Chinasaurs: A Different View

Science Museum of Minnesota, Downtown St. Paul

Special Exhibit till May 1, 2005

Audio tour optional (recommended)

By Julie Von Vett

How do dinosaurs fit in with the Bible? Did man and dinosaurs live together? What killed most the dinosaurs? Are dinosaurs mentioned in the Bible? Were there dinosaurs on the Ark? These and many other questions will be answered as you tour through the science museum's Chinasaurs exhibit.

Dragons:

As you enter the exhibit you will see a Chinese dragon hanging from the ceiling and vases with Chinese dragons painted on them. In Chinese, the word for dinosaur means “terrible dragon”. Yes, this is correct, dragons are dinosaurs.

The word dinosaur was coined in1840. It is a very new word. Prior to 1840 dinosaurs were called dragons. Dragon stories appear around the world in Europe, North America and China. Marco Polo, Alexander the Great, and St. George (the patron saint of England), all mention dragons in their writings.

These descriptions of dragons sound very much like how modern scientist would describe dinosaurs. Dictionaries from 16^th century had the word dragon and recognized them as living creatures. And as recently as a 1928 dictionary, the definition for dragon was “an extremely rare but still living animal”. Dragons are dinosaurs. Did dinosaurs and man live together? YES, you will find thousands of dragon stories and their encounters with people in very old history books in libraries around the world. So, the Chinasaurs exhibit beginning with dragons as being dinosaurs is correct. Dragons are dinosaurs!

Bone Bed:

A bone bed is a collection of bones all jumbled together. It is impossible to tell which bone belongs to which creature. Bone beds are found worldwide. Dinosaur National Monument is one of many bone beds found here in the USA. Dinosaur Provincial Park, in Alberta, Canada, has an estimated 3,000 bone beds and in the Karoo Formation in S. Africa there is an estimated 800 billion fossilized bones in one bone bed. Scientists believe that bone beds were created by fast moving flood waters. The creatures were caught in a flood and sped along with other creatures and they died all twisted together. Think of the recent tsunami and the pictures coming out of Thailand. Dirty sediment laden waves picked up debris and people and propelled them swiftly through the streets, swirling them around and burying them in sediment.

Fossilized plants:

Can you identify the ginkgo leave, fern and the evergreen needles? They look very similar to todays. That is why you can identify them. Notice the detailing in the thin leaves. How can there be such detail? Think of your leaves at home, what happens to them? They generally decompose quickly, rather than becoming a fossil. So, how does a fossil form? Here is the fossil recipe:

Fossil recipe

1. Deep coverage

2. Fast coverage

3. Lots of water

4. No air

An animal/plant is buried very quickly. No scavengers can find it and oxygen (which causes most decomposition) cannot get to it. The water containing minerals seeps through the sediment to the animal/ plant. Parts of the animal/plant bones become wet with this mineral water and then, cell by cell, the organic parts are replaced with these minerals. The animal/plant soon becomes a rock. Fossils are found all over the world from Antarctica to the Artic Circle. Some event in history caused these creatures to become fossils. Looking at the ingredients, what event would have all 4 “ingredients”? The Flood of Noah's day.

What caused most dinosaurs to die out and leave these fossils? The Flood of Noah's day. Just recently the world experienced a tsunami. The evening news of January 6, 2005 reported that one shipping channel near Indonesia prior to the tsunami was 4,000 feet deep. After the tsunami, the depth measured 100 feet! That's a lot of sediment filled in! Imagine the tsunamis' of Noah's day and the entire world being affected. Also, the flood gates of heaven were opened up and it rained for 40 days. Would the world be experiencing mudslides like in California? The water continued to come until it covered all of the mountains of the world. If the world were experiencing tsunamis, mudslides and world wide wave action we would have the ingredients needed to make fossils.

Fossilized insects:

Notice the detailing. Look for the wing veining, body segments and mouth part? Do they look like today's insects? Today, if an insect dies and falls to the ground, it soon decomposes. Why are these so well preserved? A special event had to have happen that had the right “ingredients” in order for them to become fossilized.

Hall of Dinosaurs:

Take notice, some will have a sign that says “Original Fossil” and others will not. This Chinasaurs exhibit is unusual in that we are able to see the real fossilized bone and not just plaster casts. Those with the “Original Fossil” label are composed of actual dinosaur bones. Yet, of the “original fossil” skeletons, only 20-30% is real bone. The rest of the skeleton is made of plaster. A very good dinosaur skeleton would have 50 % real bones. The T-Rex “Sue” is 90% real bone –this is exceptional and hence the 8 million dollar price tag! The dinosaur skeletons without this label are made up entirely of plaster. This is a fabulous exhibit in that so many of these dinosaurs have some of their actual fossilized bones.

Fish Fossils

Look at the detailing: the fins, eyes and in some places the look of actual skin. Evolutionists would tell you that when a fish dies it falls to the bottom and then is gradually covered with sediment. What happens when a fish dies? It floats until it decomposes enough to let air out of its body; it does not immediately sink to the bottom. Upon death the scavengers and bacteria start to eat and destroy it. Later, parts of the fish will fall to the bottom and are covered up (usually in bits and pieces). These fossilized fish are too well preserved to have a normal death experience. To have these fish become fossils, the fossil recipe is needed. (See fossilized plants).

Dinosaur #110 Szechvanosaurus

This is called a “doubtful dinosaur” because it was created from a few teeth that were found. Recall other examples where a few teeth were created into something by an artist and later the truth was shown. It is misleading to even create this “doubtful dinosaur” when the teeth cannot be identified as part of a more complete fossil.

Dinosaur #124 Nurosaurus leg bone

A REAL Bone. It is OK to touch- it's covered with a thin layer of plaster to protect it. The dinosaur that had this femur would have been 10 feet taller than the large Mamechisaurus behind you. God sure had fun creating dinosaurs! God created land animals on Day 6, and dinosaurs are land animals. Also on Day 6, man was created (Gen.1: 24-25). I guess the Flintstones were right! Job 40:15-18 “See, besides you I made Behemoth, that feeds on grass like an ox. Behold the strength in his loins, and his vigor in the sinews of his belly. He carries his tail like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are like cables. His bones are like tubes of bronze; his frame is like iron rods.”

Footprints #125

This is the best display of footprints I have seen! These are the actual footprints which were cut right from the rock they were found in! How do you make a fossilized footprint? Think. When you walk on the beach, is your footprint there the next day? To preserve a footprint one needs to follow the “fossil recipe”. The footprint was probably covered with a different type of sediment. Then it turned into a rock. Later, years later, erosion took place and the footprint was exposed. There are thousands of dinosaur footprints all over the world. They are not rare but are very common. Purgatoire Valley in Colorado has 1,300 footprints. Peace Rive Canyon in Canada has 1,700 footprints…….

Also, at many locations in the world (Russia, Texas…) are footprints of humans and dinosaurs in the same rock strata. Man and dinosaurs did live together.

#125

The audio tour mentions why so many dinosaurs died - it is called the Mass Extinction Theory. This theory states that an asteroid the size of a large city smashed into the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico throwing dust into the air. This dust covered the earth and the plants died out. The dinosaurs died out because they lacked the plants to eat and it was a cooler environment. PROBLEM: Why didn't the asteroid kill off the other reptiles like turtles and alligators? If we look in the Bible we know why so many dinosaurs died. Remember, how do you make a fossil?

What event in history would have all 4 “ingredients”? The flood during Noah's time killed every living land creature except those on the Ark. Many of these dinosaurs that were killed in the flood became fossils. Were there dinosaurs on the Ark? Yes. Noah brought 2 of every land animal on board and dinosaurs are land animals. So, Noah took 2 Apatosaurus, 2 T-rexes, 2 Stegosaurus… 2 of each kind of dinosaur onto the Ark. Look at dogs. It only took one pair to produce all we have. We don't know how many kinds of dinosaurs there were/are, but a young pair of each kind is all that would have been needed. Did they get of the Ark? Yes. Why don't we see any today? There are many factors that could cause their extinction.

1. The environment changed after the flood - we now have 4 seasons in most parts of the world. (Genesis 8:22). Also, some creationists believe that the Flood triggered the Ice Age. After the Flood, the oceans waters were very warm because of tectonic and volcanic activity. This resulted in increased evaporation. When this precipitation moved onto land, snow accumulated quickly. Two items are needed to make an ice age: cool summers and high precipitation. Both of these occurred after the Flood. Some creationists believe this Ice Age lasted 700 years. This would not be a good environment for dinosaurs to grow and reproduce in.

2. As the human population increased, they probably were hunted into extinction like the dodo bird. Besides, who would have wanted a dinosaur in their backyard eating their farm animals and crops? There are many written stories of the danger some of these dinosaurs (dragons) posed to humans, also.

Dinosaur eggs #112

Notice the thin egg shells. How does an egg fossilize? See the fossil recipe above.

Skin impression of a dinosaur: How do you preserve the skin of anything without it rotting, decomposing, or being eaten by scavengers? You would need a special event to preserve this skin, the flood of Noah's day.

#113 Dsungaripteous (a flying reptile)

If evolution were true then flight has had to evolve on at least four different occasions (birds, insects, reptiles, and mammals). What are those odds? God says it best; He created the flying creatures on Day 5.

#122 Caudipteryx- “Tail feather” and Sinosauorpterx

Did dinosaurs evolve into birds? No. Dinosaurs were created on day 6; while birds were created on day 5 BEFORE dinosaurs were ever created. Genesis 1:21-31

Are dinosaurs mentioned in the Bible?

Yes! In Job 40:15-24, is speaks of a behemoth. The Bible doesn't use the word dinosaur (it had not been invented yet) to describe a creature that could be similar to an Apatosaurus. This behemoth “moves it tail like a cedar tree” (Job 40:17). Job 41 speaks of a leviathan which breathes fire v. 18-21 (a fire breathing dragon?) Job, who lived about 2,000 B.C., was obviously acquainted with these creatures. The book of Job gives detailed accounts of them. These are only a few of the many places where “dinosaurs” are mentioned in the Bible.

God's judgment and God' mercy

Dinosaur skeletons and other fossils are a testimony to God's judgment and God's mercy. God's judgment in that He hates sin and destroyed the world with a cataclysmic flood because “the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence” (Gen.6:11). God had had enough of sin and the earth being filled with violence so it was destroyed by a world wide flood. Also, the dinosaur skeletons testify of God's mercy. God saved righteous Noah and his family and 2 of each kind of animal (7 of some). Those that would have walked through that door into the Ark would have been saved; however, only 8 people were saved. We have that same choice today. Jesus says, “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, (John 10:9).

Whenever you look at a fossil, think – God's judgment and God's mercy.

Dinosaurs are actually missionary lizards!

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For more information consult these sources: Dinosaurs Unleashed by Kyle Butt and Eric Lyons, The Great Dinosaur Mystery Solved by Ken Ham, or Dinosaurs by Design by Duane Gish, www. AnswersInGenesis.org or creationmoments.com (1-800-422-4253)

Sources Consulted: Completing the Picture by Dr. Margaret Helder, Creation Seminar parts 1,2,3 by Dr. Kent Hovind, Dinosaurs Unleashed by Kyle Butt and Eric Lyons, The Great Dinosaur Mystery Solved by Ken Ham and Dinosaurs by Design by Duane Gish.

Written by Julie Von Vett

Provided by Twin Cities Creation Science Association www.tccsa.tc