Dinosaurs and faith

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callmeChris

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I know this might have been posted before. Sorry but I must ask…

The existence of dinos seems inevitable. What role do they play in our beliefs and/or God’s Divine Plan of creation? Could it have been possible that dinos lived in the garden of eden amid claims that they came first and the earth is millions of years old?
 
callmeChris said:
I know this might have been posted before. Sorry but I must ask…

The existence of dinos seems inevitable. What role do they play in our beliefs and/or God’s Divine Plan of creation? Could it have been possible that dinos lived in the garden of eden amid claims that they came first and the earth is millions of years old?
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We are certainly able to believe in a billions year old earth. The 6 days of Creation account can be taken both literally and figuratively by loyal Catholics. What one MUST accept is the teaching that God was behind all of creation (no matter how long it took).

I certainly don’t think the dinosaurs inhabited the Garden of Eden, however.
 
I am wondering how the existance of Dinosaurs “seems enevitable”?
As a catholic non literalist, you should have no problem with the age of the earth or the age of living things in the world we know.
This is a non starter for any catholic in good standing with the church.
 
I grew up attending public schools where the sciences were taught outside of any biblical consideration, so I’ve almost always taken it for granted that the earth is billions of years old, that dinosaurs existed, etc. When I became a Christian I began to doubt these things because of Scripture. However, as time has passed, I have begun to wonder about creationist arguments and accounts. Are they really believable? Personally, I don’t think my faith is hurt by believing in an old earth, dinosaurs, and even human evolution–the reason being I know the purpose behind it all: the glory of God in Jesus Christ. In fact, beginning to step back into an investigation of the sciences is something I want to do at some point, assuming my faith will stay in tact. In conclusion, the Catholic view is really great with its integration of faith and science. I don’t know if the evangelicals have caught up yet. Many of them, with fundamentalist leanings, just don’t want to.

Dan
 
dsully said:
I grew up attending public schools where the sciences were taught outside of any biblical consideration, so I’ve almost always taken it for granted that the earth is billions of years old, that dinosaurs existed, etc. When I became a Christian I began to doubt these things because of Scripture. However, as time has passed, I have begun to wonder about creationist arguments and accounts. Are they really believable? Personally, I don’t think my faith is hurt by believing in an old earth, dinosaurs, and even human evolution–the reason being I know the purpose behind it all: the glory of God in Jesus Christ. In fact, beginning to step back into an investigation of the sciences is something I want to do at some point, assuming my faith will stay in tact. In conclusion, the Catholic view is really great with its integration of faith and science. I don’t know if the evangelicals have caught up yet. Many of them, with fundamentalist leanings, just don’t want to.

Dan
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Dan,

You are a very honest and open person. I agree that I too, many years ago was taught science and not religion in science class. Religion was taught then, surprisingly by churches.
Today, we as taxpayers are faced with schools teaching religion and not science in science classrooms.
That could explain our global ranking being so low in the area of science. The USA ranks very low globally.
Catholics are the ONLY option for someone like me. They at least leave the window a crack, however small, open for science.
 
NotWorthy said:
I certainly don’t think the dinosaurs inhabited the Garden of Eden, however.
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That’s another thing that stumps me. I though God put ALL the animals in the garden :confused: How big was it exactly? The world will never know:cool:
 
You may wish to refresh your memory about the fact that the Bible is not a science textbook – nor is it a go-to text for natural history. It is, however, the great resource for salvation history.
 
I dont take the days of creation to be 24 hour days, only intervals of a very long time. My opinion is that Adam and Eve were created after the age of the dinosaurs. We will not know exactly how everything has happened, and any dogmatic positions from science and religion on all the fine details that are not revealed by facts and divine revelation will only hurt the cause of our understanding. The facts that have been learned through human science do not disagree with what has been divinely revealed, and what has been divinely revealed does not disagree with the absolute facts that science has revealed. The only time the 2 fail eachother is when flawed interpretations or theories of them are pushed as fact.
 
callmeChris said:
I know this might have been posted before. Sorry but I must ask…

The existence of dinos seems inevitable.
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Based upon the fossil evidence, I agree.
What role do they play in our beliefs and/or God’s Divine Plan of creation?
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They show the awesome power of God.
Could it have been possible that dinos lived in the garden of eden amid claims that they came first and the earth is millions of years old?
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According to Scott Hahn, the Serpent, was really a Dragon. What do dinosaurs look like to you?

As I understand the Garden of Eden, God was holding Adam and Eve apart from the rest of the earth in a paradise where they had all they needed and where they would be safe. After the Fall, they were kicked out of Paradise.

Just thought of something. I’ve heard of dinosaur fossils from every part of the earth, except the Middle East? I’m talking about Judea and Jerusalem, that part of the world. Have any fossils ever been discovered there?

Sincerely,

De Maria
 
callmeChris said:
That’s another thing that stumps me. I though God put ALL the animals in the garden :confused: How big was it exactly? The world will never know:cool:
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I’ve never imagined that the Garden of Eden was around when Adam and Eve were spending their days in Eden. Where does it say that God put ALL the animals in the Garden?
 
Splagchnizomai said:
You may wish to refresh your memory about the fact that the Bible is not a science textbook – nor is it a go-to text for natural history. It is, however, the great resource for salvation history.
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The Bible tells us how to go to heavan, not how the heavans goes. 😃 Good reason why that nobody of the human race was every run down and eaten by a T’ Rex. :eek:
 
Consider that soft tissue has been found. This has to be reconciled:

Either man saw dinosaurs or the tissue can last 65 million years.
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NC State Paleontologist Discovers Soft Tissue In Dinosaur Bones

**
Ancient muscle tissue extracted from 18 million year old fossil

First Image of Protein Residue in 50-Million-Year-Old Reptile Skin

A 525-million-year-old fossil hemichordate with preserved soft tissue has been discovered in Yunnan Province, China.

Watery secret of the dinosaur death pose

Recreating the spectacular pose many dinosaurs adopted in death might involve following the simplest of instructions: just add water.
When palaeontologists are lucky enough to find a complete dinosaur skeleton – whether it be a tiny Sinosauropteryx or an enormous Apatosaurus – there’s a good chance it will be found with its head thrown backwards and its tail arched upwards – technically known as the opisthotonic death pose. No one is entirely sure why this posture is so common, but Alicia Cutler and colleagues from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, think it all comes down to a dip in the wet stuff.

more…
 
For me there is only one way to prove that dinosaurs and man lived at the same time: finding a human inside of the dinosaur. 😃
 
tabycat said:
For me there is only one way to prove that dinosaurs and man lived at the same time: finding a human inside of the dinosaur. 😃
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How do we know if dino stomach juice would fully digest everything human leaving no trace?
 
Catholic teaching does not interpret the creation story literally. We do not believe the world was created in seven days.

Our church believes that science and faith cannot be in contradiction. Since God created the universe - he also created everything in it. If science tells us the universe is billions of years old - that is truth. We must accept that as the Catholic faith is based upon truth.

Science tells us Dinosaurs lived here 65 million years ago. Obviously the world was here. God didn’t just create a universe that defied it’s own logic.

He created an infinite and complex universe because we are complex creatures that seek understanding of our world.

God Bless
 
AdamPeter said:
Catholic teaching does not interpret the creation story literally. We do not believe the world was created in seven days.
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Correct me if I’m wrong, but a Catholic IS ALLOWED to believe in the 7 days Creation account. The Church doesn’t officially teach either way.
 
Not 100% sure if the Church officially teaches either way but I think Catholics don’t interpret the 7 Day creation story literally.

I will find out & post back 🙂
 
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