How do I answer this?

My oldest boy is 7 years old and is in first grade at a Christian school. They are teaching him the "right" things about the bible, as I would expect, including Genesis, Adam and Eve and Creation. He has accepted that God created the world and the man and the animals as described in the bible.

My boy, as many 7 year olds are, is into dinosaurs. He is constantly reading books and watching documentaries and, god love him, wants to be a palaeontologist.

All was fine with the world until the other day when he asked me a question.

If God made man and all the animals when he made the world, and dinosaurs were extinct before man was around then when did he make the dinosaurs and why aren’t they in the bible?

It is a simple enough question I guess but how do you answer it without compromising what he is being taught at school and my main point is, isn’t it about time we start educating our kids with reality instead of outdated fairytales? I mean, the Genesis story was being taught way before Hayden found his first skeleton. Schools are adapting and modifying what they teach as discoveries are made. After all, they teach that the world is in fact round now don’t they.

Is there good reason for omitting basic facts about the world? If a 7 year old boy can question this isn’t it time to rethink what we are teaching them?

Being a proponent of a dogmaless society, I cannot give you advice.

The only thought I might have is that the Bible is metaphorical at best. But I suspect that "believers" won't accept that as an answer. [shrug]

Back when I was a kid I asked that same question to my pastor and he told me that man was around from the very beginning same time as dinosaurs....I believed him.

Asked my parents they said God didn't feel like mentioning it in the bible to busy with writing other stuff.

Hope that helps? Haha tough one.

reply to post by VIKINGANT


Believe it or not I was in the same situation as you son many many years ago. I think you could always tell him that 'Dinosaur' is a new word and rather than dinosaurs they used to be called something else. Genesis mentions the 'Behemoth' that seems to describe some sort of dino, or at least a massive carnivore.

You going to either lie and say you don't know, or tell him that genesis is not literal, that perhaps it covers millions of years of time.Although if your boy is really into dinosaurs then I can't imagine he will have a hard time letting go of the fable, if he has to.

When I was young I was also into aliens and UFOs n stuff and I remember asking why they weren't in the bible. The sunday school teacher did not like that and I got a ruler across the hand.

reply to post by VIKINGANT


I don't mean to offend with this question, but its a serious one...

If you care about the truth then why is your kid in a Christian school? Not to say that Christianity is wrong or anything, but it is more "stories to live by" than reality.

You seem to know that your kid goes to school in a place that relies on the easter bunny and santa, but you let them tell your kid what to believe?

The only reason I am the thinker I am today is because my parents let me find my own spirituality, and now I'm more religious than they ever were.

Sit him down... and explain how its normal for kids his age to have imaginary friends... but someday he'll grow out of it...

Explain that some adults still talk to their imaginary friends, but for the most part, its a little immature...

Then tell him the truth.

He'll feel like a grown up kid when he see's his friends talk about their imaginary friend, and he's already ditched his...

Your mistake is sending him to a Christian School...

Yeah that's a good point. Why is he at a Christian school?

That kind of religious conformity is dangerous, especially to children.

Here is another angle to try:

Explain that much like dinosaurs we are still learning things about our past and its completely possible that parts of what is today called the Bible could have been lost over the many years of human existence and possibly with them the knowledge they contained (ie information about dinosaurs, etc). Its not an outright lie nor is it hard concrete fact, much like everything else in the world. In fact if I were a christian I would probably put some weight in the possibility of lost texts containing such information as well as much much more.

reply to post by VIKINGANT


My son wants to be a paleontologist too (this week) and he attends a Roman Catholic school (largely due to the fact that it was the best school available to him). The religious education side of things does create some issues but, luckily, I have managed to get away with 'well some people believe that, but...' and then explain the various other theories...at which point he generally loses all interest and wanders off to find something more interesting to do.

There is no harm in showing both sides of the coin, it won't confuse them, or they'll switch off if it does, but that way when they come to make a decision on what they want to believe in they'll have all the information they need to make an informed decision. All your doing really is treading water until he can go out and source the information he wants himself, you should simply ensure that he has a good sturdy foundation on which to build.

reply to post by VIKINGANT

Is there good reason for omitting basic facts about the world?

You might want to start by asking this very question to the school you enrolled your son into....

You will find that the Dinosaur questions will be the easiest to answer after some time...

I am always surprised by adults who insist on "The Truth" for kids, especially their brand of the truth. No Virginia there isn't a Santa Claus. Yes, Johnny there was a tooth fairy but she got pregnant and is now looking after her octuplets.

I believe in the Bible and I believe in God, and I am not ashamed of that. So in the light of the that let's look at the Bible for the answer to your question:

Genesis 1:

19 And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day. 20 And God said, "Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the firmament of the heavens." 21 So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." 23 And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day. 24 And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds." And it was so. 25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the cattle according to their kinds, and everything that creeps upon the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth." 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

So how do we explain that God created man the day after he created the animals of the earth. Let's look again at the Bible.

2 Peter 3:8–9 reads:

‘But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.’

So for a thousand years ( or a very long time) there were birds and creatures of the sea and no animals on the soil of Earth. Then God created all those animals that would live upon the the continents , which would include dinosaurs, lions, lizards, e etc and then only, then many centuries later did God create man. Many of these initial creatures had died out by the time the Bible was written. And the men who wrote the Bible never saw dinosaurs and that is why dinosaurs are not recorded in the Bible.


I hope that helps a little. Thet truth as I see it.

reply to post by Mynaeris


It might be too late for you to think for yourself... but brainwashing children into this nonsense isn't a matter to be taken lightly...

I suppose you don't tell your kids that there is no physical evidence for any of your beliefs either do you?

Nope, you just tell them the happy good bits of the bible, and tout that as evidence...

Religion is dying... there's absolutely no doubt about that... look at the trend... If the current trend continues, the christian church will be dead in just over a generation...

Bronze age myths work for an older generation that refuses to acknowledge new advances in science... but thankfully, it appears like we're just a few generations from The Age of Reason...

Seems a little odd that in the Information Age, religion dies doesn't it? New information nudges dogma further to the side every day.

How will the religious ppl who insist that the bible is the only source of morality explain the fact that Monkey's have morality? yah, that study was released yesterday...

reply to post by Mynaeris

So for a thousand years ( or a very long time) there were birds and creatures of the sea and no animals on the soil of Earth.

Nope. Quite simply: No land animals = dead birds. The latter cannot live without the former.

I hope that helps a little. Thet truth as I see it.

I don't think we need be reminded of what the fable says. I doubt anyone in this thread has not com into contact with this stuff before.

[edit on 19/2/2009 by Good Wolf]

reply to post by Good Wolf


That's pretty offensive. I don't attack you for your viewpoint. If you are the alternative to religion, I am definitely buying a spare copy of the Bible.

[edit on 18-2-2009 by Mynaeris]

reply to post by Mynaeris


offensive? nah... brutally honest? yah...

We are by no means required to respect your beliefs... instead, we are required to respect your right to have those beliefs...

Why beat around the bush?

2000 years since the birth of jesus...

200 years since the exponential growth of knowledge through science began...

in 1/10th the amount of time... science has mountains of evidence to support their claim...

given an extra 1800 years head start, there is still not one iota of evidence supporting religious claims... and that is only since the new testament began...

go old testament, you guys have had 4000 years head start...

Yet, not a single shred of actual verifiable evidence...

do you believe in unicorns?

reply to post by Mynaeris


Oh don't play the victim card, I'm just saying, we all already know what genesis says. Having a recap does not really help Vikingant now does it.

I am so amazed that atheists feel that Christians and other religions impinge on their freedom to not believe? When they are the ones constantly beating up on other peoples faith. If you can't respect my faith , how about you respect me as a person? Your behavior is pretty nasty and aggressive.

[edit on 18-2-2009 by Mynaeris]

reply to post by Mynaeris


We are not saying not to believe! We're saying don't post useless information (in this particular context anyway).

Again we know what it says and we know you believe it, but it's completely irrelevant.

reply to post by Good Wolf


Actually, I'm saying its too late for some people, but its unexcusable to brainwash children lol

her comments might be directed more at me

but, I don't feel a need to apologize because other peoples delusional beliefs are incompatible with reality as we know it

reply to post by Mynaeris


I am respecting you as a person... I'm not launching a crusade to kill people who don't believe in what I do...

I respect your right to believe whatever you want... but that doesn't mean I have to respect your beliefs. There's a difference.

If a friend of yours insists on saying the sky is purple, even though it's obviously blue, do you sit there and respect their belief that the sky is purple? most likely not...

you have the right to believe what you want...

and I have the right to laugh at those beliefs...