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Genesis 1 Adam and Eve vs the Dinosaurs.
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So, my daughter just read Genesis 1. And after finishing it she says, “I’m confused”. I told her its ok because sometimes its hard to focus and understand what the bible says. And then she says, “no I’m confused because according to the bible, God created Adam and Eve BEFORE the dinosaurs. But people were said to have not been able to haved lived in the time of dinosaurs.” And I just looked at her and laughed and then said, “You know what? I’m confused to.” And we both laughed and I told her I would find her the answer. Honestly I had never thought about it. Whats the clarification on that?
I would encourage you to visit Answers in Genesis. They have great articles about people and dinosaurs.
http://www.answersingenesis.org/get-answers/features/dinosaurs
I’m not sure if I understand where the confusion is coming in. Specifically, I’m not seeing where the idea of “according to the bible, God created Adam and Eve BEFORE the dinosaurs” would come from. Let’s have a look at the text.
The account of creation day 6 starts in Genesis 1:24. Verses 24 and 25 cover the creation of land animals:
24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
That would include land dinosaurs.
Then on the same day, God created man, which is described starting in verse: 26:
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Most of Genesis 2 then goes back and expands on the details of creation that has already been described in brief. Verse 18 starts the account of how God brought all of the animals to Adam to give them names. It says he “gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field.” That description would include the dinosaurs.
Later, in Genesis 7:13-15, we get a list of the people and animals Noah had in the ark:
13 On the very same day Noah and his sons, Shem and Ham and Japheth, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them entered the ark, 14 they and every beast, according to its kind, and all the livestock according to their kinds, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, according to its kind, and every bird, according to its kind, every winged creature. 15 They went into the ark with Noah, two and two of all flesh in which there was the breath of life.
That description would also include the dinosaurs.
Does that help any?
I thought man didn’t live at the same time as dinosaurs? I thought they “according to fossils” lived way before man.
You have to understand that our culture, through movies, tv and books, and the public (gov’t) schools have been directly and indirectly teaching us and our children lies. Not only will you be teaching your dd, but unlearning lies and studying and learning the truth for yourself.
Here’s an interesting summary of Biblical references to “dinosaurs”:
http://www.sixdaycreation.com/facts/dinosaurs/nov2001.html
I second Answers in Genesis. Another choice is Institute for Creation Research
There are several books for children about dinosaurs and man.
Dinosaurs by Design by Duane Gish
The Great Dinosaur Mystery and the Bible by Paul S. Taylor
are highly rexcellent.
Two magazines:
Answers for Kids (at Answers in Genesis)
Nature Friend (I order from Amazon)
http://www.naturefriendmagazine.com/
Rachel
Thank you all for the wonderful resources!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just sat down and looked at a bunch of it with my daughter. She is VERY confused, but VERY interested. She kept spouting off facts learned in public school that were clearly not consistent with creationists findings. She actually had a bit of a tantrum fit at bedtime because she wanted to keep learning more. So thank you very much for your information. My husband is being quite a bit skeptical. But thats very much like him. lol
Now I need to unschool my daughter 🙂 Darn public schools!!!!
A lot of devout Christians are Old-Earth Creationists and even Creationary Evolutionists, as CM is often thought to be. It isn’t a cut-and-dried thing by any means, even amongst Christians. 🙂
I believe in the Gap theory (*not* evolution – http://www.kjvbible.org/) – a gap of time and events between verses 1 and 2 of Genesis 1. I do believe that dinosaurs were part of the “In the beginning” creation (verse 1) when Satan had dominion on earth before his sin caused God to make the earth to be in the “without form and void” state that we find in verse 2.
Concerning CM being an evolutionists, there are comments she makes about Darwin’s theories in her sixth book that indicate to me that she was *not* an evolutionist – but maybe by that time in her life she had changed her view? Is this view of her based simply on some of her book choices or on her writings? I’ve often wanted to ask this question here after reading some of her last book – it’s the only one I’ve tried reading thus far so I don’t know whether she addresses Darwin in her other books.
SO with all these different theories out there, on such an important topic, how do you purpose to teach your child?
I think I tend to lean more towards the creationists plainly because I love that theory and it makes a whole lot more sense to me than other options. However, there are specific scientific practices such as carbon dating that I feel children need to have an understanding of whether or not it really works. I think I will just try to educate myself on all the theories out there and present them to my kids as just that…theories.
I do feel this is one of those areas we may never have an exact answer for. We have to wait till we get to heaven to know for sure. He is showing us that we can’t know the time or hour or date to which he will return or in which he will do anything for that matter. We don’t know if the bible is talking about one earth day, or one day according to the heavens which could mean a really long time. I just think we weren’t meant to know. It is something that we can study and enjoy knowing that some day we will have a full understanding…hope that makes sense.
But I’m curious how you introduce a topic of this importance with so many theories and details, to your children.
We came to our beliefs from much study of the scriptures. I used to be a young earther and when my kids were very little I taught them that dinos were on the ark, etc. We are always learning and growing and like you, I don’t think we will ever know it all or understand it all. I teach them what we now believe and show them from scripture why we believe this way. We are learning as a family. The bible is so vast, I’m sure there are many things we think we believe right but as we dig deeper we change our beliefs to better line up with God’s word.
Honestly I think the Gap (which I personally prefer to call the gap fact, LOL) is a perfect blend of Creation as literally laid out in scripture (six 24 hour days – morning and evening – and all that), and the evidence we see from science. Not that I was trying to blend them – I take the bible over science any day – just after I came to believe this way I realized that it all fits together and makes sense.
OHHH. We love this topic!
The books mentioned above are excellent- we especially enjoyed “The Dinosaur Mystery and the Bible”. Another that you might enjoy is “Unlocking the Mysteries of Creation” by Dennis R Peterson. If you have younger children they might really enjoy the video by Answers in Genesis titled “Creation Adventure Team: A Jurassic Ark Mystery”.
Years ago, My 2nd grade son at the time, came to me and asked me this one….
“If the bible says that there was NO death until sin entered the world, then how can people believe that the dinosaurs died out before man was created? That just doesn’t make sense, there was no death until after Adam and Eve ate the apple! 😉
Blessings,
Heather
I forgot to mention getting some great videos. The Moody Science classics are marked down drastically as well as other videos:
http://www.libraryanded.com/store/00-CREATION.html
Then there’s the huge sale at Chriatiabook on the 7 DVD Creation series from AIG:
Here’s a bunch of others, too:
Then there’s the Johnathan Park series, at the same Christianbook location.
my son has learned alot from the Exploring Creation series from Fulbright.
You mentioned the carbon dating; I’d suggest studying the roots of the development of it and read why there are skeptics of it’s accuracy. Does it consider the massive global changes that took place at the flood?
Also, I think one renowned gap-theorist is Gerald Schroeder. Rene can confirm; I’d heard of him through my synagogue.
He has a website and there are interviews with him/video at Zola Levitt’s site if you’re interested in further information.
Very important, find information on HOW Darwin came up with conclusions; the context, too. And very important, on a social level so you can explain to your daughter, learn about the EFFECTS of evolutionary thinking in our society at large. Evolution promotes rascism and genocide. Darwin’s followers/students promoted ideas that contributed to eugenics and the founder of Planned Parenthood placing “clinics” in black comunities, because they were not as “evolved”; and the ultimate eugenics and racism example-Nazism.
There are many resources out there.
Just seek the L-rd, honor your husband, don’t argue with him! Ask the L-rd for the HOly Spirit’s discernment for your husband and yourself to find the Truth. G-d will guide you.
Hope this helps,
Rachel
Actually I’ve never heard of Gerald Schroeder. I’ll take a look at his site.
The KJVbible.org site is where I started studying the gap a few years ago, but here’s a very good overview that’s not too long, if anyone is intersted:
http://www.nogreaterjoy.org/letters/questions-answered/archive/2007/december/10/gap-answered/
Concerning death before Adam and Eve’s sin, we believe that God created the earth and animals with a natural life cycle – Jesus said seeds have to die to bring forth life. It was human death that entered the world when Adam and Eve sinned and were removed from the Tree of Life – the tree that God said if they ate of it they would live forever even in their sinful state. I believe there were thorns and such in the initial creation – they just got worse when God cursed the ground, but that curse was lifted with Noah. (Gen 5:29 & Gen 8:21)
And I totally agree with Rachel when she said:
“Just seek the L-rd, honor your husband, don’t argue with him! Ask the L-rd for the HOly Spirit’s discernment for your husband and yourself to find the Truth. G-d will guide you.”
🙂
I love this discussion! It’s such a compelling topic, not only for us, but for all people over all times.
The way I handle the topic with my children is to say that humans are constantly striving to understand the world. We are not content to just “be,” though I wonder if we would be better off if we were more content just to “be.” Sometimes I think the answer to all our questions is “just be.” 🙂
Some things are perhaps out of our capability to understand, but we are drawn to the questions. When the kids and I read folktales from around the world, we are often surprised at the similarities of creation stories across cultures. When we read science, I tell them that the scientists are searching for the same answers as religious people, and scientists are looking for meaningful stories the same way the people who pass down folktales from their ancestors. Everyone thinks the way they tell the story is the best way, but it’s really the same story.
To me it seems like science is trying to “prove” what religious people of many faiths and cultures already knew!! So I say, the scientists are discovering what we already recognize as God’s creation and beauty but they are using different words to describe it.
To be human is to make mistakes. Sometimes what we think is right turns out to be wrong. We need to be patient with ourselves and with others who have different ideas. We are all striving for truth, I hope, and I have faith that in the end, the truth leads us right to God.
I think it’s a modern invention to separate science from religion, and the tension between the two doesn’t really need to exist. The more and more we read, it seems to me, the more connections we find, not differences. And as CM says, it’s all about the connections.
It’s not really a modern situation of separating science from religion; remember Galileo being excommunicated? Science and religion wasn’t allowed to mesh by the church, which feared it’s power to be diminished. I would say that the pendulum swings too far one way or the other. At one time, any science or curiosity was considered a threat to the church (a threat to their power), Scripture and a heresy; instead of considering ‘science’ as a method of exploring G-d’s Creation, it was shut down, books were burned, etc…
Now we’re in the opposite swing; but it’s the secular gov’t that tells you that science and Scripture do not meet, expelling people (you need to watch that movie “Expelled”)from their positions of scholarly influence who won’t “go along”. There have been people in history who know that the two do mesh, but governing authorities haven’t been as balanced as the individual.
You’re correct Esby, the separation shouln’t exist and there are so many connections; kind of like improvememtns in tech that allows people to see how early babies are really babies so the hearts and minds of people can be changed but if Satan can remove belief in the Creation, cause people to think of Genesis as just a nice bedtime story for children, then he can remove trust in the rest of Scripture. G-d’s promise of redemption is in those first 3 chapters; creation, sin, redemption through the blood, a covering for us (the animals were not only sacrificed for Adam and Eve, as Yeshua for us,but G-d made a covering for them, a KAPPARAH in Hebrew, as Yeshua is for us) and the promise of the Messianic seed, chosen before the creation of the world (1 Peter 1:20) from the woman (New Birth-1 Peter 1:3).
How can people believe the Good News without believing in the G-d of Creation? It’s so important for us to really explore this with our children and cement the Truth in them; they need the info. to “stand firm in the faith” to combat the lies in this world we live in. They, well we, have to speak Truth in a world that’s increasingly hostile to G-d and Scripture. Treating us as ignorant and backward. Raising them to be able to do this:
“…but treat the Messiah as holy, as Lord in your hearts; while remaining always ready to give a reasoned answer to anyone who asks you to explain the hope you have in you – yet with humility and fear,…” (1Peter 3:15)
I also believe it means defending Genesis, chapters 1-3, and the whole of Torah, as a foundation to the rest of the Word and a battle against evolutionary thinking, which is everywhere.
Sorry to get too serious, 🙂
Rachel
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