> 1. How does the Bible deal with the *demonstratable* fact the Dinosaurs
> existed and then were victims of a mass extinction?

In the libraries of the church schools I attended, I do not remember 
seeing any materials on subjects of dinosaurs or evolution other than
some books written by christian "scientists" about creationism.  
The subject of the origin of life was not taught in biology classes, 
since it was already taught in the bible classes.  

Neverthless, students see the dinosaur bones in museums and on media,
and naturally ask about when they existed and why they became extinct.
Here are some of the "answers" that I remember hearing, none of
which were satisfying to me, by the way.  It's been a while since
I've graduated from the church school (and the church too, for that 
matter), but I find people who still believe in some of such 
explanations.  

    <"Answer" 1:  Dinosaurs existed before the flood of Noah and died 
    during the flood, because God knew that the post-flood people would 
    not be strong enough to survive in the presence of the dinosaurs.>
    
    <"Answer" 2:  Dinosaurs were created by the devil or the evil 
    pre-flood people doing genetic experimentation.  Since they were not 
    God's creation, they did not go into Noah's ark.>
    
    <"Answer" 3:  Dinosaurs were too big to go into Noah's ark.  (Maybe
    this one was just a humor!)>
    
    <"Answer" 4:  Dinosaurs did not exist.  Only fragments of bones are 
    found, from which it is impossible to tell what type of animal it 
    was.>
    
    <"Answer" 5:  Dinosaur bones were buried there by the devil to lead 
    the people astray.  Also, the devil worked through Charles Darwin.>
    
    <"Answer" 6:  God made all living things including the dinosaurs 
    through the process of evolution, which he designed and initiated.  
    Humans are special, since God breathed his spirit or soul into the 
    homosapiens.>
    
The last one seems somewhat "sophisticated" or liberal as compared to 
the other ones, and I did not hear this one until more recently.  
Are there any newer or different answers from the bible believers?

Young Huh
yhuh@ihlpe.att.com

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`Young U Huh' wrote:

> In the libraries of the church schools I attended, I do not remember 
> seeing any materials on subjects of dinosaurs or evolution other than
> some books written by christian "scientists" about creationism.  

Well, if you're ever in Chicago, wander over to the Armerding Science Building
at Wheaton College.  (Wheaton College is an evangelical Christian school which
requires a Statement of Faith from faculty members.)  You'll find an exhibit
of the Perry Mastodon, complete with a little pamphlet describing the period
when the American Mastodon roamed North America and some history about a
particular creature who suffered a broken leg and died in the DuPage River
about 11,000 years ago.

(Hmm: I suspect the mastodon broke his leg by falling or something.  I'm
 not sure I'd want to meet whatever-it-is that can break a mastodon's leg...)


For the original poster, I will say that the idea of "6000 years old earth"
is taken OUT of the Bible, but it may not have been put IN by the original
writer.  This issue is, as you might guess, a subject of no small debate in
Christian circles.


Darren F Provine / kilroy@gboro.rowan.edu
"I think what you're doing is disgusting and wrong, but that's between you
 and Satan." -- Woody Boyd

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The one I heard most rescently is:

  7. Since people lived a long time before the flood, so did animals.
Since lizards lived for hundreds (or even thousands) of years, they
must have grown very large.  Dinosaurs are just the remains of those
very large lizards.  Now that lizards don't live as long, they don't
get as big.