The Devil’s Handiwork
You may think this method of fossil hunting is cheating, but that’s what I call working smart! Dr. Marcy is set for life!
It’s gotta be real annoying to bury all of those frickin’ things only for them to be dug up later by paleontologists…but then again I guess that’s sort of the point.
I hear the devil buries those things to blind us to the truth: that dinosaurs actually still exist in a secret lost world somewhere off the coast of Africa.
But seriously (or as seriously as I can be about something as ludicrous as this) the idea that the devil goes around planting fossils in the ground is one of those weirdly popular concepts in the more conservative Christian households throughout America (and probably elsewhere). It all starts with the fact that these individuals’ brains (or lack thereof) require the Bible to be absolutely one hundred percent literal. Now, if you actually read the Bible it doesn’t say much about evolution or its authenticity. One might assume that this would end the debate right then and there, but one would be wrong on that count. This unique brand of Christianity believes that the whole 7 days to create the Earth thing is a fact and that when God created the animals he created them all then and there and then moved along to do something else, never to return to the task. When scientists show these people dinosaur bones, a clearly extinct animal, they shake their heads at such preposterous “evidence”. To them, either Dinosaurs either lived with Adam and Eve six thousand years ago when the world was created (and thus, can be no older) or they have to be some kind of trick sent from the devil to make them question the Bible.
Personally, I like that second image. The idea that this poor bastard has to go around and dig his way down into the earth to place these fossils just to try to fool a few hardcore believers is absolutely hilarious. I mean, there are so many questions. Does he enjoy this line of work? Is he disappointed that some people still haven’t fallen for these tricks? How exactly does he take care of this? Does he use some kind of sorcery or is he left to use a shovel? Does God approve of these antics or does he just not care?
While we’re thinking about this, where does he get the bones from in the first place? Does he have to make them? The logistics of this operation are actually pretty staggering now that I’m really thinking about it.
Anyway, I could write a big long blog post about the merits of evolution and paleontology but sane people are already on board with all that and berating people that don’t live in reality with the rest of us seems like a waste of time to me.
On the off chance that I’m wrong, I have to say that I’d feel really bad for Satan. That dude has put in a ton of work for something that is, ultimately, pretty stupid.
At least his work looks really cool in museums.
Discussion (43) ¬
If the dinosaurs are a Devil’s idea, then the guy is pretty awesome.
And just a minor observation: dinosaurs bones are dug by paleontologist, not by archaeologist (the later work only with not so old human remains).
Yes, thank you so much for this. It’s a conflation that gets made far too often, to the point that there are t-shirts and songs proclaiming that “We Don’t Dig Up Dinosaurs”. Otherwise, love the comic.
Woops! haha I wrote the post late last night and sometimes my brain gets a little wonky ;D
The Devil is in the details. 🙂
Don’t worry, everyone made this kind of mistakes. I said “dinosaur’s bones”, when -as weaponxcantdie points below,- technically they are fossils. So…
You joke, but I grew up in an incredibly conservative household, and one of my homeschool textbooks was an entire book about how dinosaurs were still alive today, hiding off in the jungle somewhere.
I feel highly sorry for you, but can’t help to point out how incredibly ridiculous that sounds, and that if you had said this to me in real life I would have flicked you.
Seriously? For something he had no control over? If so, you’re quite rude, and if I met you in real life, I’d be remiss if I didn’t smack you around a little for being silly.
Guilt by association, I suppose? In reality, we have very little control over what we believe at a basic level. But since that’s true, if you wanted justificated flicking of sorts you’d have to pinpoint the exact person in all of history who first started his ancestors onto the path of believing something so silly, as his parents also were raised to believe the same thing more than likely, then either timetravel back to that person or raise him/her from the dead and then flick them.
Since that’s so horribly implausible, I have to believe that at some point in your life, very likely teenage years, you have to analyze your beliefs, compare them with what you can actually see, and think for a moment:
Dinosaur fossils being faked? This is at least a somewhat valid, although blatantly incorrect, response to the outside world, and I probably would have just looked at him funny and disagree with him. “Dinosaurs are actually alive and living in Africa” is absolutely ridiculous to believe, just my opinion and no offense meant, so I have to at least hope that at some point, whoever believes that gets up and thinks for a minute: “Ok, we can explore essentially the entire world from our home computer. Dinosaurs are at their largest, 28–34 m (90–110 ft), shouldn’t we have detected them by now?”
Whether or not they change their belief is entirely up to them, and I’m not going to question their decision, but that’s about it.
Oh coma on. If you’re a kid this idea is just great. OI want to be a dinohunter one day and (bonus!) make mom and dad and the reverend proud by proving once and for all, that they are right. What do you think fueled Jurassic Park? Evolutionists need the DNA workaround to make this feasable. Creationists don’t.
I dont want to sound rude or anything but isn’t that “The Lost World”? by Arthur Conan Doyle.
…
I love you, truth and humor are a better combo than delicious food and other delicious food.
I dunno. If Satan’s work is so stupid, then how come he has most of the world believing the planet is older than a few thousand years? Sounds like the guy’s making a lot of heathens, to me.
Satan is actually better at worldbuilding.
As a Christian I’d never thought I’d say this, but I feel bad for Satan. Seriously, he goes through all this build up for a great prank but no one thinks it’s funny. It’s actually kind of sad.
All he wants is for someone to laugh at his jokes, is that so hard?
The whole Garden of Eden thing? It was just an April Fools joke that got way out of hand.
God just hates jokes, it’s a fact.
I don’t know, man. Have you ever seen a platypus?
i don’t know, man. have you ever seen the pope’s headgear?
I guess you could say that Satan likes to….
bury his bone(s) in the sand.
Oh god that was so lame on my part.
At first I thought about how uncomfortable it must be for Satan to be digging in the hot sun with a hot, stuffy suit, but then I remembered he is Satan. He is fine.
Ah, I remember asking my pastor about the whole dinosaur, evolution thing. He said that most thinking Christians today consider the first part of Genesis to be either a parable later mistaken for history, or as a retelling of some event that has been so warped by retelling and translation as to be unrecognizable (theories include God contacting man somewhere in the “Eden” of East Africa, the development of abstract thought (tree of knowledge…) around 50,000 BCE, or something less profound). Basically, nothing before Abraham leaving Ur is considered reliably historical. As a believer myself, I think that the constant denial of facts presented before us is the exact opposite of what a faithful person should do. Religion should be about exploration of creation, and seeking to understand the amazing truths it has to offer. To reject new information as a threat to one’s faith only help to invalidate that faith, not the facts.
My only pet peeve with this post was the use of archaeologist when you should have used PALEONTOLOGIST. I’m sorry, but as one who for a long time wanted to be a paleontologist, and now is studying to be an archaeologist, it irks me whenever people interchange the two. Otherwise a nice, if caustic, post
The really sad part is that while there are many who truly believe the whole devil burying fossils/6000 year old/young earth creationist bunk.
The proponents and perpetuators of these ideas(Ken Ham for example) are quite obviously in it, only for the money and people are being suckered in and giving these charlatans a free ride.
One thing to nitpick on this comic, and this really is just a technicality, but archeology is the study of ancient humans and cultures. The study of ancient animals- especially dinosaurs- falls under paleontology. Would normally not have said anything, but paleo is actually my major and it’s just nice to have it properly recongnized… otherwise AWESOME COMIC!!
Does it matter?! the devil is keeping our fantasy alive. he creates dinosaurs, provide us with music in the middle east and with tolerance in the west. he tells us that gays, blacks, women and men are alike and have the same rights, and that we should use condoms. i think he is quite sencitive. not like his counter part giving africa aids and the world global warming..:)
great comic as usual!!!
Your Satan is so dapper, I love it.
What makes this really funny is that fossils aren’t actual bones. The bones have long since been replaced with minerals and such. They are now rock. So Dinosaurs have rocks for bones… I’d be interested in how they make blood and such.
I thought the devil was supposed to be wily and clever. Running around burying thousands of dinosaur bones seems a little hairbrained.
It isn’t hairbrained if it works!
I love the long backgrounds you put to the comics!
I think it it more like an Easter egg hunt. Satan spends some time and effort making some nice craft projects, then buries them for people to find and admire. I bet he sees it like a hobby
Probably why Christians are now considered extremists by the Defense department. http://www.thenewamerican.com/culture/faith-and-morals/item/15028-christians-are-extremists-like-al-qaeda-u-s-army-taught-troops
I hope you’re joking with that link, because if you apply an ounce of logic to what you read there, it’s either satire or hardcore propaganda. Either way, it’s crap.
As an anthropologist (in training), I can attest to people thinking this is true. I’ve also been told that we go out and bury the stones and civilizations first to further add our “secular views”.
The source of the bones is actually pretty easy to figure out.
They’re demon bones. That’s why they look the way they do.
All the ladies you draw are adorable. Well… the healthy young ones at least.
Your take on Satan is also the best interpretation ever. Who wouldn’t want to drink goat blood with that guy?
Oh bible literalists, why are you so very heretical.
Erm… I grew up in a rather conservative Christian household, and never heard of the idea that Satan buried the dino bones until I started conversing more with people who were not conservative Christians… I was always taught that they (and most other fossils) were likely laid down in the catastrophic global flood of Noah’s day.
That is the standard creationist explanation, yes. And frankly its even sillier than Satan burying them, since it requires trillions of tons of sediments to turn into many, many discrete layers of rock, including _non-sedimentary rocks_, in a few thousand years, dead bodies to settle to the bottom in layers which somehow duplicate evolutionary sequences, bones to somehow turn into rock in equally short times, and many other physical absurdities. At least when you ask how Satan does it, you can just say “devil powers!”
(Sure, he makes it _look_ easy, but remember he’s often digging through solid rock with that shovel. And putting the rock together again around the fossil – the man works _hard_ for his pranks.)
My personal Happle Tea headcanon is that all the women you draw don’t just look alike. They’re actually all related, from one very large, prodigiously reproducing family. They’re spread out all throughout the world, into various different fields, to work towards the family goal of replacing all women in the world with their own family.
It’s a terrible, insidious plot, but hey, someone has to do it, right?
Did Scott Maynard go on vacation, and forget to leave us all a note?
Except for the fact that archaeologists don’t dig up fossils 😛
That would be a palaeontologist 😛
I don’t buy the devil-bone story myself.
I’ve read some part of the Bible mention winged serpents/dragons and dragons are possibly inspired by tall-tales and medieval fossil findings. Plus the word “Dinosaur” means “terrible lizard” in latin (a post-noah’s flood language) which describes both dinos/drakes so the label is interchangeable. Heck, in pre-flood days the Nephilim were superhuman and probably made super-technology so they might have engineered the fire-breathing variants.