A Christian mother whose diatribe against dinosaurs attracted thousands of comments on the Mumsnet website has been banned from the site, according to the Huffington Post.
Posting as CADministry – the initials stand for Christians Against Dinosaurs – the anonymous user said: "I'm really concerned about dinosaurs, and I think something needs to be done. The science behind them is pretty flimsy, and I for one do not want my children being taught lies. Did you know that nobody had even heard of dinosaurs before the 1800s, when they were invented by curio-hungry Victorians?"
She clams that Darwin's theory of evolution "entirely disproved dinosaurs" and that "Any proper look at the facts will reveal that dinosaurs simply never existed."
The post continues: "Aside from the educational aspect, dinosaurs are a very bad example for children. At my children's school, several children were left in tears after one of their classmates (who had evidently been exposed to dinosaurs), became bestially-minded and ran around the classroom roaring and pretending to be a dinosaur. Then he bit three children on the face. One poor girl has been left with a severely dented nose and the whole class was left traumatised by this horrible display."
She accuses dinosaurs of a "lack of family values" and says that her family has "disowned" her sister because she gave her children dinosaur toys for Christmas.
She also says: "Please, do what you can to get dinosaurs taken off the curriculum. Our school has been recently presented with a 214-signature petition, and following that and our recent protest the headmaster has said that he will take it the governors. We are lucky that he is so sympathetic to our cause, but I fear that others may not be."
Many contributors assumed that the post was a spoof. However, the Christians Against Dinosaurs Facebook group to which it links appear to be in earnest. One user, Dylan Pato, says: "Dinosaurs never existed and anyone who believes they did is wrong. How much more ridiculous can you get? Someone clearly just thought up these giant lizard monsters and morons believe it. And these same people refuse to accept the word of our Lord. They claim to believe in 'evidence' which is clearly just oddly shaped rocks. How are rocks evidence compared to the Holy Bible? It's a BOOK, for God's sake. What kind of scientist are you if can't even read a book?"
In later responses, CADministry appeared to warn of the social consequences of teaching children that dinosaurs existed, saying: "Just for one moment, step outside what you think you know, and consider what we're actually telling our children with these tall tales. Stomping about the place, making loads of noise and mess is great and cool – who hasn't had a teenager that has taken this to heart? Being aggressive, shouting and biting people is to be applauded. Being cold-hearted will win you the world for millions of years."
The CAD Facebook group has more than 11,300 members, though it has seen a considerable surge since the Mumsnet controversy began and not all of those who belong to it are committed to the cause. It has also spawned a spoof site, Dinosaurs Against Christians Against Dinosaurs, which has more than 6,400 members.
The existence of fossilised dinosaur bones is an issue for young-earth creationists, who are obliged to explain them either by saying that God deliberately planted them to deceive paleontologists or that the fossils were created very rapidly through a process unknown to science. According to the Creation Research Institute, dinosaurs may have been taken aboard Noah's Ark when they were very young and no larger than a cow. In the Creation Museum run by the Answers in Genesis organisation, dinosaurs are depicted roaming with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden.
