Have you ever watched Jurassic Park, Dinosaurs, or maybe even The Land Before Time movies when you were a kid? I did! Ever since I was a little girl, I loved dinosaurs and even picked my brachiosaurus toy over my Barbie doll. I read all the books, and watched the movies. However, I went to a catholic high school where I was taught that God created man and everything around us…but what about dinosaurs? How do Christians explain the existence of dinosaurs?
The Beginning of Dinosaurs:
According to scientists today, about 230 million years ago, dinosaurs came into existence and were in existence for 135 million years until extinction. The cause for this extinction is unknown, along with how dinosaurs were truly created. A Live Science article states that, “Dinosaur fossils were first recognized in the 19th century,” and from there, the research on these creatures began.
In the Bible:
Throughout my research on this topic, I have noticed that the existence of dinosaurs seems to be almost threatening to Christians. In one article I read, it stated how some groups of Christians don’t necessarily deny the existence of dinosaurs, but disagree with the date that scientist say they roamed the Earth. In the article, there is a section about an earth creationist, Dr. Kindell, and his views. The article says, “What Dr. Kindell and his collaborators argue is that as the Bible teaches the world is only 6,000 years old, dinosaurs must have been created by God and co-existed with human beings.”
Specifically in the bible, there are creatures mentioned that could relate to dinosaurs. The Book of Job has stories where these creatures are mentioned, around the time of Adam and Eve. A website called “What Christians Want to Know” has a passage from the Book of Job where there are sounds described that could be from a dinosaur:
“15 ‘Look at Behemoth, which I made along with you and which feeds on grass like an ox.
16 What strength it has in its loins, what power in the muscles of its belly!
17 Its tail sways like a cedar; the sinews of its thighs are close-knit.
18 Its bones are tubes of bronze, its limbs like rods of iron.
19 It ranks first among the works of God, yet its Maker can approach it with his sword.
20 The hills bring it their produce, and all the wild animals play nearby.
21 Under the lotus plants it lies, hidden among the reeds in the marsh.
22 The lotuses conceal it in their shadow; the poplars by the stream surround it.
23 A raging river does not alarm it; it is secure, though the Jordan should surge against its mouth.
24 Can anyone capture it by the eyes, or trap it and pierce its nose?’”
However, there is no exact evidence that this creature described is a dinosaur, what if Job just saw an elephant? This story was set at the beginning of creation, so what Job saw could have been any new animal. The stories throughout the bible are not necessarily all consistent with the existence of dinosaurs and what scientists have discovered, but there are creatures in stories that could be compatible to dinosaurs, and there are events that could explain their disappearance, like the flood in Noah’s arc, or even disease.
Conclusion:
There are many unanswered questions in the world today; Christian’s explanation of dinosaurs is one of them. This is a topic that can be merely someone’s opinion, and could be explained in many different ways. Did dinosaurs exist? I certainly believe so, and so do archaeologists and their discoveries. I still have many questions within my own faith, but will always believe in the existence of dinosaurs.
