THE INSPIRATION BEHIND THE ART

A huge Tyrannosaurus-rex stands in the ruins of the Jurassic Park Visitor Center as terrified humans run for their lives. A large banner emblazoned with the words WHEN DINOSAURS RULED THE EARTH floats to the ground as the animal lets out a mighty roar…

Any fan of Jurassic Park and its sequels will tell you how much they enjoy seeing dinosaurs interacting with humans. Likewise, drawing dinosaurs coexisting with people is also a lot of fun.

But while the movies and media present only one narrative — that dinosaurs ruled the earth “millions of years” before man — the fact is that scientists disagree on exactly when dinosaurs roamed the earth. This is especially evident in the debate over origins (creation vs evolution).

In Jurassic World: Dominion, Dr Alan Grant makes an observation that is typical of many real-world scientists:

What this quote fails to take into account is that scientists on both sides of the debate have the same evidence to work with — the same fossils and the same rock layers — and this evidence has to be interpreted within the context of their respective worldviews.

Some view this debate as a battle between religion and science, and reject religion because it entails believing in miracles. However, everyone has to believe in miracles — even evolutionists.

Note that while natural selection (genetic information loss) and mutations (genetic information corruption) are observed in the real world, “evolution” (a belief in genetic information gain over millions of years) is contested by many scientists.

The name Dinosaurs of Eden hints at alternative ways to interpret the fossil record. Did dinosaurs really “evolve” millions of years before man, or were they created alongside all the other animals and man from the beginning? Did they really “evolve” into birds, or simply become extinct?

If we are presented with evidence that doesn’t support the dominant evolutionary paradigm, should we not be open to exploring alternatives? Such evidence may include rock layers forming rapidly, or fossils of modern birds found together with dinosaurs.

In recent years the scientific community has been rocked by the discovery of dinosaur soft-tissue fossils containing red blood cells, blood vessels, and flexible ligaments, indicating that dinosaurs may have been alive more recently than commonly thought. Here are just a few examples:

Ancient historical records also pose a challenge to the idea that dinosaurs lived “millions of years ago”. For example, dragon legends are found in cultures all over the world, and many ancient artifacts, sculptures, carvings and drawings seem to depict dinosaur-like creatures. Here are some intriguing examples:

While some historical accounts have become exaggerated over time, dragons nevertheless bear a startling resemblance to dinosaurs.

The late evolutionist Carl Sagan was so troubled by this resemblance that he wrote a book — The Dragons of Eden — to try to explain it away.

By contrast, Dinosaurs of Eden takes the scientific and historical evidence at face value and argues that:

(1) It poses a serious challenge to the “millions of years ago” dogma;

(2) It is consistent with a young earth as described in the Bible.

The problem with the “millions of years ago” narrative is that it undermines the central message of the Bible, which is founded upon a good God creating an originally perfect world without millions of years of death and “evolution“.

The world we live in today is no longer perfect. It is a broken world. There is still beauty, and yet that beauty is marred by sin, death, and suffering.

The “big picture” timeline below puts our broken world into context and sums up the Bible’s message of hope:

According to the Bible, death originated with the rebellion of the first people (Genesis 3; Romans 5:12). However, if the above timeline was preceded by millions of years of death and suffering and evolution, then the Bible’s message of hope breaks down.

At the end of the day, there are only two options when it comes to the debate over origins — creation or evolution.

In his book The Blind Watchmaker, evolutionist Richard Dawkins claimed, “The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is at bottom no design, no purpose, no evil and no good, nothing but blind pitiless indifference” (p. 133).

Nothing could be further from the truth! The evidence for creation is clear (Romans 1:18-20). We are not the product of blind evolutionary forces — we are wonderfully created in the image of God, and every human life is precious to him (Genesis 1:27; Psalm 139:13-16).

As descendants of Adam we are all born with a sin nature and a tendency to go our own way. But God is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love (Psalm 103:8-13) and ready to forgive us if we repent and place our trust in him, because he himself bore the punishment for our sins on the cross (Isaiah 53:5-6).

If you are open to exploring the Bible and seeking answers to the big questions of life — Where did we come from? Why are we here? Where are we going? — then please TAP HERE for a concise summary of the Christian faith and prayerfully consider the invitation to respond.

While the artwork on Dinosaurs of Eden may be enjoyed simply for the depictions of dinosaurs in unusual settings, every picture tells a story. Fascinating dragon legends, amazing soft-tissue fossil finds, ancient depictions of dinosaur-like creatures… to see what’s behind each drawing, please tap this image and explore our posts on facebook:

To purchase prints, please come visit our stall at the Rotary Charity Markets, held at the Botanic Gardens on the third Sunday of every month (February to December) — see details here or contact us below.

Take a virtual tour of our markets stall:

If God created every animal with a vegetarian diet (Genesis 1:30), how do dinosaurs fit with that scenario? The idea seems strange when we’re conditioned to associate sharp teeth and claws with meat-eaters.

However, animals classified as carnivores do not necessarily have to be so. Meet Little Tyke, the lion that wouldn’t eat meat. See tigers raised with pigs, and the lion that adopted a baby antelope. And meet Florence, the salad-eating shark.

Contact us

Steve Müller 0488 101 777 steve@homechurchgladstone.com