Meanwhile, Schweitzer’s research has been hijacked by “young earth” creationists, who insist that dinosaur soft tissue couldn’t possibly survive millions of years. They claim her discoveries support their belief, based on their interpretation of Genesis, that the earth is only a few thousand years old. Of course, it’s not unusual for a paleontologist to differ with creationists. But when creationists misrepresent Schweitzer’s data, she takes it personally: she describes herself as “a complete and total Christian.” On a shelf in her office is a plaque bearing an Old Testament verse: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
As a Christian I’ve never understood why it is an article of faith to some people that the theory of evolution be proved wrong. For myself I really don’t care what science does or does not prove, it has no effect on my faith.
“...Dr Schweitzer’s research (as distinct from the Young Earth Creationists interpretation of it) is at Scientific American: ...”
I read the report, doesn’t change the fact that it difficult to ascribe the survival of softer tissues, But the rejection any alternative to the evolutionary interpretation.
This drives Schweitzer crazy. Geologists have established that the Hell Creek Formation, where B. rex was found, is 68 million years old, and so are the bones buried in it. She’s horrified that some Christians accuse her of hiding the true meaning of her data. “They treat you really bad,” she says. “They twist your words and they manipulate your data.” For her, science and religion represent two different ways of looking at the world; invoking the hand of God to explain natural phenomena breaks the rules of science. After all, she says, what God asks is faith, not evidence. “If you have all this evidence and proof positive that God exists, you don’t need faith. I think he kind of designed it so that we’d never be able to prove his existence. And I think that’s really cool.”I read the article and it does not provide any supporting evidence for her allegations regarding Christians who "accused her of hiding the true meaning of her data", how they "treat you really bad,” or exactly how her words have been twisted and her data manipulated. If she had provided an example or two of such treatment instead of just her philosphical/theological musings about the difference between faith and evidence, it is not reported.
Cordially,