What is the explanation for all the "million year old dinosaur bones"?

[CuzIm]

This is the only question I have about christianity. I know christianity is real, but I just can't get this question out of my head.

 

[dysert]

The young-earthers would probably say that the dating of the bones is inaccurate.

 

[Archie the Preacher]

This is the only question I have about christianity. I know christianity is real, but I just can't get this question out of my head.

Partner, you have just asked the gazillion dollar question. Rather than get started here and now, I suggest you peruse the forums dealing with Creationism, Evolution (somewhat incorrect actually, but seems to identify) and such.

Read a bunch first. Most everyone - including me - has something to say and the matter will not taper off in the next few weeks.

By the way, if this is the only question you have about Christianity, you're ahead of the game.

 

[Cappadocious]

This is the only question I have about christianity. I know christianity is real, but I just can't get this question out of my head.

Care to elaborate?

 

[CuzIm]

Partner, you have just asked the gazillion dollar question. Rather than get started here and now, I suggest you peruse the forums dealing with Creationism, Evolution (somewhat incorrect actually, but seems to identify) and such.

Read a bunch first. Most everyone - including me - has something to say and the matter will not taper off in the next few weeks.

By the way, if this is the only question you have about Christianity, you're ahead of the game.

Thanks so much, and I will be sure to check that out.

 

[InLoveWithMyBestFriend]

Check out Dr. Kent Hovind. He is a young earth creationist that makes fascinating scientifically accurate videos from his seminars that answers this question, as well as many others.

 

[St. Paul]

It just seems odd to me that scientists, archaeologists, geologists, etc., claim to be accurate about the universe/earth being billions of years old, and dinosaur fossils being millions of years old, and claim to know how the world began. They claim to be accurate yet nobody can get a current weather forecast right! LOL! I'm supposed to believe people can tell me EXACTLY what happened millions or billions of years ago yet nobody can tell me accurately whether its going to rain tomorrow or not with any degree of certainty. My weather man probably has an accuracy of maybe 25%.

 

[Archie the Preacher]

It just seems odd to me that scientists, archaeologists, geologists, etc., claim to be accurate about the universe/earth being billions of years old, and dinosaur fossils being millions of years old, and claim to know how the world began. They claim to be accurate yet nobody can get a current weather forecast right! LOL! I'm supposed to believe people can tell me EXACTLY what happened millions or billions of years ago yet nobody can tell me accurately whether its going to rain tomorrow or not with any degree of certainty. My weather man probably has an accuracy of maybe 25%.

St. Paul, this is a very old and obviously fraudulent argument.

A brief reading of the appropriate literature of cosmology, astronomy, geology, biology archeology and so forth gives no precise, detailed and exact answers to the matters you have referenced.

Consider, the 'accepted' - meaning the average of what most scientists in the particular field don't deny - of the Universe is 13.74 billion years. Anyone who understands numbers at all should grasp that is not an exact dating. That's 13,740,000,000 years and leaves a lot of variance for an 'exact' number.

Compare that to the date of October 23, 4004 B. C. Now there's an exact date. But none of the YEC proponents can predict the weather either. Since - it seems - the YEC contingent know exactly what God thinks, (see what I did there?) one expects they can predict God's intentions for weather tomorrow. Right?

So your statement "It just seems odd to me that scientists, archaeologists, geologists, etc., ... claim to know how the world began" is false. There are some very good ideas about how specific things happened - for instance according to the mathematics which work in everyday life, the process for the 'cooling down' of the Universe and how three of the four basic forces demonstrated themselves is fairly firm. (Sort of like how two apples and two apples make four apples.)

This statement also conflates and 'mixes' at least two different disciplines. Astronomers, cosmologists and geologists DO NOT engage in weather forecasting. Your initial statement lumps them all together.

Your statement is actually a re-statment of what is known as a 'strawman' argument. The proponent makes false statements, credits them to the opposition and then attacks the (known) false statements. It is a very sloppy and often times fraudulent way of discussing anything. Yes, I know this sort of thing is repeated often by 'holy' people - who know nothing about what they speak, either.

I tell you all this NOT to belittle you, but to point out the error of what you printed here. I am NOT attempting to change your opinion on the matter, just to gain some understanding of how logic and concepts of 'evidence' works.

Nearly any argument which relies on denigrating another viewpoint without actual facts is on shaky ground.

 

[shakewell]

This is the only question I have about christianity. I know christianity is real, but I just can't get this question out of my head.

There aren't any million year old dinosaur bones. They're no more than 6,000 years old. The explanation is in studying the time spans given to us by God in the Bible.

 

[CuzIm]

There aren't any million year old dinosaur bones. They're no more than 6,000 years old. The explanation is in studying the time spans given to us by God in the Bible.

I know. But what about all the scientists claiming that those bones are millions of years old through science?

 

[Archie the Preacher]

There aren't any million year old dinosaur bones. They're no more than 6,000 years old. The explanation is in studying the time spans given to us by God in the Bible.

This statement has less validation than what the 'scientists' claim. It has no evidence of all. In fact, the only argument in support is derived from an inferior and superficial understanding of the outstandingly mediocre KJV through the distorted lens of English language alteration over four hundred years.

 

[shakewell]

I know. But what about all the scientists claiming that those bones are millions of years old through science?

They're wrong. Science itself doesn't make that claim. Scientists are people, and people are sinners. Sinners unite in their rebellion against God and make claims accordingly.

Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. Psalm 2:1-3

 

[Indent]

What's the explanatiom behind some Christians conflating "Biblical inerrancy" with literalism?

...or taking theological statements/stories and asserting dogmatically that they represent a journalistic accounts?

What's the explanation behind some Christians choosing to remain uninformed on how science expresses itself... or appreciating historical-critical Biblical scholarship or any literature that isn't evangelical...

Why is it so difficult to understand that ancient Israelites, or first century Jews for that matter, had entirely different intellectual categories, had entirely different worldview and were talking to an audience distant and foreign to us... Communicated in a different language, and much differently

What's the explanation behind some Christians failing to recognize that a "plain reading" (let's set aside the fact that all people engage in process of interpretation, representation, abstraction) of the Bible is a hermantic in itself.

...maybe Dinasaur bones are millions of years old. Maybe the problem isn't science.

 

[Archie the Preacher]

What's the explanatiom behind some Christians conflating "Biblical inerrancy" with literalism?

...or taking theological statements/stories and asserting dogmatically that they represent a journalistic accounts?

Hmm. What a curious and rebellious thought!

What's the explanation behind some Christians choosing to remain uninformed on how science expresses itself... or appreciating historical-critical Biblical scholarship or any literature that isn't evangelical...

I can't find a real explanation. Anywhere.

Why is it so difficult to understand that ancient Israelites, or first century Jews for that matter, had entirely different intellectual categories, had entirely different worldview and were talking to an audience distant and foreign to us... Communicated in a different language, and much differently

Or perhaps just recorded what they 'saw' or thought they saw, and no connected or hidden meaning should be ascribed?

What's the explanation behind some Christians failing to recognize that a "plain reading" (let's set aside the fact that all people engage in process of interpretation, representation, abstraction) of the Bible is a hermantic in itself.

Perhaps reading scripture without pre-conceived ideas due to what someone told you already?

...maybe Dinasaur bones are millions of years old. Maybe the problem isn't science.

One of the possibilities in nearly any 'issue' is that one or both sides may be wrong to one degree or other. The idea that "all scientists are agents of Satan and liars" is rather hard to swallow. As hard to swallow as "all Christians (real or pretend) have a Divinely inspired understanding of everything".

I've been a Christian for over fifty years and I haven't a clue about women. Woodworking is going pretty slow as well.

 

[Postvieww]

I am not sure this question can be answered conclusively to most people’s satisfaction. There are several theories. Some theories create more questions than answers. If the earth is only 6000 years old when did the dinosaurs roam the earth? Did God create their bones and place them in the earth to confuse us? If they were real creatures where did they come from and how did they meet their demise? If they roamed the earth before the flood why were they not on the ark?

Could they have been part of the result of angelic interference outlined in Genesis 6? Could there have been an earth system created and destroyed by God eons ago that He recreated in the Genesis account? I believe that explanation is more plausible

Genesis 1King James Version (KJV)


1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

When was the beginning? When were the angels and heavenly hosts created? When did Lucifer fall? He had obviously rebelled before he tempted Eve in the garden. Was all of heaven created when this earth was created? How much time elapsed between verse 1 and verse 2?

2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

How do we fit the below passage with the Genesis account?

Jeremiah 4:23 I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.

Sounds like Genesis 1:2, was there another time the earth was without form and void?

24 I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly.

25 I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.

God created the birds on the 5th day how is it that they were “fled” before they were created in the Genesis account ?

Man was created on the 6th day. Who was the "us" in Genesis 1:26 man was created in the image of? When was that "us" created?

26 I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord, and by his fierce anger.

When were these cities destroyed? When were they created?

27 For thus hath the Lord said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end.

When was this “whole land” made desolate?

28 For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black; because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it.

Now we are back to Jeremiah 4:23.

IMHO there was some kind of earth system before God recreated the earth that was void and without form in Genesis 1: 1:2 and Jeremiah 4:23. That “theory” seems to answer more of the questions other theories cannot answer. I am sure someone has all of the answers.

 

[Hieronymus]

the Flood is the explanation.

 

[Kristen Johnson]

Personally, I think this is just one of those things that people use to divide us. It doesn't matter to your salvation whether or not you believe in creation. I will say, however, that I'm a Liberal Christian and I find absolutely no problem with believing in both creation and evolution. There is a God and he started the whole thing. Science is awesome and we shouldn't be trying to disprove it all the time!

 

[Archie the Preacher]

Personally, I think this is just one of those things that people use to divide us.

I agree with you, except I'll quibble - not fully disagree - and suggest we replace 'people' in your sentence with 'Satan'. I 'see' (metaphor) Satan wanting to divide us more than 'people'.

It doesn't matter to your salvation whether or not you believe in creation.

I agree with you completely. However, it must be noted there are those who find belief in "creationism", that is Young Earth Creationism, as a litmus test for being a Christian. So far, all those who espouse such an idea are YEC supporters. (Go figure.)

I will say, however, that I'm a Liberal Christian and I find absolutely no problem with believing in both creation and evolution.

I'm a conservative, grumpy Christian and I find God created evolution and the long term assembly of the Universe in order to facilitate the full creation of the Universe. Which is essentially what you said.

There is a God and he started the whole thing. Science is awesome and we shouldn't be trying to disprove it all the time!

Without question. When God created the Universe, the 'laws of physics' were part and parcel of the creation. For anyone to claim the laws of physics - or the study of them - is the work of Satan, they are denigrating God and by attributing God's work to Satan, actually blaspheming Him. Probably in ignorance rather than evil intent, but still denigrating God.

 

[Postvieww]

Personally, I think this is just one of those things that people use to divide us. It doesn't matter to your salvation whether or not you believe in creation. I will say, however, that I'm a Liberal Christian and I find absolutely no problem with believing in both creation and evolution. There is a God and he started the whole thing. Science is awesome and we shouldn't be trying to disprove it all the time!

The account in Genesis is true or it is not. I believe it is true and it cannot be both ways.

 

[Meowzltov]

It just seems odd to me that scientists, archaeologists, geologists, etc., claim to be accurate about the universe/earth being billions of years old, and dinosaur fossils being millions of years old, and claim to know how the world began. They claim to be accurate yet nobody can get a current weather forecast right! LOL! I'm supposed to believe people can tell me EXACTLY what happened millions or billions of years ago yet nobody can tell me accurately whether its going to rain tomorrow or not with any degree of certainty. My weather man probably has an accuracy of maybe 25%.

Ever heard of chaos theory? It explains why the weather forecast is so haphazard. Given that, it is amazing how often it gets things right. In my neck of the woods, if they say it's gonna rain, it rains.

We know the earth is billions of years old and dino fossils are hundreds of millions of years old because that is what radiometric dating tells us. Remember, science is based on facts.

None of which contradicts the Bible, when you read Genesis in the proper genre.