At some point, your kid is going to look up from a dinosaur book or a cartoon and ask, “Did Adam and Eve live with T. rex?” 😳 Then will come the awkward silence, parental panic, and frantic Googling.
But don’t worry! Drew Mariani talks with Dr. Stacy Trasancos about how we can explain the Creation Story to our kids without breaking their faith or our own brains. 🧠
🌟 So, here’s what you really need to know:
🦕 Dinosaurs? Real.
Adam and Eve? Real.
Did they hang out? Probably not.
According to science, dinos lived millions of years ago, while Adam and Eve got onto the scene much later. That’s not a problem for Catholics, and here’s why:
📖 Genesis: Not a Science Book, But Still Totally True
Dr. Stacy explains: Genesis isn’t meant to be read like a biology textbook. It’s a theological masterpiece, revealing who made us, why He made us, and what our purpose is (it’s not to be a velociraptor snack).
The Church actually said way back in 1909 (through the Pontifical Biblical Commission) that:
-The events in Genesis are real
-But not every word needs to be taken literally as if it’s a lab report
-The creation story was written in a way that made sense to people back then
🧒 What Do I Tell My Kids Then?!
Dr. Stacy gets it — she’s a mom too. When her homeschooled kiddos asked about dinos and Adam, she froze like a fossil 🦴. Why? Because how you answer really matters.
You don’t want to say:
-We don’t take the Bible literally” (because… what about the Resurrection?!) 🙅
-Or “Genesis is 100% literal — 6 days, 6,000 years ago, case closed” (because of science).
Instead, we take Genesis seriously — understanding it as true but written in a different genre. Like poetry versus an IKEA manual.
⚠️ Young Earth Creationism 🚫🕰️
Dr. Stacy Trasancos argues: Teaching kids that the Earth is only 6,000 years old and evolution is a lie might seem like the easy road… until they hit high school or college and realize the science doesn’t back it up. Then faith feels fake, and we’ve got bigger problems than Jurassic Park timelines.
Instead:
-Encourage your kids to embrace mystery
-Teach them that faith and reason go together
-Let them marvel at creation while staying rooted in Church teaching
💡 What About Death Before Adam & Eve?
Great question. One caller brought this up — if dinos died before humans existed, doesn’t that mess with the idea that sin brought death into the world?
Dr. Stacy clears it up:
-The death that came from sin was human death — spiritual and physical. Animal death could have happened before that, however.
What to Say When You’re Cornered by a 3rd Grader:
“God created everything — the dinosaurs, the stars, Adam and Eve, and you— because He loves us. Genesis tells us why we’re here and who made us, not the exact science of how. Science tells us a lot, and our faith helps us see the meaning behind it all.” 💫🙌
✨ Catholic Parent Pro Tips:
📚 Read Genesis together, but talk about it as theology, not geology.
Watch nature docs and praise God for His creativity.
🙏 Pray for wisdom when the questions get tough.
God is not scared of science. And neither should we be. The universe is big, beautiful, and ancient… and it all points back to Him. 🌌✝️
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