New Creation Museum fossil points to global flood

A Christian foundation recently gave the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Ky., the fossil of a large predatory dinosaur similar to a Tyrannosaurus rex, which offers evidence of the Old Testament global flood. The fossil is believed to be one of the four best-preserved Allosaurus skulls ever discovered, according to a Creation Museum press release. The museum’s new dinosaur, affectionately called Ebenezer, probably stood 10-feet high and 30-feet long and had teeth averaging over four inches. Fifty-three of those teeth are still in place.

Unearthed in Colorado, the fossil’s well-preserved condition and the position of the skull and spine suggests it was killed under sudden, catastrophic conditions. It was on its side as though it had been knocked over and rapidly buried in mud. The large layer of sedimentary rock surrounding it indicates dispersion by flood water covering the entire continent, according to Andrew Snelling, a geologist at the Creation Museum: “This is a very remarkable find. It is unique because so far we have found very few complete skulls.”

Predictably, secular scientists scoff at the idea the skull offers proof of a global flood event. “The Creation Museum has asserted the specimen to be evidence of Noah’s flood without any actual research,” said Dan Phelps, president of the Kentucky Paleontological Society. “Real vertebrate paleontologists study the surrounding sediments and the geological context of their finds. … Of course since the Creation Museum doesn’t do scientific research, all (it) really has done is obtain a nice display trophy.”

Snelling brushed aside Phelps’ criticism, noting a geologist’s assumptions provide a framework for his or her research: “Most people don’t understand that geologists do their study based on assumptions they have made about what happened in the past. Christian geologists assume the biblical account to be true and go from there. Secular geologists assume geological processes were slow and gradual, like they are today, so interpret the earth to be very old and the Bible not relevant. Different base assumptions of the geologist doing the research will lead to different conclusions.”

Secular scientists often say no fossils have ever been found to demonstrate humans and dinosaurs coexisted. Snelling contends lack of evidence that they inhabited the same areas does not prove they did not live during the same time. Even today, different biological organisms live in different environments. Elements such as climate, elevation, and food make the environment more hospitable to one species and not to another. Dinosaurs appear to have lived in a different biological community than humans.

The Elizabeth Streb Peroutka Foundation donated the fossil to the Creation Museum to ensure it would not be used to promote evolution but rather to proclaim the creative power of God and as evidence of the global catastrophic flood described in the Bible.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.