Christian dinosaur hunters dig for signs of Biblical dragons
By Marcus Warren in Keldron, South Dakota
(Filed: 19/06/2004)
Countless dinosaur bones lie buried in the rocks of South Dakota but the
Christians excavating one remote cliff-face were digging not just for
reptilian
vertebrae but for the hand of God.
With screwdrivers, hammers and shaving brushes for tools, the group was
seeking
and, as far as it was concerned, unearthed proof that the animals perished not
millions of years ago but in Noah's Flood circa 2300 BC.
To these believers in the Bible's literal truth, they are not dinosaurs but
"missionary lizards", which are powerful weapons in the battle for young
American hearts and minds.
Those certain that God made all living things, dinosaurs included, on Day
Six of
the Creation, are deploying ever more imaginative tactics in their struggle
against schools and universities teaching Darwin's theory of evolution.
Boldest of all is a trend for believers, young and old, to dig for fossils and
dinosaur remains as witness to God's handiwork.
Lecturing to a rapt audience of 20 like-minded Christians after a hard day in
the field, Russ McGlenn, a self-styled amateur archaeologist and
palaeontologist
and head of Adventure Safaris, said: "Heavenly Father, we thank You for the
evidence of a catastrophic flood event. We thank You for the time to study
Your
creation. Heavenly Father, we thank You for the evidence of a catastrophic
flood
event."
Mr McGlenn was admittedly preaching to the converted but his success at
strengthening their beliefs and faith was undeniable.
"It's just dumb to believe that everything came from one kind of bang or
fish or
something," said Katy Carlson, 13, one of the youngest on the dig.
Her companions included a 74-year-old Californian woman who spends two weeks
digging for dinosaurs every year, the mother of three teenagers who
brought them
there "as a Christmas present" and a group of Christian children from
Wisconsin.
Camping outdoors, riding and simply marvelling at the emptiness of "Big Sky
country" are all part of the fun but the main draw is the chance to get
down on
hands and knees and quarry for dinosaur remains.
South Dakota is one big open-air dinosaur cemetery. "Sue", the world's best
preserved tyrannosaurus rex skeleton was discovered in the area and, in some
locations, bones are easily spotted, poking through the soil. Just as evident,
depending on who is looking, is "proof" that the creatures died in a flood.
Evidence is seen in geological strata and the animals' sudden deaths.
The afternoon's work yielded a rich crop of bones, from a group of
Edmontosauruses known to be buried in the hillside. The remains join similar
exhibits, including a triceratops skull, at a museum opened by the land's
owner
to spread the word that Darwin was wrong.
"Dinosaur fossils are not proof of evolution but rather extinction," a poster
tells visitors to the museum. The war between Darwinian science and Christian
fundamentalists has raged for decades but the battleground has lately shifted
from courtrooms and lecture halls to small-scale museums, churches and even a
Creationist theme park called "Dinosaur Adventure Land".
According to the most recent poll, nearly half of all Americans, 48 per cent,
believe in the Book of Genesis's version of our origins. The Creationists
fervently hope that number may even be rising.
Evolution is "the dumbest and most dangerous idea in the history of humanity",
said Kent Hovind, a vocal enthusiast for the cause who also runs the theme
park
in Florida. Explaining his Creationist creed, he said: "We think dinosaurs
were
part of the normal Creation and were just big lizards. Noah took some of
them on
the Ark, probably babies, when the floods came.
"Throughout history, there are stories of people killing the animals that
survived but they called them dragons."
Passions aroused by the debate occasionally spill over into politics, usually
into the charged sphere of education, sometimes involving national figures
such
as the former president Jimmy Carter and President George W Bush.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/06/19/wdino19.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/06/19/ixworld.html