Arguments and Ica Stones

“And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13:2

     Okay, so you’re probably wondering what the picture of that carved rock depicting a man on a dinosaur has to do with the verse quoted above. There is a connection, I  promise. However, it will take some time to unpack. To be honest, I had planned on writing something completely different today, but sometimes things happen that awaken you to something more important. Nevertheless, I can also promise that it will be a little sad, a little edifying, and quite fascinating!

     It all started with a morning round of golf. For health reasons (maybe I will write about that at a future date.), I’m relegated to digital golf these days. I have made several friends on a certain golf simulation platform where four of us meet to play an alternate shot game, 2-against-2. Though the ability to chat is somewhat limited because of the ongoing game and time limits, we do manage to talk about the things which are important in our lives. Well, having just updated this website from the previous ancient version, I was naturally excited when it finally went live last week, so I shared that with them.

     One of them (my usual golf partner) had visited the site to see what I was going on about. However, of all the features I was excited about, one single remark in the book series description of The Methuselah Chronicles was the thing that caught their eye, prompting them to ask, “Do you really believe dinosaurs and humans lived together?” Having been through this countless times before under similar conditions and having been through the impossibility of having this conversation with more people than the two of us, I replied, "I do, but the reasons for that are way too complicated and lengthy for this platform.” I wanted to say more to explain my response. However, it was already too late. Human nature, good intentions, and interesting subject matter quickly conspired to make our calm and normally amiable golf game a frenzied race of points, counterpoints, and eventually, insults and hard-edged commentary.

     That was exactly what I was trying so hard to avoid but, as happens every time in similar circumstances, it went bad very quickly. Of the four of us in our group, I was aware that at least 2 or 3 of us were strong Christians. As for my partner, I really wasn’t sure about their faith life because, though I am wide open about my beliefs, not everyone is. I will gladly share my faith and reason for hope with anyone! However, there are some situations where you are more effective in that aim by simply being a Christian rather than preaching to folks about being a Christian. This golf forum was one of those situations.

     At any rate, the other Christian in our group, who is a great guy of mature faith, has very strong feelings about the phenomenon of evolutionary teachings in the face of irrefutable evidence which proves the theory of evolution to be an absolute impossibility. He and I are on the same page and are both very knowledgeable as to why we hold such strong opinions on the subject. However, there are a few different ways to answer someone who questions those beliefs. One way is never effective, but our human nature makes it very difficult not to employ. The other way is very often effective (though not always immediate in its results), and allows the questioner to feel heard, understood, and answered in a manner which is uplifting, rather than condescending. Please don’t misunderstand, my Christian brother had very good intensions, and I pray he will receive what I say here in the humble, yet firm, spirit it is given. He just went about it in the wrong way.

     Tell me, if you were going to feed the birds that gather in your backyard, would you gently scatter the seed about the area and allow the good seed to draw in the birds, or would you pack the seeds tightly into the both barrels of your 12-guage shotgun and shoot it toward them? One way draws them in gently, building trust over time, while the other way scares them to death, pretty much insuring that they will never come back! This same principle applies to nearly any human exchange of ideas. Thus, the reason I posted that verse as an intro for this article. We can have all the knowledge of the universe, but if we do not share that knowledge in love (a way that allows our hearers, or questioners, to keep their dignity), we are merely clanging cymbals, driving everyone away, and all that knowledge comes to nothing!

     Therefore, though I’m not sure my golfing partner will ever give my site another look, and I’m not even sure they will want to play with us anymore, I want to take this opportunity to do two things: First, I want to sincerely apologize for the way that went. Second, I would like to offer an example of the facts which make me believe that dinosaurs and humans lived (and in some cases, still do live) together.

     As for the apology, I completely understand the reasons that anyone educated within the confines of the public, even private, system would believe unquestionably that Darwinian evolution explains much of the world in which we live. The “theory” is taught by every public school, secular university, and PBS nature documentary. Further, those same institutions intimate, if not saying it outright, that anyone who believes as I and my friend do are somehow backward, uneducated, mush-minded lunatics! And that is the reason that many Christians react to the questions as one would react to anyone who hurled the aforementioned insults at them. Not that returning the insult with another is right; only that it is a very human reaction, though one which needs to be dealt with and overcome by any Christian of maturity.

     This leads me to my second point and the reason for that odd picture of a carved stone. It is called an “Ica Stone.” They come from the Nazca Valley area of Peru; the same area where the famous “Nazca Lines” are found—another “great mystery” of the non-believing world. (That is another discussion for another future day.) The Ica Stones are artifacts which were, and still are, found in many of the ancient burial sites in the Nazca Valley. The Ican civilization thrived from 600AD to 1,200AD.

     These stones are carved with all sorts of images depicting scenes of all kinds. They seem to center on images which would have been of special cultural significance. The majority show scenes that feature the flora and fauna of their land. However, several are like the one in the photo above and the photos below; scenes that are unmistakable in their depiction of what we know to be dinosaurs.

     One may say, “Obviously, those are fakes!” And, of course, where there are poor people desperate to feed their families, a little trickery is not beyond possibility. In fact, those images understandably being the most sought after, a great many have indeed been faked, admittedly as such, and sold as souvenirs. Those are just as easily spotted as such. At the same time, many of them have been verified as authentic, properly patinated, and hailing from somewhere between 600AD and 1,200AD by notable scientists in stringently accurate laboratory analyses.

     The photo below is a great example of this. This stone has been dual authenticated by labs in Oregon and Bonn. It is proven to have extensive patination which cannot be replicated. Also, the carved lines contained tiny fragments of copper from the crude tools used to carve them. The copper could have only come from the Nazca Valley area sometime between 900AD and 1,100AD.

Follow this link (the very article from which the photos seen here come) to learn more of the scientific details surrounding these claims: https://genesispark.com/essays/can-the-ica-stones-be-independently-authenticated/

     Therefore, it is for this reason, as well as a great many others, that I truly believe humans and dinosaurs did in fact live together. And questioning me on that is far from insulting! I see it as a sign of intelligence and sincere curiosity. However, for a person who isn’t steeped in these studies and doesn’t necessarily have the same beliefs in the Biblical account of creation, answering them with an upturned nose and stating, “Because the Bible says so!” is not a winsome reply. In fact, as stated above, you may be an expert in these matters, but without love, that reply is always the beginning of the devolution of discussion. We Christians can and should do better if we truly want to reach people for Christ!