Guest Post: DINOSAURS!

Today I would like to share a guest post from Caleb with Foundations Creation.  Caleb is a fellow homeschooler and has a heart for the Lord.  Caleb has been doing some in-depth research on dinosaurs and I am always blessed when he shares his knowledge and LEGO creations with me.  This skeleton LEGO® creation is awesome.  I love how Caleb made use of the LEGO parts in ways that I would have never thought of.  If you like Caleb's creation please consider commenting or giving him the "thumbs up" on his Facebook page.  

Historically, big dinosaurs have always garnered the most attention. T. Rex, Brachiosaurus, Stegosaurus, Triceratops--everyone knows the names of these giants. However, in recent years, small dinosaurs have invaded museums, magazines, and science specials. Names like Sinocalliopteryx, Sinosauropteryx, and Scipionx have become common names in scientific literature, largely due to the rise of evolutionary theories regarding the origin of birds. Reports of "feathered dinosaur" fossils from Chinese fossil beds occur regularly, seemingly giving support to the idea that dinosaurs are direct descendants of small theropod dinosaurs, such as those mentioned above.

However, more detailed research has begun to cast a shadow of doubt on the idea of "feathered dinosaur" evolution. For example, in 2005, the Journal of Morphology published a paper which revealed a close match between collagen protein fibers in decaying animal skin and the supposed "protofeathers" found on many dinosaur fossils. On the other hand, these "protofeathers", being mere filaments, do not posses the characteristics of true feathers, and thus, do not support the claim that these dinosaurs were on their way to becoming birds.
Theropod dinosaurs, such as the one modeled in this LEGO creation, also have an entirely different anatomy than that of birds. The center of gravity in theropod dinosaurs is balanced over the thighs, near the back of its body. However, the center of gravity in birds is located between the wings near the front of the body. Dinosaurs likely walked with both the thighs and the knees, however, birds are designed to walk with their knees, in order to prevent damage to the birds delicate air-sack breathing system. These two anatomies are incompatible. 
All things considered, is it really plausible to assume that dinosaurs evolved into birds? The fossil evidence does not support the idea, and such a transition would require a rapid leap in the supposedly slow and gradual evolution of living things, one which is not warranted by observable scientific data. The evidence seems to be much more consistent with the idea that dinosaurs and birds have always been distinct animal kinds and are not related. This seems to be in harmony with the Genesis account of Creation, which records that God made birds "after their kind" a day before he made land animals like dinosaurs "after their kind". 

Of course, if the Bible deserves our trust when it talks about physical things like dinosaurs and birds, doesn't it deserve our trust when it talks about our origin and destiny? According to the Bible, God originally made made perfect, with no blemish and no rebellion. However, in Genesis 3 we read that the first man, Adam, rebelled against his Creator, thereby introduction death, the consequence of rebellion, into the world. This rebellion, called sin, has been passed down to all mankind, and thus, death also has been passed onto all mankind. However, 2,000 years ago God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to come and live a perfect life, to die on a Cross, paying the punishment for our rebellion, and then rise on the third day, proving that He had conquered sin's death penalty. Now He offers you the free gift of salvation and eternal life on the basis of what Christ has done for you. All you have to do is repent (turn from sin) and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Special Thanks to Caleb for this informative post.

God Bless,

CJ