Museum of Natural Mistakes in History

Having just returned from the Smithsonian, this news article about a 27 year old mistake found by an 11 year old boy, at the Natural History Museum, caught my attention this morning.

I have to say that I wasn't very excited about visiting this particular museum, but daughter wanted to see the dinosaur bones. I had to forcefully remind myself that God created all these marvelous things, even though I consider most of the "information" provided with it fiction, propaganda, false. (Strong statements, I know, but if you bare with me, I'd like to tell you my "testimony", if you will.) Over the last two years I've come to strongly believe in a young earth, that dinosaurs were on the Ark and that God did indeed create it all in six literal days.

So we go to the museum...It was a bit hard for me to bite my tongue once inside. Husband gave me gentle nudges to stop muttering under my breath! But honestly, the millions of years thing was EVERYWHERE and it made me sick. Not just the millions of years, but that it is all so easily accepted as THEE truth. Answers in Genesis has a great article on radiometric dating that you will find interesting.



It wasn't that long ago that I had quite a difficult time even visiting our local Children's Museum because of son's affinity for dinosaurs and my fear and lack of understanding. A lot of prayer and searching showed me a few things I'd never considered.




Here is some of my story from a post in 2005:

I Was Afraid Of The Dinosaur Exhibit

I was afraid of the dinosaur exhibit at the local children's museum. That is a hard thing for a grown woman to admit, but it is true. "Was it the enormous beasts?" or the "scary noises?". NO! It was the questions.

Now, when I was in elementary school, I was taught dinosaurs were make believe, as were dragons! There were no dinosaur fossil exhibits. They were just beginning, from what I now understand, to discover the multitude of dinosaur fossils they now have. Then there was my Christian upbringing which very carefully ignored all reference to such things, but at the same time taught the awesome Biblical creation story. As a young girl, I had no trouble believing in the creation story. I also had no trouble believing that it happened in six actual days. After all, I was a young school girl and "six days" meant "six days" didn't it? So, the millions of years thing was a lie; no problem there.

Back to the present. Mama takes boy to the children's museum and starts getting the questions...yikes, I have to actually have a verbal answer for them and I have no idea! I see that they are actually finding real fossils of huge bones, calling them dinosaurs, but how does this fit with my faith? Then this computer-savvy-generation, five year-old boy discovers the "touch-me" screens. Now it's one thing when you can rush a child through saying vaguely "we're not so sure about that", and having him eagerly touch a computer screen and have a grown-up appear and tell him the "truth" and "show" him support through animation. Now what!

Thus, I was scared. Enter Indiana Association for Homeschool Educators (www.inhomeeducators.org) annual curriculum fair featuring a speaker from an organization called The Institute for Creation Research. (www.icr.org) I dutifully purchased a CD of a talk called Genesis and the Flood and one about the Ice Age (which I was convinced was more Evolutionist propaganda--what a wonderful education I had!! Sigh.). I listened with what can only be described as surprise and delight. Here, finally, were the explanations to all my questions! Finally I understood that the Ice Age was not about cave men, but about the great flood of Noah and all the environmental and earth changes occurring to cause such a flood, plus the after effects. Finally, I saw proof that the large animals called dinosaurs were actually described in the Bible (Job 40) AND were on Noah's Ark! Suddenly it all began to come together. I purchased a book called "The Great Dinosaur Mystery and the Bible" by Paul S. Taylor (see ICR online store) for my son (and myself) and he (we) read the truth, and understood it. We purchased a video from Answers in Genesis called "Dinosaurs, Genesis and the Gospel" and now we know how to respond to the millions of years comments--"were you there?" I'm so pleased that something I've struggled with, my children will have the answers to! Yeah!

Now, you must understand. God was working one of His great works in me. I had been in prayer about this and other related issues and began to feel an awakening in regards to His Word and His Truth. Genesis became my favorite book of the Bible and I could see Jesus on every page!

In the coming months I discovered other great resources providing evidence of Genesis. My favorite is Answers in Genesis (www.answersingenesis.org). Much like ICR, Answers in Genesis gives scientific and Biblical answers to today's scientific non-Biblical arguments. They also are in the process of building their answer (I would say God's answer!) to "history" museums. The Creation Museum (www.creationmuseum.org) is in Northern Kentucky near Cincinnati. Though not yet open (it is now!), it will be incredible. You can follow their research and construction, and even donate, on their website. This will be an incredible opportunity for ministry for every believer who has ever taken the neighbor kid to the museum with them! I'm sure the opportunities to share Christ in relation to this museum will not end there.

Now I look at dinosaur fossils and am excited to see God's incredible design in these very real animals. The evidence has been there all along. The information available--I just never found it. Maybe you haven't found it yet. Let me help point you. You will be sooo glad!

So...

Again, God created all things, including the Hope Diamond, the dinosaur, the ape. I have to remember that when going to museums!

By keeping my eyes on Him and focusing my children's eyes to HIStory, we can more easily bypass the (false!) things of the world. It was only then that we were able to truly enjoy what we saw!