There is physical evidence of dinosaur bones everywhere.  There is also evidence of Neanderthals.  If Adam and Eve were formed at the beginning of creation, were they living before dinosaurs and Neanderthals?  If so, does that mean Adam and Eve were even less evolved than Neanderthals?  Does the Bible mention dinosaurs?

Sincerely,
Rawr!

Dear Rawr!,

Evolutionists would have you believe that Neanderthals are some genetically inferior pre-humans, but the evidence doesn’t support that.  All current “Neanderthal” bodies found by modern science fit into the category of human or some extinct primate species.  The missing link is still missing for a reason.

Now, let’s deal with dinosaurs.  The world existed for five days before God made Adam and Eve on day six (Gen 1:27).  Aquatic dinosaurs were created on the fifth day (Gen 1:21-23), and land dinosaurs were created on day six (Gen 1:25).

The Bible does mention dinosaur-like animals in Job chapters 40 and 41.  If you read the description of the Behemoth and the Leviathan found in those chapters, you should see the similarities between them and the dinosaur fossils that have been found.  For further information on dinosaurs, read the posts “Jurassic Parks & Rec” and “DINOSAURS!!!”.

     My son is dying a horrible, long lasting death of ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease).  I have been a Christian my whole life and an active staff member in the church.  My whole spiritual world has been rocked by watching my son suffer day after day with nothing in sight except a horrible death.  My question is:  I have been taught my whole life that God answers prayers.  That is not true.  God can heal.  Yes, He can, but it is just a matter of whether or not He will.  God doesn't like to watch His children suffer.  Then why does He let us?

Sincerely,
Mad Mom

Dear Mad Mom,

We are so sorry for your son's suffering, and we cannot fathom the pain it has wrought for you as well.  Sickness is a consequence of Adam and Eve’s sin in the Garden of Eden.  One of the curses of their sin was that we all must face our own mortality – life is finite (Gen 2:17).  Sickness, disease, and pain are a part of the human existence.  Sadly, this is true even for our children.  When God gave us freewill, He gave us the right to cause problems for ourselves and others, and if He simply removed all the consequences for our actions, He would be removing our freedoms as well.

God could have made us without the freedom to choose, but then we wouldn’t be “in His image”… we would be automatons.  As a parent, you have seen how the freewill of our children can break our hearts sometimes, and it can be difficult to see your children hurt when they make choices that have painful consequences.  From scraped knees to heartaches, parents watch their children get hurt when they leave the nest and strike out on their own.  God has that same parental paradox (Heb 12:9-10) – the love to let us choose even when those choices have caused all sorts of problems for us.  Your son is suffering because of the diseases mankind’s choices have brought upon us.

Is iniquity something that you’re born with that drives you to commit sin?  Like, is it embedded within your bloodline or DNA?  I feel it is, but want to know for certain. Thanks.

Sincerely,
Geneticist

Dear Geneticist,

The sum teachings of the Bible say that babies are born without sin, and babies are perfect in God’s sight.  Sin is not a birthright, nor is it in your DNA; it is a choice (Gen 4:6-7, Jas 1:13-15).  Humans sin when they choose to do wrong; they are not born in sin.

The false teaching of ‘original sin’ is very common in today’s society.  Sin is a choice we make in life (Isa 7:15-16), and all humans are born upright and good (Eccl 7:29).

Is it possible to communicate with spirits?

Sincerely,
Séance Bound

Dear Séance Bound,

Nope, no talking to the dead.  The Bible tells us what happens when people die, and there is no room for coming back to talk to people.  Jesus told the story of a wicked, rich man and a faithful, poor man named Lazarus in Lk 16:19-31.  When these two men died, the rich man immediately woke up in torment, and Lazarus was escorted to Paradise (Lk 16:22-23).  This is what happens when the righteous and the wicked die.  There is no wandering or ghostly haunting.  In fact, the rich man was specifically told that the dead aren’t sent back to the earth to preach or affect the course of events here (Lk 16:27-31).  We die, and then we wait to face the judgment (Heb 9:27).

     I wanted to ask if you are aware that the story of Jesus is not unique.  There were mythical Greek gods long before Jesus was heard of with the same or similar story surrounding them (i.e. the virgin birth, miracles, resurrection, etc.).

Sincerely,
Copycat

Dear Copycat,

We are aware of myths that contain elements that are similar to Jesus’ life, but similarity doesn’t mean they are the same, and the biggest difference is that Jesus is a literal person who walked the earth – unlike Hercules or Poseidon.

Jesus is a well-documented historical figure.  He is noted by both biblical and secular historians of His day.  Jesus isn’t a myth.  The fact that people who lived at the same time as Jesus were willing to lay down their lives for their conviction that He had risen from the grave puts Him in a totally different category than mythological tales.  All but the most radical historians agree that Jesus really walked this Earth – we can’t fable Him away like Zeus.