Giants before the Flood: Giants, Dinosaurs, and Christian Fundamentalism
So it all starts with the Bible. In the book of Genesis, there is a verse that clearly states: “There were giants in the earth in those days” (Genesis 6:4). This statement has led many Christian fundamentalists, people who among many things believe in the inerrancy of the Bible, to truly believe that giants did exist, and that dinosaurs walked the Earth with human beings (1). But we know that neither of these beliefs are true, right?
By “the accumulated wisdom of the fields of biology, zoology, paleontology, geology, and anthropology” we do (2).
But to Christian Fundamentalists, the Bible cannot be wrong because it is "the word of God". Because of this, any “proof” that would validate what was written in the Bible was automatically accepted. One of the first pieces of “proof” was The Cardiff Giant. In upstate New York, the petrified remains of a giant man were apparently found in October of 1869 (2). Not long after, it was discovered that the Cardiff Giant was nothing more than a fake ploy to gain money from tourists. The “petrified remains” ended up being a statue, and the debate of whether or not there was proof of giants from before Noah’s flood came to an end. Or did it?
In the 1980s, the limestone beds of the Paluxy River in Texas became the topic of much controversy. Claims were made by Fundamentalists that “giant man tracks” were found alongside fossilized dinosaur footprints (3). If these were true tracks, than this would mean that the current geologic timetable would be incorrect (some fundamentalists believe that the Earth was created in 4004 B.C.); hominid ancestors would have had to be in existence before the dinosaurs’ extinction over 60 millions ago (2).
So, were they real? No. According to Glen J. Kuban, “the supposed human tracks have involved a variety of phenomena, including forms of elongate, metatarsal dinosaur tracks, erosional features, indistinct markings of uncertain origin, and a smaller number of doctored and carved specimens (most of the latter occurring on loose blocks of rock)” (3).
Despite the findings of many different fields, the existence of giants, dinosaurs, and the geologic timetable are still debated by a few Fundamentalists. Just because the Bible wrote that the world was created in six days does not mean that it really was. In my opinion, and that of science, it was more like six ages. Maybe the Bible was using a metaphor? Until we know for sure, I’m going to agree with science that there were no giants, that humans didn’t exist at the same time as dinosaurs, and that the Earth is a lot older than some 6,000 years old.
Sources:
(1) Loflin, Lewis. " What is Christian Fundamentalism?" Sullivan-county.com, n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2012. <website>
(2) Feder, Kenneth L. Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology, Second Edition. London and Toronto: Mayfield Publishing Company, 1996. Print.
(3) Kuban, Glen J. "The Texas Dinosaur/"Man Track" Controversy". The TalkOrigins Archive, 2010. Web. 15 Apr. 2012. <website>
By “the accumulated wisdom of the fields of biology, zoology, paleontology, geology, and anthropology” we do (2).
But to Christian Fundamentalists, the Bible cannot be wrong because it is "the word of God". Because of this, any “proof” that would validate what was written in the Bible was automatically accepted. One of the first pieces of “proof” was The Cardiff Giant. In upstate New York, the petrified remains of a giant man were apparently found in October of 1869 (2). Not long after, it was discovered that the Cardiff Giant was nothing more than a fake ploy to gain money from tourists. The “petrified remains” ended up being a statue, and the debate of whether or not there was proof of giants from before Noah’s flood came to an end. Or did it?
In the 1980s, the limestone beds of the Paluxy River in Texas became the topic of much controversy. Claims were made by Fundamentalists that “giant man tracks” were found alongside fossilized dinosaur footprints (3). If these were true tracks, than this would mean that the current geologic timetable would be incorrect (some fundamentalists believe that the Earth was created in 4004 B.C.); hominid ancestors would have had to be in existence before the dinosaurs’ extinction over 60 millions ago (2).
So, were they real? No. According to Glen J. Kuban, “the supposed human tracks have involved a variety of phenomena, including forms of elongate, metatarsal dinosaur tracks, erosional features, indistinct markings of uncertain origin, and a smaller number of doctored and carved specimens (most of the latter occurring on loose blocks of rock)” (3).
Despite the findings of many different fields, the existence of giants, dinosaurs, and the geologic timetable are still debated by a few Fundamentalists. Just because the Bible wrote that the world was created in six days does not mean that it really was. In my opinion, and that of science, it was more like six ages. Maybe the Bible was using a metaphor? Until we know for sure, I’m going to agree with science that there were no giants, that humans didn’t exist at the same time as dinosaurs, and that the Earth is a lot older than some 6,000 years old.
Sources:
(1) Loflin, Lewis. " What is Christian Fundamentalism?" Sullivan-county.com, n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2012. <website>
(2) Feder, Kenneth L. Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology, Second Edition. London and Toronto: Mayfield Publishing Company, 1996. Print.
(3) Kuban, Glen J. "The Texas Dinosaur/"Man Track" Controversy". The TalkOrigins Archive, 2010. Web. 15 Apr. 2012. <website>