Dinosaurs in religion

[KittyVentura]

Ok, this is a proper genuine question.

I am athiest and, while I enjoy learning about different religions, am pretty ignorant to what is in key religious books. Such as the Bible and Koran etc.

I know that in Christianity the start of life is explained in the story of Adam & Eve. The world being created in 6 days and god resting on the 7th (I think).

Anyway on my daily nose at the BBC news website I saw an article and pictures about the new Pilosaur skull fossil found in Devon and it got me wondering.

Do religions "cover off" or explain the existence of dinosaurs? If so, how?

Also if they do not, how do those that are religious feel about and/or explain the factual evidence of them when things like fossils are found?

Sorry if this is a silly question. My mind goes to odd places sometimes

xxxx

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

I always wonder this. I heard someone say before fossils were tricks lol.

My biggest wonder though is how the population expanded when Adam and eve had 2 sons? Or did god make more people after Adam & Eve??

sorry, OT.

 

[JellyBeann]

^^ I wonder this...what happened with Adam and Eve? Was Eve naughty with her sons? Cos I'm pretty sure that's frowned upon in the bible!

I am pagan, but not sure what paganism thinks of Dinosaurs, I've never thoguht about it before lol!

I think I read somewhere that according to Christianity, God planted dino bones to test everyone's faith?! I might be wrong though, so don't quote me on that!!

 

[isil]

Interesting question! I'm an atheist but it's something I've thought about too.

 

[KittyVentura]

Glad I'm not the only one.

I have to just make it clear though, incase those that are religion feel wary of posting. This isn't an attempt to try and discredit religion and proove "things".

I am geniunely interested in how they cover the topic. I know things like evoloution are discredited but have no idea about dinos lol xx

 

[isil]

https://www.answering-christianity.com/dinosaurs.htm

this is explains about how it's represented in the Quran.

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

Oh I fully agree Kitty, I love learning about religion, until my questions are answered, I cant even begin to understand which is hard. I started the ALPHA but I was the only one with like 1000 questions and I am not satisfied by a "have faith, with faith, in faith" answer. I find it so amazing and actually some people have explained things so well to me but other things, I dont understand at all. I respect peoples answers, I am not here to mock. Its one of my favorite subjects. x

 

[KittyVentura]

Thanks for that link Isil.

So that explains it in the Quran. Does anyone know about the Bible? The Quran explaination wouldn't work for the bible as it says that everything that was created in a week. However whatever killed off the dinosaurs surely would have killed off the humans too if it was the same week?

I'm exactly like that Midnight. I have so many questions for different religions. A friend I worked with was Jehovahs(sp?) Witness & he was so patient with me bless him. I never asked questions to question his faith, but just why certain things were done etc.

Religion isn't for me, I believe too much in science and fact to have a faith, but I do find religions fascinating xx

 

[special_kala]

I think its just kind of ignored isnt it?

Im sure ive read that evolution isnt taught in alot of american schools

 

[t33cup]

I was brought up catholic and went to catholic school we were educated that the bible is a collection of stories and anecdotes which give a guide for the basis of a good life and that's it's a good read. Was never told the bible is full of facts that can't be questioned except in moral reference or gods laws. I am perfectly aware that some Christians take every word of the bible literally but not all do honey! Most Priests and people high up in Catholicism and Christianity are extremely well educated ;-) they have to be and have to study. Secondly the bible explains later on that there were others not just Adam and eve. Go figure lol. I was told in school (catholic school) it was a stor y passed down from the Egyptians.

 

[t33cup]

Try getting your head around the fact that the father (god) the son (Jesus) and th holy spirit are really all the same thing, that Mary was a virgin when she gave birth and her husband believed her and that it was gods child (okay he had doubts and a dream that made it all better) and that god sent his son that he loved to be crucified by us because he loves us.. And anything else and a whole lot more that you may not understand that would come under the category of the 'mysteries of faith' such as bread and wine are believed to physi ally turn into the actual body and blood of Christ at communion. Religion is not at all scientific and not at all meant to be, it serves an entirely different human purpose (I am no longer a practising catholic or believer btw I get incredibly irritated whn religion criticises or get involved with science. That's not it's place, and it serves no purpose there)

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

Other things I wonder, we have seen evolution under our own eyes with other animals in our time, so how can it be discredited about humans too?

It just baffles me. Not in a "I 100% do not believe" way. I just dont know!

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

I was brought up catholic and went to catholic school we were educated that the bible is a collection of stories and anecdotes which give a guide for the basis of a good life and that's it's a good read. Was never told the bible is full of facts that can't be questioned except in moral reference or gods laws. I am perfectly aware that some Christians take every word of the bible literally but not all do honey! Most Priests and people high up in Catholicism and Christianity are extremely well educated ;-) they have to be and have to study. Secondly the bible explains later on that there were others not just Adam and eve. Go figure lol. I was told in school (catholic school) it was a stor y passed down from the Egyptians.

As for the Adam and Eve thing, I have no idea, never read the bible hence my question.... I just cant understand how incest was not performed to some degree!

 

[ShanandBoc]

I can help here.

The Genesis account also doesnt refer the creation of the universe and earth itself (Just says in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth - suggesting they had been around for some time before these creative 'days - perhaps even millions of years), just the creation of it for human habitation, and the array plant and animal life we see today

Genesis does mention great sea monsters and flying creatures (not birds) - at the beginning of the 'creative days' perhaps this was refering to dinosaurs.

Dinosaurs would have inhabited the earth before this time too im sure, perhaps to keep down any vegetation etc.

The bible doesnt teach that God created the earth for human habitation in 6 x 24 hour days. Rather the Hebrew word translated 'day' can refer to varying periods of time.

Like when Grandpa says 'back in my day'.

Interestingly, when summarizing Gods creative work, Moses speaks of the the whole 6 creative days as 'one day' in Genesis 2:4. Therefore with that reasoning the creative days could have each been thousands of years long. The bible also speaks of one day in Gods eyes, being a thousand years to us.

ETA - Dinosaurs, for example, appear suddenly in the fossil record, with no links to any ancestors before them. They multiplied greatly, then became extinct.

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

I can help here.

The Genesis account also doesnt refer the creation of the universe and earth itself (Just says in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth - suggesting they had been around for some time before these creative 'days - perhaps even millions of years), just the creation of it for human habitation, and the array plant and animal life we see today

Genesis does mention great sea monsters and flying creatures (not birds) - at the beginning of the 'creative days' perhaps this was refering to dinosaurs.

Dinosaurs would have inhabited the earth before this time too im sure, perhaps to keep down any vegetation etc.

The bible doesnt teach that God created the earth for human habitation in 6 x 24 hour days. Rather the Hebrew word translated 'day' can refer to varying periods of time.

Like when Grandpa says 'back in my day'.

Interestingly, when summarizing Gods creative work, Moses speaks of the the whole 6 creative days as 'one day' in Genesis 2:4. Therefore with that reasoning the creative days could have each been thousands of years long. The bible also speaks of one day in Gods eyes, being a thousand years to us.

That makes much more sense! TY.

 

[ShanandBoc]

As far as Adam and Eve go, Their sons and daughters would have had children together, remembering they were very close to human perfection at that time in human history they still had outstanding physical health and vitality, as indicated by the length of their lives, the likelihood of passing on defects as a result of marrying a close relative was not great

Think even now cousins can marry, have children and produce perfectly healthy offspring

The bible tells us that after some 2,500 years of human history, however, when mankind’s physical condition had greatly deteriorated, God gave to the nation of Israel laws forbidding incest.

Hope this helps

 

[KittyVentura]

Thanks Shan. Very interesting read xx

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

Thank you. So did people live longer in the beginning? How come life span went right down again and is now going back up? Or is this something totally unrelated to God? xx

 

[tallybee]

First off I don't diss anyone's right to believe in religious stuff but I do have a problem with religion attempting to diss science. They are completely different things, serve different purposes and don't overlap.

I do find it interesting to hear how religions try to explain things that were completely unknown at the times when their texts were written.

I am interested in where that bit about the 'sudden' appearance of dinosaurs in the fossil record, with no links, comes from?

 

[ShanandBoc]

Thank you. So did people live longer in the beginning? How come life span went right down again and is now going back up? Or is this something totally unrelated to God? xx

After Adam and Eve sinned and challenged Gods right to rule they eventually grew old and died (as God said they would ) But as they were so close to a perfect state they lived much longer yes, Adam lived for over 900 years....and gradually as humans moved away from perfection the life span has shortened.

We may only live longer now due to medical advancements but it still quite rare to see anyone live beyond 100 or so. x