There’s a bad reputation amongst some of the people who sit at the tables and distribute flyers outside the Union. With only a passing glance to make a judgment, people immediately assume they’re a fanatic about some cause or another. So imagine my surprise when one of these shots in the dark turned out to be something right up my alley.
The Creation Investigation presentation given by “Dino” Dave Woetzel on Tuesday evening was one of the most interesting discussions on dinosaurs I’ve ever sat through. Woetzel took the audience through a swath of his theories involving the great creatures including how dinosaurs are mentioned in the Bible, how dinosaurs existed, and possibly still exist alongside man today, and a few of his crypto-zoological expeditions into the heart of the deepest parts of the world in search of the last remaining ties to an ancient world.
Whether or not Woetzel’s theories are correct is a moot point. For me, the important thing is just how much fun these ideas are and how much more interesting they make the world. Do you have an idea how much more engaging the Bible becomes when there could be mentions of dinosaurs within it? Not much, truth be told, but it’s still a measurable amount.
Some party-poopers may argue that the world is interesting enough without trying to inject fantasy into it, but I say there’s more than enough room in the world to believe in and explore the possibility that strange creatures may exist out there. Once you start believing the impossible is truly impossible, you hamstring your own creativity and the potential of scientific achievement.
There’s a place in this world for thinkers like Woetzel and I’m glad to have had an opportunity to hear his ideas on the subject. Even if they might be wrong, I still don’t see the presentation as a wasted experience because I still got to experience a radical viewpoint. And there’s merit in going out and opening your mind to something that you may find ridiculous. Not that I thought the Creation Investigation presentation was going to be ridiculous, mind you, but it did strike me the wrong way when I first heard about it.
I am not saying that because one or two of these people with a radical viewpoint can end up being filled with insight doesn’t mean you should head out and sit in rapture of their often misled beliefs. Just keep an open mind and let the other do the same. You can ignore them all you want and be annoyed all you want, but just be sure you’re being annoyed for the right reasons and your annoyance doesn’t turn into something that makes you less of a person.
