Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Philosophy/religion

Join our Philosophy forum to discuss religion and spirituality.

Original poster

I need a 'fundamentalist' christian please - have question

84 replies

ahundredtimes · 02/12/2007 22:41

So up the road live a family of charming christians. And their daughters come and babysit sometimes. And they are very charming and lovely, and ds2 enjoys talking to them about God. And they enjoy talking to him and answering his questions, and they like giving dh and I books about why the bible is true etc. It is all quite fair and fine and we are charming atheists.

Last night ds2 was enjoying just such a conversation, as he was reading a book about dinosaurs. And babysitter said 'did you know that God made the dinosaur bones and left them in caves for us to find?'

and ds2 said 'Now I didn't know that' and settled down for a chat.

Fine. I said to him 'did you ask her WHY he would think to do such a thing?'

Now can anyone tell me if this is current fundamentalist thinking or has ds2 totally made it up? It's rather a fascinating idea really.

OP posts:
Original poster
ahundredtimes · 02/12/2007 22:43

Oh and I apologise for the use of the word fundamentalist. I couldn't think of any other.

OP posts:
Original poster
ahundredtimes · 02/12/2007 22:44

Any about?

Dinosaur bones and intelligent design? Anybody?

Oh dear. Now I'll have to ask her and that can go on a bit.

OP posts:
choosyfloosy · 02/12/2007 22:46

Where's that thread about the Noah's Ark Zoo in the West Country?

They had some interesting stuff on their website.

I do think that few people who believe this sort of thing are likely to be on Mumsnet - is there a Christian version of Mumsnet? [interested]

Original poster
ahundredtimes · 02/12/2007 22:47

Oh. [disappointed]

But even if they don't believe it, they might know what it is that people think? [hopeful]

OP posts:
snowleopard · 02/12/2007 22:49

I am NOT any kind of christian, sorry! - but yes I do know that some creationists, especially in the US, put this about. Basically because a certain reading of the bible says the earth is only about 6,000 years old, therefore dinosaur bone evidence asscientists interpret it canot be right, therefore dino fossils must have been put there as a "trick" by god to test out faith.

A classic example of what adhering to a belief system and refusing to change your views in the face of evidence will do to you, IMO. ie make you (not to mention your god) look ridiculous.

The caves though, that's nonsense, where did she get that? They are not "in caves" - they're all over the place, often underground, in deserts, on beaches etc. maybe it's just the odd few found in caves that Ggod made, and the rest are real???

PandaG · 02/12/2007 22:50

you could try posting on Ship of Fools - is a Christian site, to answer your Q choosy...

I am fairly fundamental I suppose, but do not believe that, although do believe that God could have left dino bones if he wanted to (why though )

choosyfloosy · 02/12/2007 22:50

here's a different perspective from a, er, Bible Christian point of view [ridiculous term to use as what is a non-Bible Christian going to be, but I can't think what else to say either]

Absolute Truth.net
i could find lots fo these, couldn't I, and it would be great fun, but wouldn't help you know what your friend thinks about it. Clearly she would love to explain more tbh, but yes, it sounds like it might be a long night.

yummers · 02/12/2007 22:51

i have no answers. i'm not even a fully fledged christian. but i will say that i don't think the concepts of God and Evolution are as irreconcilable as many 'fundamentalists' would have us believe. There was a very interesting interview with a top paleontologist (i think) on either R3 or R4 a while back. i know that doesn't really narrow it down but he was basically explaining how he could both be a Christian and believe in the big bang, and evolution and all the rest of it, without contradicting himself once. very smart chap.

tillykins · 02/12/2007 22:51

I teach sunday school and I can't say that one has ever come up!
Sounds like it is someones explanation of why dinosaurs weren't on the ark

Much easier than suggesting that God didn't want to scare us with knowledge of dinosaurs, 2000 years ago!

Original poster
ahundredtimes · 02/12/2007 22:53

Oh yes, a very very long night and they are young women and I am not, and i nod nicely and ask questions but am not challenging as would be unseemly and also they babysit and I usually just Want To Go Out and leave the theology to ds2 who is 8.

Okay, I think I understand better now. How odd. What an unusual idea. You'd think he had better things to do than leave red herrings about the place.

Thank you for responses though.

Oh and I expect the 'caves' thing was ds2. . . .

OP posts:
Original poster
ahundredtimes · 02/12/2007 22:56

I don't really get it actually if anyone is about. I mean on a larger scale.

Why take the scientists on? Why not understand Eden etc as an allegory of man's relationship with God and see religion as an act of faith.

Why does it have to be provable?

Can't it just be an act of faith and imagination to understand the concept of the resurrection, without actually having to prove it did happen? Or doesn't it work like that?

OP posts:
Original poster
ahundredtimes · 02/12/2007 22:56

Oh dear.

Sorry. I was thinking out loud. I shall discuss with babysitters.

Thank you for clearing up bones thing.

OP posts:
snowleopard · 02/12/2007 23:01

That's a great point 100x - it's faith, it doesn't need proof. And in fact attempting to prove it just highlights how ridiculous many tenets of religious belief are when a rational light is shone on them. IMO, the more fundamentalist, the more insecure and unstable the faith - and the more desperate they are to insist it is THE truth and at best evangelise, at worst persecute, anyone who doesn't agree - witness the sudan madness.

The trouble is that a lot of them DO want to take on science and fail to see that it is an entirely different kettle of fish. Scientists take account of the best empirical evidence available at the time and can change their views and understandings accordingly. Faith is the opposite.

berolina · 02/12/2007 23:02

I agree with you, 100x. (Am a Christian, but more of the woolly liberal persuasion). I believe in evolution (odd phrase, seeing as it is fact - let's say I consider evolution to be fact) and feel no need to 'prove' the resurrection etc. For me, science is science and faith is faith.

Am very sorry to anyone this might offend, but am PMSL a bit as the idea of God leaving bones in caves as if putting on some sort of treasure hunt.

snowleopard · 02/12/2007 23:04

I know, the fundamentalist God really does come over as a bit passive aggressive and needy when he does stuff like that!

Original poster
ahundredtimes · 02/12/2007 23:06

Yes or at worst bored.

Well if we all think that, then why doesn't everyone else? Hmm?

[leans on staff]

OP posts:
hunkermunker · 02/12/2007 23:06

Has your babysitter been watching Bill Hicks?!

He referred to God as a "prankster" iirc, for burying "brontysaurus"...

SueBaroo · 02/12/2007 23:07

As the person-most-likely-to-be-named-fundamentalist, I can tell you that I hadn't heard of this rather odd idea until recently, and I'm a creationist.

I think it's put about by the same people who keep think they've found Noah's Ark whenever someone discovers an oval shape at the top of a mountain.

I don't believe it, I believe that dinosaurs were real, and not a hoax. I just don't think they lived quite as long ago as commonly thought.

hunkermunker · 02/12/2007 23:07

Read this 100x

Original poster
ahundredtimes · 02/12/2007 23:08

Oh yes perhaps? I don't know who he is though. It's a closed world all this to me tbh.

They are an interesting family though. Terrible skirts, beaming smiles. I like them.

OP posts:
SueBaroo · 02/12/2007 23:08

Dwayne someone or other. He's a bit unhelpful.

Original poster
ahundredtimes · 02/12/2007 23:11

SueB - you don't have to answer this AT ALL, and am interested not taking the piss or looking for a fight, but can you explain to me

What is it with the having to prove things are true? As in taking the Bible as a literal truth, rather than a series of understandings through which to reach faith? I always think Christians are shooting themselves in the foot with all this 'we can prove it' stuff, why do they bother?

OP posts:
berolina · 02/12/2007 23:15
Original poster
ahundredtimes · 02/12/2007 23:15

I did ask the babysitter once, the older one who's 22 or something. I asked why she had to actually believe that Jesus had died and been resurrected. Why was that important? I think it works rather well as an allegory, you see.

OP posts:
Original poster
ahundredtimes · 02/12/2007 23:16

Sorry, this isn't just for Sue.

Can you help me berolina? Or anyone?

I'll go and read some literature perhaps? What shall I read?

OP posts:
Swipe left for the next trending thread