What are Christians' Views on Cavemen and Dinosaurs?

Dear Pastor Andy, do Christians think cavemen, dinosaurs, and other prehistoric creatures existed? I wonder, since obviously most don't believe in evolution, how fossils of such creatures are explained? Especially Neanderthal fossils?

My Reply:
Actually, even though many of us don't believe in evolution, we do believe that cavemen, dinosaurs, and other "prehistoric" creatures did in fact exist...not only because of the evidence though, but also because the Bible even mentions them.

Cavemen: In Genesis when Lot and his daughters were running from the destruction of Sodom, they asked the Lord if they could instead live among those in the caves, for safety from those in the surrounding towns. Also, in Judges 6, due to the continuous attacks from surrounding nations, the Israelites were forced to live in the caves.

Dinosaurs: ("Answers In Genesis" has done several reports on this). During creation, God created all the creatures, and brought them to Adam to name. They also lived together in the garden, and no doubt outside of it once everybody and everything was kicked out. The Bible also says that the animals were created before humans. Some have suggested the idea that dinosaurs were before man, and that this part in Genesis 1 confirms such a possibility.

Several dinosaurs are mentioned throughout the Bible, only they don't have names like T-Rex, or even the name "Dinosaur". Instead, they have names from back then. Check out Job 40:15-24 for details on the "Behemoth", and Job 41:1-34 for the "Leviathan". Granted, scientists have tried relating them to modern day hippos and crocks, but if you'll look at the description, such is not actually possible. In fact, many Christians are beginning to believe that even dragons (flying, fire-breathing, etc.) once existed, some having to do with the descriptions of such in the Bible.

The Bible also mentions that God created the world, and that there was a place called, "Eden", and that in it, God had placed a garden. In this garden was where humans and all the animals brought to humans lived. But since fossils have been found worldwide, some have also suggested the idea of dinosaurs living OUTSIDE Eden's garden at a time, whether before or during the existence of humans, and whether before or after humans were kicked out of the garden.

Neanderthals: Check "Answers In Genesis" for this one also.

Some other online resources you could check out include:
Are Dinosaurs Mentioned in the Bible?
Job, Behemoth, and Dinosaurs (This one's a bit off the wall in some comments, but it's still worth a look...just scroll down to what you're looking for).

For more Bible-based Q&A and topics, check out my blog.