Jetton Under Fire From Christian Conservatives for "Anti-Creationism" Legislation
According to Capital sources, GOP House Speaker Rod Jetton is coming under fire from some Christian conservatives for "anti-creationism" legislation he passed in 2004.
State House observers may recall that Jetton (along with co-defendant sponsor Jason Crowell) passed legislation that year making the Hypsibema missouriensis the "official dinosaur of Missouri".
Hypsibema missouriense was a "duck billed" dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous Period (89 to 65 million years ago). A herbivore, it had evolved specialized teeth to handle the tough, fibrous vegetation of the time.Â
As an Official State Symbol, pictures of the "duck billed" dinosaur, along with a description of its "evolved" teeth, are now being sent to over 100,000 Missouri school children every year.  Some Christians conservatives view Jetton's legislation as a major setback in their campaign to ban the teaching of evolution in Missouri classrooms.
With Jetton's clout weakened by scandal, watch for religious conservatives in the Missouri House to attempt to repeal Jetton's "anti-creationism" handiwork.
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I like what a Catholic (Repub
I like what a Catholic (Republican) friend of mine always said when faced with these Bible literalists - God does not deceive us, so he would not create those old bones just to trick us. The Devil does not have the power of Creation, only God does, so he could not create those bones just to trick us. That tended to leave them with their jaws hanging loose.
Keep up the fight, Missouri! An expatriate is rooting for you down here in TN!
The truth
Interesting to get "Christian" fundamentalists to talk about this subject. Having been raised in fundamentalist "Christian" churches and hearing the spin on a number of things, we are only getting started on their truth beliefs, which in my opinion have more to do with neo-Levitical cultism than Chrisitianity.
What I was taught about dinosaurs -- Satan placed those bones and other fossils there to "trick" us. They never actually existed, and even if they DID, they we around at the same time as Adam and Eve because there is ONE tiny reference to some sort of large beast ... (nothing like covering your bases).
What I was taught about Jesus' first miracle -- yes he DID turn the water into "wine" at the wedding, BUT it didn't have time to ferment so it was really just grape juice, AND what they called wine back then wasn't really wine at ALL it was just grape juice. Never mind that the partiers at the wedding were already stinking DRUNK when he pulled this one off ... Somehow he had the POWER to transform water into grape juice, he just lacks the power to actually turn it into WINE.
There is more, of course, and the more power and influence our good "Christian" friends get, the more legislation that passes, the more school boards they take over, the more we will learn their focus is to have a very white, very socially conservative, very homogeneous populace in terms of faith AND thought -- not so much to follow the teachings and examples of Jesus (who said, among other things, NO MORE eye for an eye, NO MORE tooth for a tooth -- which means Christians SHOULD oppose the death penalty, right?) ... anyway, good luck with voting for "Christian" candidates on EITHER side of the aisle ...
We do get the government we deserve, and deserve the government we get.
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Christian Conservatives
You might think we don't need a State Dinosaur. It's a matter of opinion. Evolution is science, not belief.
How can one debate the existance of this duck-billed dinosaur when the bones exist? That is redundant.  Dinosaurs DID exist!Â
On the other hand....there is no proof that Christ existed.Â
Sorry...Bible thumpers, that you have NO proof of Creationism.