Can fundamentalist christians accept that S. America was once attached to Africa?

Actually they're now saying that's proof of the flood. They say there was one single land mass which broke apart from the stresses of the flood, but not until various animals had traveled to the proper land masses. Tectonic movement provided them with an answer to a question they had been having trouble answering, specifically, how did the different species get to different continents after the ark landed? They used to have these wild stories about "vegetation mats" that animals traveled across large oceans on, somehow not dying from thirst or starvation during the trip. When science said that Africa and South America had once been joined it suddenly solved the problem for them. So, according to fundamentalists, those two continents split apart and traveled to their current locations very quickly about 4000 years ago.

I can accept that scientific theory **as** a scientific theory. I think it is pretty likely to be true. I do not believe it, though. Belief in a scientific theory is foolish (especially for a scientist).

I was recalling this morning these things that I learned in school:

- 4 food groups (my older brother learned 5 he tells me)

- lightning is caused by the friction between clouds (recently proved false)

- 3 races of humans (proved scientifically invalid more than a decade ago)

The point: in school we are taught scientific theories and even vague concepts **as if** they were absolute truth. Decades later, when it is discovered that such things are not true, we are not re-educated, and even school text books often are not updated until years later. The wrong things we are taught in school remain a part of our society's "general knowledge" for several generations after those things have been proved wrong - in some cases, for several centuries (such as the belief that the Sun is at the center of the Solar System).

Conclusion: South America probably was at one time "attached" to Africa. However, we do not know for sure that is true, and for that reason it is unwise to **believe** that it is true. Like *all* of the aspects of scientific theories that do not have conclusive evidence to support them, we should have the opinion, "that may be true, but it cannot be trusted and does not deserve my belief".

- Jim, Bach Sci Physics 1989, Fundamentalist Christian

P.S. "Kissthe" is probably correct that you meant to target Young Earth Creationists rather than Fundamentalist Christians. The two are not the same! Many Young Earth Creationists are not Fundamentalist Christians, and quite a few Fundamentalist Christians are not Young Earth Creationists.

Yes, actually. You see, many fund. Christians actally agree with the concept of Pangea for a lot of reasons.

Back during the time with Adam and Eve and the people of Noah, the earth supposedly had no major lakes or oceans and all moisture for plants and living came from the atmosphere or a "mist" from the ground.

During the flood of Noah there was water that came both from the atmosphere and from the ground. Many water tables that are left today are considered to be remnants of these massive amounts of water that were underwater.

The huge amount of ripping of the ground that it would take to break open to earth and fill it with enough water for a worldwide flood could easily have been a contributing factor to the distribution of the continents from Pangea.

Also, during the early stories of genesis, there are mentions of the earth being "seperated" or "parted". Many people once thought of this as being the seperation of the people after the Tower of Babel, but when directly translated, "earth" literally means something closer to "the planet" rather than "the people of earth".

I'm not sure how you are equating fundamentalism with plate tectonics, but perhaps you meant to say Young Earth Creationists. Well, I'm a YEC, and I think all of us believe that plate tectonics happened, and is happening still today. The part we disagree with is your time line.

Is this another straw man you guys try to make up about us? Why don't you read some books and find out what we really believe? What are you afraid of?

It depends on how much people are clouded by faith. I know a lot of people who are religious and still accept Plate Tectonics and Evolution as scientific facts (it doesn't stop them from believing in God).

You mean Pangaea? No problem. There was once only one continent. No problem. Why would it be hard to accept?

if only was still called Africa by then.

yet such phenomena goes on today..buildings collapse where they once stood....animals migrate etc. so it is still believable.

It still is; take all that water away and all the continents are still connected.

no they cannot.