Do Fossil Finds Contradict the Bible?
Matt Dugan
Nelson
English 101
12 December 2012
Fossil Finds Contradict the Bible? Europeans had been digging up strange-looking bones along lakebeds and riverbanks for hundreds of years before the 18th century (Strauss). Many of the finds confused the Europeans since they could not wrap their heads around where the bones were coming from. The intact skeleton of the marine reptile, Mosasaurus, was incredibly important as naturalist Georges Cuvier identified it as belonging to an extinct species (Strauss). From this point on, rational scientists realized they were dealing with creatures that lived and died millions of years before humans appeared on earth (Strauss). This lead to many scientists trying to answer questions about these ancient creatures, especially when they actually lived. Even still, less open-minded people stuck to a strict creationist viewpoint. Although there have been many fossil finds that would contradict what the Bible says about when they lived, God has already answered the questions for us with His word directly. In 1676, a partial femur of a Megalosaurus was discovered in England. This bone was massive and unfortunately, 17th century theologists couldn’t fathom a huge, reptile like animal from a time before theirs (Strauss). A professor from Oxford University identified it as the femur of a human giant but in 1824, William Buckland gave this genus its distinctive name. It took another twenty years for the famous paleontologist, Richard Owen, to convincingly identify the Megalosaurus as a dinosaur (Strauss). In 1820, the Iguanodon, which was first investigated by Gideon Mantell, was identified as the second dinosaur to have a formal genus name. Its numerous fossils stirred up a debate about whether or not these extinct reptiles actually existed (Strauss). Georges Cuvier and William Buckland made a joke out of the situation exclaiming that the bones belonged to a fish or rhinoceros. Richard Owen had another perspective that basically
Nelson
English 101
12 December 2012
Fossil Finds Contradict the Bible? Europeans had been digging up strange-looking bones along lakebeds and riverbanks for hundreds of years before the 18th century (Strauss). Many of the finds confused the Europeans since they could not wrap their heads around where the bones were coming from. The intact skeleton of the marine reptile, Mosasaurus, was incredibly important as naturalist Georges Cuvier identified it as belonging to an extinct species (Strauss). From this point on, rational scientists realized they were dealing with creatures that lived and died millions of years before humans appeared on earth (Strauss). This lead to many scientists trying to answer questions about these ancient creatures, especially when they actually lived. Even still, less open-minded people stuck to a strict creationist viewpoint. Although there have been many fossil finds that would contradict what the Bible says about when they lived, God has already answered the questions for us with His word directly. In 1676, a partial femur of a Megalosaurus was discovered in England. This bone was massive and unfortunately, 17th century theologists couldn’t fathom a huge, reptile like animal from a time before theirs (Strauss). A professor from Oxford University identified it as the femur of a human giant but in 1824, William Buckland gave this genus its distinctive name. It took another twenty years for the famous paleontologist, Richard Owen, to convincingly identify the Megalosaurus as a dinosaur (Strauss). In 1820, the Iguanodon, which was first investigated by Gideon Mantell, was identified as the second dinosaur to have a formal genus name. Its numerous fossils stirred up a debate about whether or not these extinct reptiles actually existed (Strauss). Georges Cuvier and William Buckland made a joke out of the situation exclaiming that the bones belonged to a fish or rhinoceros. Richard Owen had another perspective that basically
Cited: Cernansky, Rachel, "80beats." 80beats. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2012. <http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/05/04/controversial-fossil-find-suggests-some-dinos-survived-the-asteroid-cataclysm/>. Johnson, John, "Some Dinosaurs May Have Survived the Great Extinction." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 02 May 2009. Web. 12 Dec. 2012. Sereno, Paul C. "The Evolution of Dinosaurs." The Evolution of Dinosaurs. N.p., 25 June 1999. Web. 12 Dec. 2012. Strauss, Paul, "10 Famous Fossil Discoveries." About.com Dinosaurs. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2012. <http://dinosaurs.about.com/od/dinosaurdiscovery/tp/majorfossils.htm>. "How Does the Bible Explain Fossil Ages Over 6,000 Years (Genesis 1:2)?" How Does the Bible Explain Fossil Ages Over 6,000 Years (Genesis 1:2)? N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2012. <http://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/BQA/k/200/How-Does-Bible-Explain-Fossil-Ages-Over-6000-Years-Genesis-12.htm>. "Scriptural Evidence: Dinos in the Bible." Genesis Park. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2012. <http://www.genesispark.com/exhibits/evidence/scriptural/>.