Transcript Evolution vs. Science & the Bible (Lesson 7

Evolution vs. Science
& the Bible
(Lesson 7)
Part I: The Age of the Earth
Part II: Dinosaurs
AGE OF THE EARTH
Dating Rocks and Fossils
The Atom
 Fundamental unit of matter
 Made up of components called subatomic
particles



Proton (positive charge)
Neutron (no electrical charge)
Electron (negative charge)
Nucleus
Electron
 Used only on organic material
 Cannot be used to date rocks
 Maximum age limit about 60,000 years
What Is Carbon?
 Carbon-14 is also referred to as:


C-14
Radiocarbon
 Types of carbon (isotopes)
Atomic mass
9
14
16
6
6
6
Atomic number
Unstable isotopes (Atoms)
An atom is generally stable if the number of
protons equals the number of neutrons in the
nucleus
Atom (Isotope)
Protons
Neutrons
Stable Carbon
6
6
Stable Nitrogen
7
7
Stable Oxygen
8
8
Carbon 14
6
8
What is Radioactive Decay?
The nucleus of an atom (decays) changes
into a new element
The proton number (atomic number) must
change
14
14
6
7
How long does this take?
What is Half-Life?

The rate of decay is measured by how
long it takes for half an element to decay
(half-life)
 The half-life of C-14 is 5,730 years
Half-Life Illustration
Time = 0
5,730 years
1 half-life
11,460 years
2 half-lives
C-14
N-14
N-14
C-14
1/2
1/2
3/4
C-14
How Carbon-14 Is Produced
Cosmic Rays
(radiation)
Forms C-14
Collision with
atmosphere (N14)
C-14 combines with
oxygen to form carbon
dioxide (CO2)
Carbon-14 Life Cycle
Cosmic radiation
14
14
14
7
6
7
Carbon-14 is produced in the atmosphere
Carbon-14 decays into Nitrogen-14
Starting the Carbon Dating
Clock
Once a plant or animal dies
the clock starts
Organism
dies
No more
C-14 intake
C-14 continues
to decay
How the Carbon Clock Works
The C-14 dating method relies on measuring
the amount of C-14 in the fossil
Three Scenarios
1. There is a lot of C-14 remaining in the fossil
2. There is very little C-14 remaining in the
fossil
3. There is no detectable C-14 in the fossil
What We Need to Know
What do we need to know to determine
how many half-lives have expired?
1. How fast it decays (measured in half-lives).
This is known (5,730 years).
2. The starting amount of C-14 in the fossil.
A critical Detail
Understanding the Starting Point
Illustration
 You enter a room and see a burning candle
 The candle is burning at 1 inch per hour
 How long has the candle been burning?
We need to know
the starting height
of the candle
We need to know
the starting
amount of C-14
Determining the Starting
Amount
 There are two types of carbon used in the dating
process: C-12 and C-14
 C-12 is a stable isotope (it does not decay)
 When an organism is alive it has the same ratio
(C-12 to C-14) that is found in the atmosphere
(1-trillion to 1)
A Critical Assumption
Has the ratio of C-12 to C-14
always been the same (1-trillion to 1)?
This is a key assumption

If this assumption is true then carbon-14 dating
is a reliable dating method

If this assumption is false then carbon-14
dating is not a reliable dating method
Factors Affecting Carbon-14
Dating
Factors that would cause dates to appear
older than they actually are include:
 Cosmic ray penetration of the earth’s
atmosphere
 The CO2 levels in the atmosphere
 The Genesis Flood
Atmospheric Levels of
Carbon

The Genesis Flood buried much carbon from
living organisms to form coal and oil
 This buried carbon (mostly C-12) is about 100
times the total carbon in the present biosphere
What does this mean?
 The CO2 level in the pre-Flood biosphere was
different (a higher ratio of C-12 to C-14)
 C-14 dates using the present ratio of C12/C14 will
give incorrect ages – ages that are too old
C-14 and Recent Dates
R. E. Taylor, “Major Revisions in the Pleistocene Age
Assignments for North American human Skeletons by C14 Accelerator Mass Spectrometry”, American Antiquity,
Vol. 50, 1985, pp. 136-140.
Ancient human skeletons, when dated by
the new Accelerator Mass Spectrometer
technique, give surprisingly recent dates.
In one study of eleven sets of ancient
human bones, all were dated at about
5,000 radiocarbon years or less.
Carbon-14 Summary
 Carbon-14 can only be used to date organic
material
 Carbon-14 dating accuracy is dependent upon a
consistent ratio between C-12 and C-14
(equilibrium)
 The assumption of equilibrium is FALSE
 There are factors that can affect C-14 in the
atmosphere (Genesis Flood)
 Ancient fossils as well as coal contain C-14
residue
Radioisotope
Dating Methods
Dating Rocks
What are they and how do they operate?
What is the basic perception?
How accurate are they?
Are there any hidden assumptions?
Radioactive Decay
Parent element
Daughter element
Uranium
Decay
Lead
Potassium
Decay
Argon
Radioisotope Dating
 Used to date igneous and metamorphic rocks
(basalt)
 Cannot be used on sedimentary rocks
(limestone, sandstone, and shale)
a
a
238
U
234
Th
234
Pa
234
U
230
Th
a
210
Po
206
Pb
Four Assumptions
1. The starting amount of daughter element is
known
2. All the daughter element is due to
radioactive decay
3. The sample was always in a closed
environment
4. The decay rate has always been constant
Parent Element
Potassium
Daughter Element
Argon
Examples of Dating
 Sunset Crater, Northern Arizona
 Potassium-argon: 200,000+
 Reality: AD 1065
 Lava flows at Mt. Ngaurhoe, New
Zealand
 Potassium-argon: 275,000
 Reality: 1949, 1954, 1975
 Hualalai basalt, Hawaii
 Potassium-argon: 1.4 – 22 million
 Reality: AD 1801
 Mt. Etna basalt, Sicily
 Potassium-argon: 140,000 – 350,000
 Reality: 1972
Examples of Dating
Rocks that were created since the 1980
eruption of Mount St. Helens dated up to
2.8 million years old
Radioisotope Dating
John Morris, Ph.D. Geology, The Geology Book, 2000, p. 52.
Reliability and Consistency
“When the same rock is dated by more
than one method, it will often yield
different ‘ages.’ And when the rock is
dated more than one time by the same
method, it will often give different
results.”
Conflict in Dating
 In 1993 scientists found wood (trees) buried in
basalt flows (69 feet deep)
 Wood samples sent to two laboratories to be
carbon-14 dated 44,000 years
 Basalt sent to two laboratories to be potassiumargon dated 45,000 million years
69 feet deep
Wood
encased in
Wood embedded in lava flow (basalt)
basalt
Helium in the Atmosphere
 Uranium ultimately decays into lead
 During this process helium atoms are
formed
Helium nucleus
a
a
238
U
234
Th
234
Pa
234
U
230
Th
a
210
Po
206
Pb
Helium in the Atmosphere
Not enough
helium for an
old earth
Helium
atoms
He
He
He
He
He
He
He
Radioactive
Decay
Evidences for a Young Earth
 Helium in the Earth’s atmosphere
 Nuclear decay rates (Radioisotope dating)
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
Sodium in the oceans
Erosion of continents
Sediments in the ocean
Decay of the Earth’s magnetic field
Carbon-14 ratio in the atmosphere
Population statistics
Recession of the moon
Many more …..
Conclusion: Five Facts
1. The earth has not been scientifically proven to
be billions of years old
2. The Bible teaches a literal 6-day creation
3. Many scientists believe in a literal 6-day
creation about 6,000 years ago
4. New evidence from nuclear decay supports a
young earth model
5. There are many scientific evidences for a young
earth
DINOSAURS
Dinosaurs
 interesting to many people of all ages
 subject of many movies
 Jurassic Park series
 Disney’s Dinosaur, Land Before Time, etc.
 subject of many books
 children’s books
 science books
 subject of much speculation and
misinformation
 often used to propel evolutionary dogma
Why Teach On Dinosaurs?
 majority of young people have been
taught:
 that dinosaurs lived 230 million years ago
and became extinct 65 million years ago
 that man began to live 2 million years ago and
did not coexist with these creatures
 that death, disease, and blood shed existed
for millions of years before man
Why Teach On Dinosaurs?
 pertains to the Bible
 relevant to our understanding of creation
and the world in which we live
 of interest to all
 either tools used for atheism or special
creation
Misinformation:
 Some say dinosaurs never existed
 ignores all fossil evidence
 ignores historical evidence
 archeological
 literary
The Creature, Not The
Term
 “dinosaur” is a relatively new term
 Sir Richard Owen issued the term
dinosaur in 1840 after studying some
Iguanodon and Megalosaurus fossils
 deino (terrible) + sauros (lizard)
called “dragons” rather than “dinosaurs”
Dinosaur Groups
Theropods
Two-footed meat-eaters
(T-rex)
Sauropods
Four-footed plant- eaters
(Apatosaurus)
Long Necks
Ultrasaurus
Sauropods
Supersaurus
Brachiosaurus
Man
Argentinosaurus
100 tons, 100 feet long
Stegosaurus
Human
Brain
Stegosaurus
Brain
Horned Dinosaurs
Triceratops
Height: 9 feet
Length: 26 feet
Weight: 14,000 pounds (7 tons)
Dinosaurs With Big Teeth
Tyrannosaurus rex
How Big Were
Dinosaurs?
 The average size was about the size of a
small pony
 Seismosaurus and Argentinosaurus were over
100 feet long and weighed about 100 tons
Blue whale
200 tons
Supersaurus
100 tons, 130 feet long
Ultrasaurus
100 tons, over 100 feet long
Brachiosaurus
55 tons, 75 feet long
Tyrannosaurus
8 tons, 20 feet tall
African elephant
5 tons
Dinosaur Footprints
Not All Dinosaurs Were
Big
A small dinosaur
Height: 24 inches
Length: 40 inches
Weight: 8 pounds
Compsognathus
Komp-sog-NAY-thus
How Fast Were Dinosaurs?
Estimated speeds

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


Stegosaurs
Tyrannosaurus
Olympic runner
Triceratops
Horse
Lion
Cheetah
About 15 mph
About 20 mph
About 25 mph
About 20 mph
45 mph
45 mph
65 mph
New Dinosaur Find

A mummified dinosaur carcass was found
in Montana (duck-billed hadrosaur)
 Soft tissues covering 90% of the fossil
include muscle, nail material, a beak, and
skin were preserved
 The last meal in its stomach was preserved
A salad of ferns, conifers, and magnolias,
seasoned with pollen from 40 different plants
Are Dinosaurs Mentioned in the
Bible?
Job 40:15-18
Behold now behemoth, which I made
with thee; he eateth grass as an ox. . . .
He moveth his tail like a cedar . . .
His bones are as strong pieces of brass;
his bones are like bars of iron.
He is the chief of the ways of God;
Behemoth’s Lifestyle
 eats grass (v. 15)
 mountains yield food (v. 20)
 docile, “all the beasts of the field play there” (v.
20)
 dwells in marshes (v. 21)
 prefers shade (v. 22)
 is not spooked at danger:
23 “Behold, if a river overflow, he trembleth not;
He is confident, though a Jordan swell even to
his mouth.
24 Shall any take him when he is on the watch,
Or pierce through his nose with a snare?”
(American Standard Version)
Leviathan: A Dinosaur
 his outer coat: impenetratable
41:13, 15-17, 26-30
 his size: gracefully, yet fearfully large
41:12, 25
 his teeth: terrible
41:14
 his neck: strong
41:22
 his breath: fire
41:19-21
Extra-Biblical
Evidence For the
Coexistence of
dinosaurs with men
ROCK SOLID EVIDENCE!
Dinosaurs and People
Many traditions of large dinosaur-like
creatures
Ancient drawings (petroglyphs)
PETROGLYPH
a well-weathered petroglyph of
Havasupai Canyon, AZ
Dragons and History
Many historical accounts of large dinosaurlike creatures
Pliny, Natural History, 70 AD
“Africa produces elephants, but it is India that
produces the largest, as well as the dragon…”
Herodotus 450 BC
 “There is a place in Arabia, situated
very near the city of Buto, to which I
went, on hearing of some winged
serpents; and when I arrived there, I
saw bones and spines of serpents, in
such quantities as it would be
impossible to describe. The form of
the serpent is like that of the watersnake; but he has wings without
feathers, and as like as possible to the
wings of a bat” [Historiae, 2, 75-76].
Map from the Middle Ages
Genoeses 1457 World Map
(The Rhamphorhynchoid Pterosaur, Scaphognathus crassirostris:
A "Living Fossil" Until the 17th Century, John Goertzen, MS)
www.anzwers.org
Dragons and History
Aelian, De Natura Animalium, 220 AD
“The Phrygian History also
states that dragons are born
which reach ten paces in
length…”
More of the Same from
Rome
A sketch of a dragon
that was said to have
existed near Rome in
1691.
Note: two featherless
wings, reptilian tail,
head crest, long neck,
wings in front of legs
matching the fossil of
Scaphognathus
crassirostris (chart 42)
Figurines from Acambaro
Mexico
Ankylosarus
(~800 BC – 200 AD)
Other Art From Mexico
The Point:
 stories of dragons are
more than likely stories
of dinosaurs that existed with
men
 many of these ancient legends are
exaggerations of dinosaurs that
roamed the earth and of terrifying
reptiles that ruled the skies
and seas
Do You Believe Dinosaurs
Went on The Ark?
 Do you believe God created all land animals
on day 6 (Gen. 1:24, 25)?
 Do you believe 2 of every kind of landcreature went aboard Noah’s ark
(Gen. 6:19, 20; 7:8, 9; 8:19)?
 Dinosaurs were land dwellers; therefore,
they were created on day six and went
aboard the ark (Job. 40:15)
Dinosaurs on the Ark
And of every living thing of all flesh, two of
every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to
keep them alive with thee; they shall be male
and female. (Genesis 6:19)
Dinosaurs were on the Ark and
they came off the Ark
About Dinosaurs Being Too Large To
Fit In The Ark. . .
• it seems that God
would have used
younger creatures
rather than fully
grown ones
• the average size of
dinosaurs (known
collectively from
fossil record) is that
of a sheep or small
pony
What Happened to the
Dinosaurs?

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



Dinosaurs starved to death
They died from overeating
They were poisoned
They became blind from cataracts and could not
reproduce
Mammals ate their eggs
Other causes include-volcanic dust, poisonous
gases, comets, sunspots, meteorites, mass
suicide, constipation, parasites, shrinking brain
(and greater stupidity), slipped discs, changes in
the composition of air, …
The Popular Theory
65 million years ago a meteor destroyed all
the dinosaurs
Meteor Impact Theory
 Layer of iridium located at the northern end of
Mexico's Yucatan peninsula (Chicxulub)
 Buried a kilometer below ground and dated at 65
million years old
Alleged
meteor
impact
Evaluating the theory: 2 evidences
Evaluating the Evidence: 1

Why did the alleged impact kill off the
dinosaurs while many other forms of life
remained healthy?
 Some of the least mobile creatures
(tortoises, snakes, crocodiles) and the
most sensitive to climatic change (birds,
fish) are still with us today.
 Plants also survived the cataclysm in
great abundance.
Evaluating the Evidence:
2
It is not certain that Chicxulub is an actual impact
site. The iridium concentration in the region could
have resulted from volcanic processes.
The Mystery of Dinosaurs
 the subject of dinosaurs are shrouded in
a mystery only if you accept the
evolutionary story associated with them
 evolved 230 million years ago
 their roam ended by some catastrophic
event (i.e., asteroid hitting the earth) 65
million years ago
 PROBLEM: why did crocodiles, snakes,
turtles remain?
Bible Answer to Dinosaurs
 existed ~6000-10000 years ago
 created with man
 dinosaurs were land animals
 all land animals were created on day 6 (Gen.
1:24ff)
 therefore dinosaurs were created on day 6
 representatives of all kinds (including
dinosaur kinds) went onto the ark ~ 4500
years ago
Bible Answer to Dinosaurs
 they came off the ark to live in the present
world along with man and every other kind of
creature
 the effects of the flood and the curse of sin
have greatly changed our world from the
world in which Noah lived
 since the flood, many kinds of animals have
died out because of disease, environmental
factors, lack of food, killing themselves, overly
hunted by other predators, etc.
 such is what happened to dinosaurs—there is
no mystery!
Conclusions About Dinosaurs
The evolution story is based on faith not
real evidence
 The Bible teaches that people and
dinosaurs lived at the same time
 The evidence (fossils) supports the Biblical
claim:

 Created after their kind
 People and dinosaurs lived at the same time