzled as to how
         animals of such great size could live; how their
         blood could have circulated to sustain life and to
         be able to move.  Higher atmospheric pressure and
         higher oxygen content may be the answer.  The
         problem is, when did this catastrophe occur? 
         Creationists, who take the Bible seriously,
         believe this catastrophic flood took place
         thousands of years ago, not millions.  (We think
         there is good evidence for about 3000 B.C.  See
         "The Date of Noah's Flood" in Archaeology and
         Biblical Research.  Winter, 1993.)

     B.  Are Dinosaurs really extinct?
          

         For the most part yes.  But the extinction may not
         have been so long ago, and some animals still
         exist that could be classified as "terrible
         lizards."  Is not a 30 ft. long crocodile a
         terrible lizard?  On the remote island of Komodo
         exists a nearly extinct monitor lizard known for
         its reputation as a maneater (see National
         Geographic, Dec. '68).  Deep in the heart of
         tropical Africa the native people tell of seeing a
         creature resembling a giant Brachiosaurus in
         contemporary times.  In 1977, a Japanese fishing
         vessel off the coast of New Zealand hooked a
         rotting carcass of an animal that resembled a
         giant dinosaur.  It was studied by their
         scientists and even commemorated in a postage
         stamp.  American scientists refused to participate
         in the studies and labeled it a basking shark.
         Many creation scientists believe that some
         dinosaurs survived long after the Flood and even
         into the Middle Ages.  This would account for the
         dragon stories and many encounters of strange
         dinosaur-like beasts with men.  One documented
         case took place in 1572 in Bologna, Italy.  A
         peasant slew an animal whose description fits that
         of a Tanystropheus.  The ancient history of China
         is replete with such stories.  (For more of this
         evidence see:  Mythical Monsters, by Charles Gould.)

    C.  Are Dinosaurs mentioned in the Bible?

        While we cannot answer with certainty, we believe
        it is highly probable.  In Genesis 1:21, it says
        "So God created the great creatures of the sea..."
        (NIV).  Many translations have whales.  The hebrew
        word is tannim and is translated dragon or
        leviathan in 20 or more passages.  This sea-dragon
        is described by God in Job 41:1-34 as a fearsome,
        fire-breathing monster whose scaly hide cannot be
        penetrated with a sword or spear.  In Job 40:15-
        24, a giant land dragon is described as having a
        tail like a cedar tree.  Sometimes commentaries
        and marginal notes indicate that what is being
        described is probably a hippopotamus or an
        elephant.  Don't believe it!  Have you ever seen
        the tail of an elephant or a hippopotamus?  Read
        it for yourself.

         What about the fire-breathing part of Job 41:18. 
         "His snorting throws out flashes of light; his
         eyes are like the rays of dawn.  Firebrands stream
         from his mouth; sparks of fire shoot out.  Smoke
         pours from his nostrils... ."  Granted this is
         poetry, however, we do not believe this is purely
         imaginary.  God is describing some existing beast
         to portray His own greatness.  Why should we have
         a problem with a beast that breathes fire?  What
         about a beetle that causes an explosion (the
         Bombardier Beetle) an eel that generates
         electricity, a bug with a light bulb on its end? 
         Some of the skulls of dinosaurs are particularly
         puzzling.  Not only are the shapes peculiar, but
         they have extra orifices for reasons unknown.
         Being able to breathe fire and smoke is not all
         that incredible.

    D.  Were They meat-eaters?

        There seems to be proof that some of them were
        carnivorous.  However, if we choose to believe
        that the Bible is true, we would have to assert
        that their meat-eating days must have come after
        the Fall since death did not come until then.  The
        most fearsome-looking of all the dinosaurs may
        have been a vegetarian!  The teeth of
        Tyrannosaurus Rex are too loosely anchored to tear
        flesh, and may just as well have served to tear up
        the pithy interiors of giant pre-flood plants and
        trees.

    E.  Were they on the Ark?

        The Bible says Noah was to take pairs of all air-
        breathing animals.  This must have included
        dinosaurs.  The capacity of the Ark was 500-600
        railroad boxcars and room was not a problem. 
        Whether or not a pair of each specie was aboard is
        debatable.  There are thousands of species,
        however, there are basically only 20 or so
        different kinds of Dinosaurs.  There is a lot of
        built-in genetic diversity.  For example, two
        thousand years ago there were only two kinds of
        dogs.  Also, Capt. Noah probably did not admit the
        largest specimens.  Not all dinosaurs were huge.

    F.  Why did they grow so big?

        Their largeness may have had something to do with
        the pre-flood atmosphere.  Note also that reptiles
        (if they were reptiles!) never cease growing. 
        Some of those giants could have been hundreds of
        years old.

    G.  Did man and dinosaurs co-exist?

        Again, if you take the Bible at its word it would
        seem that you have to answer in the affirmative. 
        We have sea-monsters being created on the 5th day
        and land animals on the 6th day before man.  Job,
        who may have written the oldest book in the Bible,
        seems to have been an eyewitness.  Is there any
        other evidence?  While it may not be definitive,
        there does seem to be evidence that man and
        dinosaurs were contemporaries.  There is the
        possibility that human footprints and dinosaur
        footprints have been found in the same layer of
        strata at at least three different locations in
        the U.S.  Since myths are often based on truth the
        dragon stories may be rooted in actual events of
        men encountering "terrible lizards."

    H.  What about the dates?

        This is probably one of the more controversial
        debates and it must be the subject of entire
        outline of its own.  There are plenty of questions
        that need to be asked about the assumptions that
        go into the projection of the long ages, and
        likewise, there are facts that seem to indicate a
        rather young earth.

III.  Conclusion

      While much about dinosaurs is a mystery, we are
      confident that Biblical revelation can ultimately
      account for any new data that might be discovered. 
      Dinosaurs, like all other objects in God's Creation,
      exalt and bring glory to Him.

V.  Books for further Study

    Most of the books mentioned below are for young readers.

Taylor, Paul S.  THE GREAT DINOSAUR MYSTERY.
Morris, John, and Ham, Ken.  WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO THE 
    DINOSAURS?
Whitcomb, John C.  THE WORLD THAT PERISHED.
Petersen, Dennis R.  UNLOCKING THE MYSTERIES OF CREATION.
Gish, Duane T.  DINOSAURS:  THOSE TERRIBLE LIZARDS.
Unfred, David.  DINOSAURS AND THE BIBLE.
 
 
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