







Many Latter-day Saints have unanswered questions about dinosaurs. Has man ever seen one? Did they die off millions of years ago like modern scientists claim? Were their bones brought here in fragments used to create the earth? Were there dinosaurs on Noah's Ark? Let's take a look at the scriptural and historical evidence for dinosaurs so you can decide for yourself what to believe.





DO THE SCRIPTURES MENTION DINOSAURS?





Yes, dinosaurs are mentioned in the scriptures many times. Keep in mind that the word dinosaur was not invented until the 1840's when dinosaur fossils were being discovered. Before that, dinosaurs were called by many different names throughout history. The scriptures use words such as:

Dragon

Cockatrice

Fiery flying serpent

Behemoth

Leviathon





Dinosaurs were known among ancient cultures from all around the world. The following are some of the names given to dinosaurs based on location:





Photo Credit: Young Earth Creation For Latter-day Saints Facebook Page





Indonesia- Nago

China- Loong

Japan- Ryu

Philippines- Bakunawa

Siberia- Yilbega

Turkey- Ejderha

Greece- Drakon

Portugal- Coca

Romania- Balamr

Slavic- Zmeg, Drak, Smok

Hungary- Sarkany

England- Wyvern

Sardinia- Scultone

Wales- Y ddraig goch

Korea- Yong, Imoggi

Vietnam- Rong, Long

India- Neak

Persia- Azhdaha

Germany- Lindworm

Tartar- Zilant





Two of the most interesting references to dinosaurs in the scriptures are the Behemoth found in Job 40, and the Leviathon in Job 41. In these chapters, God is talking to Job, and as a way of demonstrating his great power to Job, God shows Job two of his most impressive creations, the Behemoth, and the Leviathon. Let's take a look.









"Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox. Lo now, his strength is in his loins, and his force is in the navel of his belly. He moveth his tail like a cedar: the sinews of his stones are wrapped together. His bones are as strong pieces of brass; his bones are like bars of iron. He is the chief of the ways of God: he that made him can make his sword to approach unto him. Surely the mountains bring him forth food, where all the beasts of the field play. He lieth under the shady trees, in the covert of the reed, and fens. The shady trees cover him with their shadow; the willows of the brook compass him about. Behold, he drinketh up a river, and hasteth not: he trusteth that he can draw up Jordan into his mouth. He taketh it with his eyes: his nose pierceth through snares." (Job 40:15-24)





This beautiful description clearly describes an enormous creature. Some scholars, basing their interpretation on the false theory of evolution, have assumed Behemoth to be a hippopotamus. This is because the theory of evolution assumes that the last dinosaur went extinct millions of years ago, so it would be impossible for a dinosaur to be around at the time of Job, only a few thousand years ago. If we put our trust in the theories of men, then it will cause us to doubt when we read scriptures like this. Don't let evolution cause you to doubt the scriptures. Rather, the scriptures should cause you to doubt the theory of evolution. One who has faith in the scriptures can clearly see that God is not describing a hippopotamus to Job. He is describing a massive creature, with a tail like a cedar tree. Have you seen the tail of a hippo? It could be compared to a small twig on a branch of a tree.





Photo by Hendrik Cornelissen on Unsplash





There is only one creature with a tail like a cedar tree, and I don't even need to say it for you to know which creature I am referring to. Behemoth has a large belly. His bones are like bars of Iron. He can stop rivers, drinks large amounts of water, and he is, in Gods own words, one of his "chief" creations. That does not sound like a hippo to me. Now let's look at this beautiful description of Leviathan:





"Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down? Canst thou put an hook into his nose? or bore his jaw through with a thorn? Will he make many supplications unto thee? will he speak soft words unto thee? Will he make a covenant with thee? wilt thou take him for a servant for ever? Wilt thou play with him as with a bird? or wilt thou bind him for thy maidens? Shall the companions make a banquet of him? shall they part him among the merchants? Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons? or his head with fish spears? Lay thine hand upon him, remember the battle, do no more. Behold, the hope of him is in vain: shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him? None is so fierce that dare stir him up: who then is able to stand before me? Who hath prevented me, that I should repay him? whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine. I will not conceal his parts, nor his power, nor his comely proportion. Who can discover the face of his garment? or who can come to him with his double bridle? Who can open the doors of his face? his teeth are terrible round about. His scales are his pride, shut up together as with a close seal. One is so near to another, that no air can come between them. They are joined one to another, they stick together, that they cannot be sundered. By his neesings a light doth shine, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning. Out of his mouth go burning lamps, and sparks of fire leap out. Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as out of a seething pot or caldron. His breath kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth. In his neck remaineth strength, and sorrow is turned into joy before him. The flakes of his flesh are joined together: they are firm in themselves; they cannot be moved. His heart is as firm as a stone; yea, as hard as a piece of the nether millstone. When he raiseth up himself, the mighty are afraid: by reason of breakings they purify themselves. The sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold: the spear, the dart, nor the habergeon. He esteemeth iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood. The arrow cannot make him flee: slingstones are turned with him into stubble. Darts are counted as stubble: he laugheth at the shaking of a spear. Sharp stones are under him: he spreadeth sharp pointed things upon the mire. He maketh the deep to boil like a pot: he maketh the sea like a pot of ointment. He maketh a path to shine after him; one would think the deep to be hoary. Upon earth there is not his like, who is made without fear. He beholdeth all high things: he is a king over all the children of pride." (Job 41:1-34)





While the Behemoth and Leviathan are described in the most incredible descriptive detail by God himself, there are many more references to dinosaurs. Here are some other verses to consider:





Deuteronomy 32:33

Nehemiah 2:13

Job 30:29

Job 40

Job 41

Psalm 44:19

Psalm 74:14

Psalm 91:13

Psalm 104:26

Psalm 148:7

Isaiah 11:8

Isaiah 13:22

Isaiah 14:29

Isaiah 27:1

Isaiah 30:6

Isaiah 34:13

Isaiah 35:7

Isaiah 43:20

Isaiah 51:9

Isaiah 59:5

Jeremiah 8:17

Jeremiah 9:11

Jeremiah 10:22

Jeremiah 14:6

Jeremiah 49:33

Jeremiah 51:34,37

Jeremiah 51:37

Ezekiel 29:3

Micah 1:8

Malachi 1:3

Revelation 12:3,4,7,9,13,16,17

Revelation 13:2,4,11

Revelation 16:13

Revelation 20:2

1 Nephi 17:41

2 Nephi 8:9

2 Nephi 21:8

2 Nephi 23:22

2 Nephi 24:29

2 Nephi 30:14

Mosiah 20:11

Alma 43:44





Supporters of Darwin's theory of evolution are quick to dismiss any scriptural reference to dragons as purely symbolic, but if you actually read through the above verses, you will surely see that the authors of many of these verses are clearly describing real creatures they were familiar with. It takes a great stretch of the imagination to claim that all of these dozens of references are purely symbolic. You may be interested to know that the scriptures are not the only historical records of dinosaurs.





In fact, virtually every culture around the entire world has dinosaurs in their history. Let's look at some examples.









The Welsh, who feature a winged dinosaur on their nations flag, have many dinosaur legends. One of the earliest recorded Welsh dinosaurs ate King Morvidus (Morydd) of the Britons, around 336 BC. Geoffrey of Monmouth translated the account that the dinosaur "gulped down the body of Morvidus as a big fish swallows a little one."

(Source: After the Flood- Bill Cooper)





Bill Cooper, in his excellent book, "After The Flood," details many of the historical accounts of dinosaurs from the ancient Saxon and Celtic people. I highly recommend this book for further reading on European dinosaur history. Some common Welsh dinosaurs were the Addanc, and the Carrog, both of which several towns are named after. The Carrog is described like a Plesiosaur which is like the Lochness Monster. These have been sighted in many lakes in Britain. As little as a century ago, Welsh people talked about flying reptiles that had a sparkled appearance and were a nuisance to farmers because they ate their chickens. (Source: After the Flood- Bill Cooper) The small kingdom of Great Britain has nearly 200 historical accounts of dinosaur sightings. How many of you learned about any of those in school?





In 1484, William Caxton wrote about a dinosaur in Italy:





"There was found within a great river [i.e. the Po in Italy] a monster marine, or of the sea, of the form or likeness which followeth. He had the form or making of a fish, the which part was in two halves, that is to wit double. He had a great beard and he had two wonderfully great horns above his ears. Also he had great paps and a wonderfully great and horrible mouth. And at the both [of] his elbows he had wings right broad and great of fish's armour wherewith he swimmed and only he had but the head out of the water. It happened then that many women laundered and washed at the port or haven of the said river [where] that this horrible and fearful beast was, [who] for lack or default of meat came swimming toward the said women. Of the which he took one by the hand and supposed to have drawn her into the water. But she was strong and well advised and resisted against the said monster. And as she defended herself, she began to cry with an high voice, "Help, help!" To the which came running five women which by hurling and drawing of stones, killed and slew the said monster, for he was come too far within the sound, wherefore he might not return to the deep water. And after, when he rendered his spirit, he made a right little cry. He was of great corpulence more than any man's body. And yet, saith Poge [Pogius Bracciolini of Florence] in this manner, that he, being at Ferrara, he saw the said monster and saith yet that the young children were accustomed for to go bathe and wash them within the said river, but they came not all again. Wherefore the women [neither] washed nor laundered their clothes at the said port, for the folk presumed and supposed that the monster killed the young children which were drowned." (Source: After the Flood- Bill Cooper)

Caxton told of a second dinosaur in Italy, who interestingly had a taste for milk:





"...about the marches of Italy, within a meadow, was sometime a serpent of wonderful and right marvelous greatness, right hideous and fearful. For first he had the head greater than the head of a calf. Secondly, he had a neck of the length of an ass, and his body made after the likeness of a dog. And his tail was wonderfully great, thick and long, without comparison to any other. A cow... [seeing] ...so right horrible a beast, she was all fearful and lift herself up and supposed to have fled away. But the serpent, with his wonderfully long tail, enlaced her two hind legs. And the serpent then began to suck the cow. And indeed so much and so long he sucked that he found some milk. And when the cow might escape from him, she fled unto the other cows. And her paps and her hind legs, and all that the serpent touched, was all black a great space of time." (Source: After the Flood- Bill Cooper)





For a more recent example in New Zealand, the respected British journal, The Times, reported the following:





"Japanese fishermen caught a dead monster, weighing two tons and 30 feet in length, off the coast of New Zealand in April, it was reported today. Believed to be a survivor of a prehistoric species, the monster was caught at a depth of 1000 feet off the South Island coast, near Christchurch. Palaeontologists from the Natural Science Museum near Tokyo have concluded that the beast belonged to the pleisiosaurus family - huge, small-headed reptiles with a long neck and four fins ... After a member of the crew had photographed and measured it, the trawler's captain ordered the corpse to be thrown back into the sea for fear of contamination to his fish."





In Denmark, King Frotho fought a dinosaur, and it is recorded in Saxo Grammaticus' Gesta Danorum:





"...wreathed in coils, doubled in many a fold, and with a tail drawn out in winding whorls, shaking his manifold spirals and shedding venom ... his slaver [saliva] burns up what it bespatters yet ... remember to keep the dauntless temper of thy mind; nor let the point of the jagged tooth trouble thee, nor the starkness of the beast, nor the venom... there is a place under his lowest belly whither thou mayst plunge the blade."





Also from Denmark, the famous story Beowulf describes in detail a dinosaur called Grendel. Bill Cooper covers this topic in depth in his book "After the Flood." He said:





"Modern commentators who have been brought up on evolutionary ideas are compelled to suggest that monsters like Grendel are primitive personifications of death or disease, and other such nonsense. (It has even been suggested that he was a personification of the North Sea!) But really, the evidence will not support such claims. One modern and refreshingly honest publication (Longman Literature Guides. [York Notes Series]. Beowulf. p. 65) on the poem makes a more telling comment: 'In spite of allusions to the devil and abstract concepts of evil, the monsters are very tangible creatures in Beowulf. They have no supernatural tricks, other than exceptional strength, and they are vulnerable and mortal. The early medieval audience would have accepted these monsters as monsters, not as symbols of plague or war, for such creatures were a definite reality.'"





During the 5th century, Herodotus, the Greek historian, wrote the following about flying dinosaurs in Arabia:





"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 water-snake; but he has wings without feathers, and as like as possible to the wings of a bat." (Herodotus, 5th Century)





In 330 BC, Alexander the Great, upon returning from India, reported seeing a great hissing dragon in a cave, which people were worshiping. His Lieutenant Onesicritus said the Indian king Abisarus had serpents 120 and 210 feet long. (Source: After The Flood- Bill Cooper)





In 8th century Poland, the Wawel dragon lived in a cave on the banks of the Vistula river in Krakow. It ate cattle, and was killed by a man named Krakus with sulfer. Krakow was named after this man for killing the dragon. (Source: After The Flood- Bill Cooper)





The England flag is the St George cross, named after the man who slew a dragon. The Catholic Encyclopaedia says the following about St. George:





"At the town of Silene, in Libya, there was a dragon, who was appeased by being fed two sheep a day; when these failed, the townsfolk offered by lot one of their young people. One day the lot fell on the King's daughter, who was led out to the sacrifice, dressed in her wedding gown. George appeared and transfixed the dragon with his spear and then using the Princess's girdle led the bemused dragon into the town, where it was beheaded." (Catholic Encyclopaedia)





In "The Travels of Marco Polo," published in 1300AD, Marco Polo tells about the dragons in Karajan China.





"Here are found snakes and huge serpents, ten paces in length and ten spans in girth (meaning 50 ft long and 100 inch circumference). At the fore part, near the head, they have two short legs, each with three claws, as well as eyes larger than a loaf and very glaring. The jaws are wide enough to swallow a man, the teeth are large and sharp, and their whole appearance is so formidable that neither man, nor any kind of animal can approach them without terror. Others are of smaller size, being eight, six, or five paces long."













Marco Polo also wrote in detail about the techniques the Chinese used to track, and capture or kill dinosaurs. He also wrote that a chinese leader appointed a royal dragon feeder, and that they used dragons to pull chariots in parades





A book published in 1614 describes a dinosaur in Sussex England:





"This serpent (or dragon as some call it) is reputed to be nine feete, or rather more, in length and shaped almost in the form of an axletree of a cart; a quantitie of thickness in the middest, and somewhat smaller at both endes. The former part, which he shootes forth as a necke, is supposed to be an elle [3' 9"] long; with a white ring, as it were, of scales about it. The scales along his back seem to be blackish, and so much as is discovered under his belie, appeareth to be red... it is likewise discovered to have large feete, but the eye may there be deceived, for some suppose that serpents have no feete... [the dragon] rids away (as we call it) as fast as a man can run. His food [rabbits] is thought to be; for the most part, in a conie-warren, which he much frequents ... There are likewise upon either side of him discovered two great bunches so big as a large foote-ball, and (as some thinke) will in time grow to wings, but God, I hope, will (to defend the poor people in the neighbourhood) that he shall be destroyed before he grows to fledge."





A 1658 Science book called "Historie of Foure Footed Beasts," gives this scientific description of dinosaurs:





"There be some dragons which have wings and no feet, some again have both feet and wings, and some neither feet nor wings, but are only distinguished from the common sort of Serpents by the comb growing upon their heads, and the beard under their cheeks. Gyllius, Pierius, and Gervinus ... do affirm that a Dragon is of a black colour, the belly somewhat green, and very beautiful to behold, having a treble row of teeth in their mouths upon every jaw, and with most bright and clear-seeing eyes, which caused the Poets to say in their writings that these dragons are the watchful keepers of treasures. They have also two dewlaps growing under their chin, and hanging down like a beard, which are of a red colour: their bodies are set all over with very sharp scales, and over their eyes stand certain flexible eyelids. When they gape wide with their mouth, and thrust forth their tongue, their teeth seem very much to resemble the teeth of wild Swine: And their necks have many times gross thick hair growing upon them much like unto the bristles of a wild boar. Their mouth, (especially of the most tamable Dragons) is but little, not much bigger than a pipe, through which they draw in their breath, for they wound not with their mouth, but with their tails, only beating with them when they are angry. But the Indian, Ethiopian, and Phrygian dragons have very wide mouths, through which they often swallow in whole fowls and beasts. Their tongue is cloven as it were double, and the Investigators of nature do say that they have fifteen teeth of a side. The males have combs on their heads but the females have none, and they are likewise distinguished by their beards." (Historie of Foure-Footed Beasts)





The Chinese Zodiac includes 12 animals including 11 common ordinary animals, as well as the dragon. Why would they use 11 common animals, and one fake animal? They wouldn't. The dragon was just as ordinary to them as the other 11 animals at that time.





There are several locations in the world such as Papua New Guinea, where still today, people claim sightings of flying reptiles described as similar to the pterodactyl and similar flying dinosaurs.





Deep in the Congo, there are remote tribes who tell of two creatures they fear. The Congomato, and the Mokele Mbembe. Congomato is likely something like a triceratops, while Mokele Mbembe is likely a sauropod (long neck) dinosaur which lays in the swamps and rivers. These tribes isolated from the modern world have nothing to gain from these stories. They tell of having contact with these creatures within the last century. They tell of killing and eating them. Are such accounts to be ignored? Or is it worth looking into their claims?





In addition to all the oral and written histories of dinosaurs from around the globe, you will be interested to know there are thousands of ancient man-made artifacts depicting dinosaurs, and dinosaurs interacting with humans in different ways.









Thousands of pottery, cave wall drawings, carvings, and sculptures that depict humans hunting dinosaurs, humans riding dinosaurs, humans being eaten by dinosaurs, and anatomically accurate dinosaurs on their own.

















There are hundreds more dinosaur histories from all parts of the world. Think for a moment, how could all of these ancient people imagine up the exact same type of mythical creature without having any communication with other parts of the world? No reasonable intelligent being can believe that all these cultures imagined the same dragon creature independent of all other cultures. It would be impossible! The thought makes reason stare!





Were there dinosaurs on Noah's Ark?





Let's talk about Noah's Ark. Many people have an incomplete or incorrect understanding of Noah's Ark which makes it difficult for them to believe Noah was real at all, let alone that dinosaurs could have been on the ark. One of the most common questions is:





...how could the huge dinosaurs fit on the ark?





The answer is actually very simple. If Gods purpose was for the animals to multiply and replenish the earth after the flood, would he put very large mature animals on the ark which are past the ideal age of reproduction? No, it only makes sense that he would put small, young juvenile animals on the ark that would be ready to start a life of childbearing as soon as they get off the ark. So there were no giant dinosaurs on the ark. They were small young dinosaurs that easily fit. Also, most dinosaurs are not the giants we love to see pictures of. The average dinosaur was about the size of a cow. Also, reptiles grow slowly over their entire life until the day they die, so it would have taken many years for dinosaurs to get to the enormous size we are familiar with. Okay, now you're probably thinking,





...even if the dinosaurs were small, how could Noah fit all the different types of animals?





It's impossible right? No, actually this problem has a very simple explanation. Noah did not need to fit all the animals we have today on the ark because many of our animals today weren't even around back then. Let's look at an example we are all familiar with. Dogs. There are many different types of dogs today. Did Noah need to have two chihuahuas, two St. Bernards, 2 great Danes, 2 Dobermans, 2 bulldogs, etc...? No, all of these dogs were created over time through breeding dogs with different characteristics together. All Noah needed on the ark were two generic dogs that God selected to multiply and eventually create all the types of dogs we have today. Those two dogs had puppies. Let's imagine that perhaps two of their puppies were black and larger than the others, and two were white, and smaller than the others. If the two large black dogs had puppies together, their puppies would be more likely to turn out black and larger in size, while the two small white dogs would more likely produce smaller lighter colored puppies. Over time you would have many different dogs with different colors, shapes, sizes, fur length, etc. That is exactly how we ended up with so many different looking dogs today. No matter how much dogs change appearance, they have always been and always will be dogs. They will never evolve into something other than a dog.





Why does this matter?





Understanding why Noah only needed two dogs on the whole ark, answers the question of how did he fit all the kinds of animals in the world. When we apply this principle to all the different animal "kinds," the maximum total number of animals that were likely on the ark is estimated to only be about 6,758 individual animals.(Answers In Genesis) There were probably only 60-80 different Dinosaur kinds needed on the Ark. (Answers In Genesis) This is where many people get confused about evolution. There actually is a type of evolution which is true and happens every day. It is the evolution I have just described that happens within the dog kind, and within the cat kind, and within the human kind. We can slightly evolve within each kind of creation, but one kind will never evolve into another kind. God has declared it to be this way and we cannot change it.





"For it is a decree of the Lord that every tree, plant, and herb bearing seed should bring forth of its kind, and cannot come forth after any other law or principle." (Joseph Smith Teachings, PP 198)





"And the Gods organized the earth to bring forth the beasts after their kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after its kind; and the Gods saw they would obey." (Abraham 4:25)





"And I, God, said; Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping things, and beasts of the earth after their kind, and it was so;" (Moses 2:24)





"And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind whose seed is in itself, upon the earth and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind; and God saw that it was good." (Genesis 1:11-12)





Next, a common question is,





...wouldn't the dinosaurs eat the people and other animals on the ark?





This question demonstrates the power of media propaganda. Nobody can deny that this question is coming from people who have seen the popular Jurassic Park movie series. Like it or not, these fun movies have successfully performed mass indoctrination of a large segment of society. They have taught us that dinosaurs lived millions of years ago, that dinosaurs evolved into birds, and that sharp toothed dinosaurs are all vicious bloodthirsty monsters who eat every creature in sight. Let's address each of these points one at a time:





Did dinosaurs evolve into birds?





First, the Genesis creation account teaches that the birds were created before the land animals which contradicts the idea that birds evolved later. Next, bird fossils can be found throughout the fossil record, which also disproves this theory. The Moses creation account is interesting because it places Adam physically on the earth first, before the animals and calls Adam the first flesh, and the first man. Let's have a look at those verses.





"And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew. For I, the Lord God, created all things, of which I have spoken, spiritually, before they were naturally upon the face of the earth. for I, the Lord God, had not caused it to rain upon the face of the earth. For I, the Lord God, had not caused it to rain upon the face of the earth. And I, the Lord God, had created all the children of men; and not yet a man to till the ground; for in heaven created I them; and there was not yet flesh upon the earth, neither in the water, neither in the air; But I, the Lord God, formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul, the first flesh upon the earth, the first man also; nevertheless, all things were before created; but spiritually were they created and made according to my word." (Moses 3:5-7)





Notice how God distinguishes between first man and first flesh. He tells us that Adam was not only the first man to physically be created, but also the first flesh with the breath of life. Evolution tells us that trillions of creatures lived and died in the flesh before Adam. This contradicts the scriptures. The following verses in Genesis seem to send the same message, that Adam came first. Whether we believe Adam came before the animals, or if the animals came first, we still come to the same conclusion, that there was no death before the fall. This means evolution theory is not true.





"And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him." (Genesis 2:18-20)





The evolution theory simply is not true. Not from a scriptural perspective, and not even from a scientific perspective. There is no evidence in the world to support it. It is a theory inspired by the adversary and based upon wild speculation by some men who "think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God." (2 Nephi 9:28-29)





With these beautiful scriptures we have learned that dinosaurs did NOT evolve into birds like we are led to believe by the Jurassic Park movies. I'd like to address that third myth we are taught by these secular movies.





How could Adam, Eve, and Noah survive with bloodthirsty monster dinosaurs around?





First, let's forget about what popular dinosaur movies have led us to believe, and go back to the scriptures to learn about what dinosaurs really were like. Who says the dinosaurs were bloodthirsty monsters? Hollywood says that. In the beginning, in the Garden of Eden, we know that all creations, both humans, and all animals, were vegetarian. None of them ate meat. Not Adam and Eve, not the bears, and no not even the Tyrannosaurus Rex was eating meat. We know this for two reasons. First, the Word of God tells us so:





"And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so." (Genesis 1:29-30)





Here we just learned that every animal, and person, (Adam and Eve) all started out as vegetarians in the Garden of Eden. If the original dinosaurs only ate plants, then it would take a serious lack of faith for us to doubt that God could compel the carnivores aboard the Ark to peacefully eat a vegetarian diet until their journey was through, and even afterward for a time while the animals begin to repopulate the earth. Another thing to note is that it is a common myth that all animals with sharp teeth are carnivores, and all others are herbivores. Take the fruit bat for example. It has very sharp teeth and yet it eats.......fruit! What better teeth for piercing the hard skin of a coconut, then the large sharp teeth of a T-Rex! There are many other real life modern examples of sharp toothed creatures who enjoy a mostly if not all plant based diet.





The other reason we know the first animals were vegetarian is because there was no death before The Fall. Eating meat would require some animals to die. The scriptures make it clear that there was no death before The Fall.





"And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end." (2 Nephi 2:22)





"And he said unto them: Because that Adam fell, we are; and by his fall came death; and we are made partakers of misery and woe." (Moses 6:48)





This is important to understand. The Fall brought death into the world, and puts all of us in a fallen state where our sins separate us from our Heavenly Parents. The only way to defeat this fallen deathly state is through our Saviour and Redeemer Jesus Christ. The reason God lovingly sent his son Jesus Christ to earth was to save us from The Fall. Save us from death which came as a result of The Fall. If we accept an evolutionary world view where trillions of creatures died before The Fall, we are denying that the Fall ever happened, and therefore denying the need for a Saviour. Some anti-Christ evolutionists have recognized this fact and have made it their mission to convince young Christians that there is no need for a Saviour by convincing them of the Evolution Theory. Surely Evolution theory is a tool the Devil uses to pull Gods children away from him.





For further clarification on the churches stance on evolution, I refer you to the churches official statement called "The Origin of Man." https://www.lds.org/study/ensign/2002/02/the-origin-of-man?lang=eng In this official statement which has been published by multiple first presidencies over the last century, the Lord, through his prophets, declares that:





"The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-day Saints, basing its belief on divine revelation, ancient and modern, proclaims man to be the direct and lineal offspring of deity... It is held by some that Adam was not the first man upon this earth and that the original human being was a development from lower orders of the animal creation. These, however, are the theories of men. The word of the Lord declared that Adam was 'the first man of all men' (Moses 1:34), and we are therefore in duty bound to regard him as the primal parent of our race. It was shown to the brother of Jared that all men were created in the beginning after the image of God; whether we take this to mean the spirit or the body, or both, it commits us to the same conclusion: Man began life as a human being, in the likeness of our Heavenly Father."





For further reading on what the prophets have taught about the false theory of evolution, and the true origin of man, I recommend the following two books:





"Man: His Origin, and Destiny" by the Prophet Joseph Fielding Smith

https://www.amazon.com/Destiny-President-Fielding-Council-Latter-day/dp/B001BQYCC4/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1X96SJ9YUQ8D8&keywords=man%2C+his+origin+and+destiny&qid=1554869251&s=gateway&sprefix=man%2C+his+ori%2Caps%2C129&sr=8-1

"The Lineage of the Gods" by Latter-day Saint author Zack Strong

https://www.amazon.com/Lineage-Gods-Zack-Strong-ebook/dp/B07JWL86CR/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=lineage+of+the+gods+zack+strong&qid=1554869312&s=gateway&sr=8-2-spell





The false evolutionary world view





If at this point you are still thinking all of this sounds crazy, that humans have never seen dinosaurs because dinosaurs died off millions of years ago, please take a moment to ponder and pray about the things that have been presented in this article. There is a reason why it is hard to accept that dinosaurs lived with man. All of us have been taught since we were infants, on tv shows, movies, in books, and in school an evolutionary world view. In the evolutionary world view, we are told that in the beginning there was nothing. Then a big explosion ( "Big Bang") came from nothing and kept expanding until the whole universe formed. Then eventually life formed out of nothing, and creatures started evolving from pond scum, to fish, to land crawling creatures, then from there we are taught that mammals evolved back into whales, and land crawlers into dinosaurs, and then the dinosaurs evolved into birds, and mammals evolved into apes and humans, which eventually after billions of years were finally barely good enough to be called humans and that is when theistic evolutionists believe that Adam and Eve were born. To accept evolution is to accept this world view which is in opposition to the Plan of Salvation. We are also taught that dinosaurs went extinct millions of years ago so no human has ever seen one living (even though the alligator, crocodile, and komodo dragon are literally living dinosaurs that have been around since the age of dinosaurs), This is the evolutionary world view that all of us have been indoctrinated with since we were toddlers. This view is so prevalent in today's society that it is very difficult to break away from this world view. Anyone who questions evolution theory is treated like an idiot, and ridiculed for daring to question the majority view. Believe me, I know from experience. It is not easy to be different from the world. The world does not treat people nicely who are different. But aren't we used to that as Christians? When has being a Christian ever been popular? Our beloved prophet recently said,





"If you folks are not being persecuted on a daily basis, you are not doing your job very well." (Russell M. Nelson News Release, Mormon Newsroom, April 2019)





Beloved prophet Ezra Taft Benson made a similar comment when speaking about our association with groups that oppose the Godless Communist Conspiracy, when he said,





"If any of you are affiliated with patriotic organizations reportedly opposed to the Communist Conspiracy, which are not extensively smeared, you can rest assured your opposition is largely ineffective. You had best look for a more fruitful affiliation." (Prophet Ezra Taft Benson)





"Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven; for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you." (Matthew 5:11-12)





The takeaway from these three prophetic statements is that we as Christians are supposed to be different from the world. We are supposed to be persecuted for our beliefs. If we are not receiving opposition, then we are not doing our job defending our beliefs. Don't be afraid to defend Jesus Christ. Don't be afraid to defend the teachings of Christ and his prophets. If Christ teaches that we are the literal, lineal offspring of Heavenly Father, then why are we more inclined to defend the foolish theories of men like evolution which are diametrically opposed to the Gospel of Christ. Evolution denies the Fall of Adam, and therefore denies the need for a Saviour. Anti Christ scientists have openly reveled in the fact that their evolutionary theories destroy Christians faith. They openly lie to students in hopes of swaying them away from their Christian faith, and toward a worldly humanistic Godless religion with Science as their God. Here is one evolutionist admitting why he lies to his Christian students in order to sway them away from their faith:





"You cannot bludgeon kids with truth (or insult their religion, i.e., their parents and friends) and hope they will smile and believe you. yes, NOMA is wrong, but is a good first tool for gaining trust. You have to bring them over to your side, gain their trust, and then hold their hands and help them step by step. And on that slow journey, which will be painful for many of them, it is OK to use some inaccuracies temporarily if they help you reach the students." (Bora Zivkovic- Evolutionist Educator)





Many evolutionists have openly admitted that they cannot prove their theory.





"Genetics has no proofs for evolution. It has trouble explaining it. The closer one looks at the evidence for evolution, the less one finds of substance. In fact, the theory keeps on postulating evidence, and failing to find it, moves on to other postulates (Fossil missing links, natural selection of improved forms, positive mutations, molecular phylogenetic sequences, etc.) This is not science." (Professor Maciej Giertych, B.A. M.A. Oxon, pHD. Toronto, D.S.C. Poznan, Head of genetics department, Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Dendrology, Poland)





"We should reject, as a matter of principle, the substitution of intelligent design for the dialogue of chance and necessity; we must concede that there are presently no detailed Darwinian accounts of the evolution of any biochemical or cellular system, only a variety of wishful speculations." (Franklin M. Harold,* 2001. THe Way Of The Cell. Molecules, Organisms and the Order of Life, Oxford University Press, New York, P. 205. *Professor Emeritus of biochemistry, Colorado State University, USA)





"The critics [of evolution], including the creationist critics, are right about their criticism." (Evolutionist Lynn Margulis)





"What you'd like to see is a good case for gradual change from one species to another in the field, in the laboratory, or in the fossil record- and preferably in all three. Darwin's big mystery was why there was no record at all before a specific point [dated to 542 million years ago by modern researchers], and then all of a sudden in the fossil record you get nearly all the major types of animals. 'The paleontologists Niles Eldredge ad Stephen Jay Gould studied lakes in east Africa and on Caribbean Islands looking for Darwin's gradual change from one species of trilobite or snail to another. What they found was lots of back -and - forth variation in the population and then - whoop - a whole new species. There is no gradualism in the fossil record." (Evolutionist Lynn Margulis)





"I was taught over and over again that the accumulation of random mutations led to evolutionary change- led to new species. I believed it until I looked for evidence." (Evolutionist Lynn Margulis)





"This is the issue I have with Neo-Darwinists; they teach that what is generating novelty is the accumulation of random mutations in DNA, in a direction set by natural selection. If you want bigger eggs, you keep selecting the hens that are laying the biggest eggs, and you get bigger and bigger eggs. But you also get hens with defective feathers and wobbly legs. natural selection eliminates and maybe maintains, but it doesn't create." (Evolutionist Lynn Margulis)





"Many leading evolutionary theorists ... have been persuaded by punctuated equilibrium that the maintenance of stability within species must be considered as a major evolutionary problem." (Gould, S.J. and Eldredge, N., 1993. Punctuated Equilibrium Comes Of Age, Nature, 366:223-224)





"Yet Gould [Stephen J. Gould- the now deceased professor of paleontology from Harvard University] and the American Museum people are hard to contradict when they say 'there are no transitional fossils'... You say that I should at least 'show a photo of the fossil from which each type of organism was derived.' I will lay it on the line- There is not one such fossil for which one could make a watertight argument." (Dr Colin Patterson, Senior Paleontologist at British Museum Of Natural History)





"I fully agree with your comments on the lack of direct illustration of evolutionary transitions in my book. If I knew of any, fossil or living, I would certainly have included them. You suggest that an artist should be used to visualize such transformations, but where would he get the information from? I could not, honestly, provide it, and if I were to leave it to artistic licence, would that not mislead the reader?" (Dr Colin Patterson, Senior Paleontologist at British Museum Of Natural History)





Thankfully there are some honest scientists who will acknowledge the flaws in evolution theory, but the vast majority are either deceiving us, or they are deceived themselves.





The Lord warns us repeatedly to not put our trust in worldly wisdom. The wisdom of worldly scholars is foolishness to God





"Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, he taketh the wise in their own craftiness. And again, the Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. Therefore let no man glory in men." (1 Corinthians 3:18-21)





"O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish. But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God." (2 Nephi 9:28-29)





"O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. i will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm." (2 Nephi 4:34)









Prophets have repeatedly warned against these worldly teachings like evolution, and we would do well to heed their warnings.





"In the study of spiritual things and the plan of salvation, members of the church should not turn for guidance to the philosophical and scientific theories of men. Revelation is superior to science. The evolutionary writers have to attack revelation and any communication coming from God or forsake their theories." (Joseph Fielding Smith- Man: His Origin and Destiny)





"We find this doctrine [evolution] in our public schools ad universities; and thus faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ is threatened. Therefore it is necessary to protect our youth by proclaiming the truth and speaking against these theories. We, therefore, proclaim the truth and speak against these false theories and confirm the teachings of the Bible by the revelations of the present dispensation." (Joseph Fielding Smith- Man: His Origin and Destiny)





"Satan dominates the thinking of the world today and he has put into the hearts of men ideas and deductions that are diametrically opposed to the revealed word that has come to us through the scriptures." (Joseph Fielding Smith- Man: His Origin and Destiny)





"Such scientists as Darwin, Wallace, Huxley, Sir Arthur Keith, Andrew D ,White, John W. Draper, and Robert A. Millikan, and scores of others, have turned from Christianity to Darwinism and lost their faith." (Joseph Fielding Smith- Man: His Origin and Destiny)





"God was and is our Father, and His children were begotten in the flesh of His own image and likeness, male and female." (Joseph Fielding Smith- Man: His Origin and Destiny)





"Evolutionary writers invariably attack the story of the flood as they do the account of the divine purpose of the creation. It interferes with their theories and therefore it must not stand!" (Joseph Fielding Smith- Man: His Origin and Destiny)





"And he beheld that they did contain the five books of Moses, which gave an account of the creation of the world, and also of Adam and Eve, who were our first parents;" (1 Nephi 5:11)





"...he should take upon him the image of man, and it should be the image after which man was created in the beginning; or in other words, he said that man was created after the image of God." (Mosiah 7:27)





"It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man." (Psalm 118:8)





"...Parents can help expose some of the deceptions of men like Sigmund Freud, Charles Darwin, John Dewey, Karl Marx, John Keynes, and others." (Ezra Taft Benson)





"Massive destruction of faith in God is an inevitable consequence of the teaching of organic evolution which is a cornerstone of socialized education." (Elder Hans Verlan Andersen)





Not only has evolution theory destroyed the faith of countless millions of Gods children as these Godless theories are passed down generation after generation, but





...evolutionary theory has inspired some of the most evil men in world history.





Mass murdering Communist dictators have used evolution theory to justify their evil deeds. Since evolution views people as nothing more than animals in a struggle to survive, communist leaders realized that evolution fully supported Marx's class struggle which encourages violent revolution. It is important to note that anything with a connection to communism should be kept far from Latter-day Saints, as prophets have declared the churches official position on Communism. Prophet David O McKay declared in General Conference that:





"The position of this church on the subject of Communism has never changed. We consider it the greatest Satanical threat to peace, prosperity, and the spread of God's work among men that exists on the face of the earth..." (Prophet David O. McKay)





Volumes could be written on all that the prophets have spoken about the communist conspiracy. The best book on this topic is, "Red Gadiantons: What the Prophets Have Taught About The Communist Secret Combination That Threatens Mankind," by Latter-day Saint author Zack Strong. Again, several communist dictators have used Darwin's false theories to justify the mass murder of millions of Gods children. In the last century, communism has murdered more than 100 million of Gods children. We are taught multiple times in the scriptures that good can only come from God, and evil can only come from Satan, and we have the ability to judge which is which.





If evolution theory has inspired so much evil and caused so many to doubt their faith, could it be inspired of God?





"For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God. But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil; for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one; neither do his angels; neither do they who subject themselves unto him." (Moroni 7:16-17)





"Wherefore, all things which are good cometh of God; and that which is evil cometh of the devil; for the devil is an enemy unto God, and fighteth against him continually, and inviteth and enticeth to sin, and to do that which is evil continually. But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God." (Moroni 7:12-13)





"Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore, by their fruits ye shall know them." (3 Nephi 14:17-20)





Again, evolution theory has inspired the most evil mass murdering men in world history It has also caused countless millions of Gods children to doubt God and lose faith in Christ. Karl Marx, the father of Communism said:





"Darwin's book is very important and serves me as a basis in natural science for the class struggle in history." (Karl Marx, the creator of Communism)





"No wonder Marx praised Darwin's book The Descent of Man, another masterstroke which makes men forget their divine origin and divine purpose. Darwin said that man springs from the animal world. Man was dethroned by these two. Satan could not dethrone God, so he devalued man. Man was shown to be the progeny of animals and a mere servant to his intestines." (Richard Wurmbrand- Marx and Satan)





"How was it that Stalin became a revolutionist after reading Darwin? As a student in an Orthodox seminary, he obtained from Darwin the concept that we are not creatures of God, but the result of an evolution in which ruthless competition reigns. It is only the strong and most cruel who survive. He learned that moral and religious criteria play no role in nature and that man is as much a part of nature as a fish or an ape. Long live ruthlessness and cruelty!"

(Richard Wurmbrand- Marx and Satan)





It is interesting to note the full title of one of Darwin's main books, "The Origin Of Species By Means Of Natural Selection Or The Preservation Of Favoured Races In The Struggle For Life," by Charles Darwin. Darwin's Evolution theory has inspired and supported many racist people as it views some people as more favourable than others.





The church has been blessed with wonderful treasures of knowledge that can only be found through diligent study of the scriptures, seeking, pondering, praying, and allowing the Holy Ghost to carry these messages into our hearts. The Lord has given us scriptures and modern prophets to help us to find these treasures. We don't have to live in darkness. If we follow the ways of the world we will naturally be confused about the simple truths of the Gospel because the world doesn't believe or understand the Gospel. When we put aside the natural man, and come unto Christ, we will have the Spirit with us to guide us and enlighten our souls with the truths God has blessed us with. Many people are confused about creation, and dinosaurs and similar topics, but we don't have to be confused. The answers are right in front of us in the scriptures. We only miss them when we let the world cloud our judgement. I testify that the false theory of evolution is a tool of the adversary. I have watched it destroy people's faith. As I have studied these things in depth, I have come to recognize how Satan uses this false theory to sow seeds of doubt in millions of people over several generations. Satan has been about his work for 6000 years and he has become very good at it. He is damaging people's faith by attacking the very basic truths like how God is our Father, and He created us in his image. Hold fast to these wonderful truths, and don't allow any worldly philosophy or theory tell you that you are not a child of God. I know we are all children of Heavenly Parents. I know it because the Holy Spirit has carried that message unto my heart and I have let it in. I will leave you with some more words of our dear prophets. I hope you have learned something beneficial here. God bless you in your journey.

-JOT





"Our families may be corrupted by worldly trends and teachings unless we know how to use the book [of Mormon] to expose and combat the falsehoods in socialism, organic evolution, rationalism, humanism, etc." (Prophet Ezra Taft Benson)





"It is incumbent upon each informed and spiritually attuned person to help overcome such foolishness of men who would deny divine creation or think that man simply evolved. By the spirit we perceive the truer and more believable wisdom of God." (Prophet Russell M. Nelson)





"Others have deduced that, because of certain similarities between different forms of life, there has been a natural selection of the species, or organic evolution from one form to another. Still others have concluded that man came as a consequence of a 'big bang' that resulted in the creation of our planet and life upon it. To me, such theories are unbelievable!" (Prophet Russell M. Nelson)





"I remember when I was a college student there were great discussions on the question of organic evolution. I took classes in geology and biology and heard the whole story of Darwinism as it was then taught. I wondered about it. I thought much about it. But I did not let it throw me, for I read what the scriptures said about our origins and our relationship to God. Since then I have become acquainted with what to me is a far more important and wonderful kind of evolution. It is the evolution of men and women as the sons and daughters of God, and of our marvelous potential for growth as children of our Creator." (Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley)



























