Posted on 07/31/2008 6:20:38 PM PDT by Free ThinkerNY
A slab of North Texas limestone is on track to rock the world, with its two imbedded footprints poised to make a huge impression in scientific and religious circles.
The estimated 140-pound stone was recovered in July 2000 from the bank of a creek that feeds the Paluxy River near Glen Rose, Texas, located about 53 miles south of Fort Worth. The find was made just outside Dinosaur Valley State Park, a popular destination for tourists known for its well-preserved dinosaur tracks and other fossils.
The limestone contains two distinct prints – one of a human footprint and one belonging to a dinosaur. The significance of the cement-hard fossil is that it shows the dinosaur print partially over and intersecting the human print.
In other words, the stone’s impressions indicate that the human stepped first, the dinosaur second. If proven genuine, the artifact would provide evidence that man and dinosaur roamed the Earth at the same time, according to those associated with the find and with its safekeeping. It could potentially toss out the window many commonly held scientific theories on evolution and the history of the world.
Finding scholars and experts on evolution, paleontology or creationism to speak about the discovery proved difficult. Some who were contacted said they didn’t want to comment on the prints without a personal inspection or without review of data from scientific tests.
However, Dr. Phillip Murry, a vertebrate paleontology instructor in the Geoscience department of Tarleton State University at Stephenville, Texas, stated in his response to an interview request: “There has never been a proven association of dinosaur (prints) with human footprints.”
The longtime amateur archeologist who found the fossil thinks that statement is now proven untrue.
(Excerpt) Read more at mineralwellsindex.com ...
Explain to me what that means in this situation. Does it mean that I can't use my own eyes or knowledge of geology to know that someone IN THE NAME OF GOD is trying to trick me?
If you invoke God, even in an oblique way, does that trump everything else you know to be true?
We have dinosaurs all around us today- alligators, hippos, turtles, snakes, bats and birds. Has anyone seen an indian rhino? Covered in plates and horns just like a stegasaur. If elephants were not around, we would be demanding to see proof that they walked with humans, even though they are with us today.
Is than an argument against evolution or for it?
I'll take door number 2, Alex...
The longtime amateur archeologist whofoundmade the fossil thinks that statement is now proven untrue.
Edited in the interests of journalistic integrity
I don’t know how many greats Alford Lane is but he was in Texas about the same time as your many great grandfather. Alford Lane was brother in law to Charles Goodnight. Alford Lane was killed by the Comanches on his way to met Goodnight west of Glen Rose. Of course, Glen Rose wasn’t even a town back in those days. Sounds like we both have a rather long history in Texas.
Two hypothesis
1) In this case, someone may be trying to trick you with a fakery.
2) Dinosaurs walked the earth at the same time as man, as a reading of Genesis would conclude.
Simply examined logically, these two are not mutually exclusive, regardless of your starting beliefs or ending conclusions.
_I_ am not invoking God, I am not making judgements, I am “decorated dust”. The Bible, however, is the authoritative word of God.
Here’s the main point, I’d rather you NOT address above and simply get this:
my reference was specifically to the implication in the poem that God prefers we rely on our own reason than on His word. That is simply false theology.
Okay, I’ll address only the part about reason.
As far as I can tell, God did not tell us to believe anything espoused in His name.
We are made in God’s image, which means, I suspect, that he gave us the power to reason. Certainly the Genesis story of the Tree of Life and the choices afforded to humans would tend to back that up even from the most fundamentalist perspective.
So, absent some direct communication from God about matters, I think it’s up to use to use our reason to figure things out.
If God tells me that this isn’t a stupid hoax, I’ll let you know.
up to us.
It’s a maddening habit I have. When I’m thinking ahead, my fingers follow on the keyboard and make typos, only they’re really not typos. I need to quit typing so fast, or at least be willing to read what I typed before posting.
My new resolution....
Don’t believe what Men tell you that God says.
He provided the “direct communication” you asked for - in the Bible.
Now, this “fossil” is not in there, but as I said, it may be a hoax AND Genesis is literal.
“And even the human footprint is incredibly bogus. How much longer is your “index” toe than your big toe?”
What else do you notice about the big toe in this specimen?
Other than the fact it must have had a callous or corn on the bottom of it to make a toe print two inches deeper than the adjacent toes?
How about the fact that the arch of the foot is on the wrong side?
Or that whoever “made” this print would still have had to been the most flat-footed person on the planet?
Take your pick.
No, actually the depression ended in 1941. I talked to the man personally in 1975 and saw the same “evidence.” He stated at that time that he needed money for an operation and the artifact was for sale. Maybe it is a different person, but I doubt it (maybe a relative.) The fact that he said he wanted to offer it to the Young Earthers kind of tells you where he is coming from. They have generated interest in this sort of evidence, so maybe he thinks he can make a “fast buck.” I don’t know personally—however, I have seen the footprints, and they are not human.
There probably is some good money to be made in creating dinosaur/human footprint “fossils”.
There’s not much market for selling Mazola as “snake oil” anymore, but this is a pretty good replacement.
“Is than an argument against evolution or for it?”
Neither- just a statement of fact. (which could be used by either side to bolster their case.)
It was a pretty good comment since it is accurate, but I thought you might be making an argument.
The age of the dinosaurs ended long ago, but there’s little doubt that some of their genetic material survived their demise. When I see the beautiful red cardinal in my backyard tree, it’s a little hard to envision it as a descendant of the dinosaurs, but it’s also inspiring to see how nature adapts to changing conditions.
“Other than the fact it must have had a callous or corn on the bottom of it to make a toe print two inches deeper than the adjacent toes?”
A fake footprint with a callous on the toe?
Did you just accidentally admit you accept the premise that it’s a real footprint?
Why doesn’t the bible mention dinosaurs more than just a passing description which would also fit a hippo. If there was a TRex or brontosaurus, surely it would be in the descriptions of animals loaded into the ark!
What about the flying reptiles?
If these creatures roamed the earth with man, there would be MANY passages in the bible.
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