Noah vs the Dinosaurs?

Today the new Creation Museum opened in Petersburg, KY, and there was an article on Yahoo! News, so I thought I'd take a look and see what it was all about (aside from the obvious!). While I'm all for Creationism, being a Catholic and a life long Christian, as well as siding with science on some things, I was a little perturbed when I finished the article.

As we all know, there has been an age old battle as to how the earth was created and where we all came from. Devout Christians believe God created earth in one week, as can be seen in Genesis, the first book of the Bible. The American Indians have Mother Earth and their creation story. And so on and so on. Then you have the scientists who down the creation stories 100%, and though the evidence is convincing, one does have to wonder how they can conduct tests on planets we can't even reach yet. Hell, we're still working with a slowly dying Mars Rover that sends info to NASA, but how sure can you be that there really was water on Mars once unless you were really there? Just a thought.

So as I went through the article, it described some of the exhibits and how elaborate they were. Phenomenal details, plenty of information, etc. Wonderful! Then I stopped short when I came to the section about how Noah had dinosaurs on the Ark. Whoa! Put the breaks on! Dinosaurs on the Ark? A few alligators, crocodiles and turtles I can understand, but dinosaurs? Did they take into consideration that a brontosaurus would probably be close to the size of the Ark or at least half the size? Did they ever consider that even two or three pairs of the largest dinosaurs would probably cause the Ark to sink? I don't think many animals would be left, let alone Noah and his family, if they had a couple of T-Rex's on there. But here's where my brain really started cranking the gears.

If you think about the history of earth and mankind from the perspective of the Bible, not only were dinosaurs not mentioned in the Bible, but the time line just doesn't fit. According to the Bible Time line website, the world was created in 4004 BC. According to years of research and carbon dating, the oldest dinosaur fossil is 180 million years old and the specimen was found in Tazouda, Morocco. So that gives us a difference of 179,993,989 years. For argument's sake, we can say that God did create earth 180 million years ago, but there was a large gap, an extremely large gap, between the creation of animals and Adam. But then again, how would anyone know to write it down? There were no humans 180 million years ago. But again, to bring the scientific side back into it, the oldest human remain was found in Africa and dates back to 160,000 years ago.

Maybe God did create the earth according to the scientific time line and decided He hated dinosaurs, so He blew a hole in the side off earth with a comet and it killed them all off. This would give Him a clean slate to recreate everything so we could have the Bible and life as we know it (and the Gulf of Mexico). And speaking from a forensic point of view, He didn't clean up too well once they were gone. So we know they existed through plenty of evidence, but how do they fit into the Bible and our understanding of Creationism? Yeah, I'm pulling this all out of my you know what, but no matter how you look at it, none of it makes sense.

And this gave me a chuckle, too. Apparently, all animals were vegetarian until Adam committed sin in the Garden of Eden. Yet, again, how can this possibly make sense? Most animals are carnivores. Sure, we have the herbivores and the insectivores, but how can you say without any true basis that all animals were vegetarians? Even science can't touch this one. Some how I have a tough time seeing a lion eating carrots next to the pigs and cows. Oh, yeah, and this also was never mentioned in the Bible. Sure, Adam and Eve were living peacefully among the animals in the Garden of Eden until the original sin, but we're led to believe that it's because Adam was created in the likeness of God; therefore, the animals probably had some sort of deep seated respect for Adam. Understandable. It's like a farmer and his animals. There's a bond. But no where does it say that lions didn't eat rabbits and bears didn't eat fish or deer. I really don't think you can push Adam's sin off on the animals. As far as I know, animals aren't included in sin, and they don't have to confess their sins in order to make it to Heaven and not spend eternity burning in Hell for eating something that's perfectly in their nature.

So while this museum is a wonderful idea to get the word out that people do believe in Creationism and that there should be a better understanding of it, I'm sorry to say that this particular museum just doesn't cut it for me. In fact, I'd say that these people have put the fight for Creationism back 50 to a hundred years. If you're going to fight for something, then do your research. Dinosaurs are a great marketing tool for kids. Kids love them! I know, I was one of them. But if you're going to put dinosaurs in Noah's Ark when you know there is no scientific or Biblical basis for it, then you're just lying to them. What did that banner say that flew over the museum on opening day? "Thou shalt not lie." I think you should all take a minute to think about what you've just done. But don't worry, God is here to hear your sins.

I've Got a Pin and I'm Burstin' Bubbles!

Well, it's been quite some time since I've written, and I've had some time to think on what to write next. The weather is heating up here in the NYC metro area (finally), so I've had some time to get out at lunch time and walk around the city. I usually head east over to Murray Hill, basically because it's a nice walk with trees once you get past Fifth Avenue, and I get to look at some old buildings and window shop at some interesting places. Despite the fact that I know New Yorkers can't walk and talk at the same time, I still try to head out a few days a week to make this journey across town and back, but as time goes on, I find myself doing it less and less.

I'm lucky because Penn Station is only two blocks from my office, so I don't have to deal with too much of a hassle to get there and back. No subways, no taxis, no long walks. It's especially nice when the weather's bad. However, I like to get outside a couple of times a day to get some fresh air (well as fresh as possible in Manhattan). Whether it's just a coffee/tea run or a walk, it's nice to see the city from somewhere other than my office window (and no, I don't enjoy seeing half naked dancers in the studio across the street).

So, Murray Hill, here I come. Ha! What a joke. What seems like it should be a pleasant walk is filled with people in their own little worlds. You can't see the bubbles, but they're there. They don't watch where they're going. They don't care they're walking too slow three-a-breast. They don't care they almost took your eye out with their umbrella. They're on some sort of mission, and you're not part of it.

Quite frankly, I'm tired of it. I'm tired of having to step aside so the overworked, over-hyper businessman can rush past to his next meeting. I'm tired of getting stuck behind someone taking in the sights on a street with no sights. I'm tired of being pushed out of the way by young upstarts who think they rule the pavement. I'm tired of almost being run over by a cab racing to make the light because someone stops to answer their cell phone in the middle of the street.

I want you to know that this isn't just a local New York phenomenon. This is happening everywhere. It's almost like people miss how badly they drive, so they decide to take it to the sidewalks instead. New York is trying to pass a law that makes it illegal to talk on your cell phone, check your Blackberry or listed to your I-pod while you walk. Too many people are walking out into traffic because they're preoccupied with their gadgets. Hey, they did it for driving, so I'm all in favor of doing it for walking. And not just on the sidewalks, in the malls, in the supermarkets, in parks. Just about anywhere you can walk! But I doubt that this law would be greatly enforced. Too many people with too many gadgets equals too few people to enforce such a rule.

The scary thing, though, is that people are so far into their own bubble (even without the gadgets) that they have no idea what's going on around them in the larger scope of things. Sure, they catch a glimpse of something on the nightly news, but 30 second spots of "news" aren't very informative. People don't notice that their children are being poorly educated. They don't realize that people are the biggest weapon of mass destruction (saying this with Washington, DC in mind and the country club that runs the nation). People don't see the disease in other countries, let alone the health problems we have here. Poverty doesn't exist in your neighborhood, so you don't know it's out there in other neighborhoods.

The United States is turning into one of the poorest examples of a "great" nation. Ever since America won the Revolution against England, there has been this chip on this nation's shoulder that somehow excuses us for being too occupied with our own needs compared to the needs of others. Are we doing any good in the Middle East? G.W. is simply trying to finish what his daddy couldn't and save some of his family's oil fields. We're killing and being killed more than helping. Would it hurt to put some of our trillions and trillions of dollars that we supposedly have (at least for the "War") towards a nation that would appreciate our help? Or how about helping the people within our own borders that are desperate for a better life? How many people along the Gulf are still homeless? Oh, right, Katrina is such a thing of the past. We don't talk about what happened down there anymore. Hello! This is wrong!

Open your eyes people! YOU aren't the only one in the picture. Other people are trying to share the same space as you, and sometimes, YOU have to budge for a change. YOU have to make the move that will help someone along their path. The street goes in two directions and you can't drive down the yellow line on your path to greatness. Share the way. Help someone else. No matter how small a favor, it will be appreciated.

So watch out America--I'm fighting back! I've got a pin and I'm bursting bubbles! YOU could be next!

***Start the rest fo your day by doing something good. Read this article about the three Chihuahua puppies who were born without front legs. They're being helped at the North Shore Animal League in Long Island, NY, and donations are greatly needed for their aid: http://www.nsalamerica.org/campaigns/chihuahuas/. There, don't you feel better already?