Hey, this is America. You are absolutely free to believe whatever you want to believe. That being said, an opinion is not the same thing as a fact. You can have an opinion and it can be wrong, no matter how much you want it to be true.
In this series, we will discuss some issues that people have strongly-held beliefs on, and try to determine which of these beliefs are wishful thinking and which are actual facts.
I know this series will upset some people. Thinking that I suck is a perfectly valid opinion to have. That doesn’t automatically mean that I suck. I mean, I’m not saying you are wrong, just that it is your opinion, but might not be a fact.
Let’s start off with a simple one.
Dinosaurs never existed at the same time as any version of mankind that walked upright. That is an actual fact. People never rode around on dinosaurs. They didn’t have pet dinosaurs. But dinosaurs were real. All those bones of dinosaurs in museums are not a hoax.
I can understand how a literal interpretation of the bible makes this hard to accept. I fully support your freedom to think the Earth is much younger than it is. I support your desire to fit dinosaur bones into whatever timeline you choose, or rationalize them into any form of thought that makes you feel comfortable.
You can have any opinion on dinosaurs that makes you feel happy.
The rest of us are stuck with those stupid old facts.
Pouring My Art Out 
What do you mean people never lived alongside the dinosaurs? Haven’t you seen any of these Jurassic Park documentaries?
I stand corrected.
When I was about 7 or 8 and attending a Catholic parochial school in Dallas, I asked a nun why the Christian Bible doesn’t mention dinosaurs. She snapped back at me by telling me not to think of those things. I never mentioned it at school again, but I asked my parents the same question late. They were stumped; they’d never thought of that. But they didn’t tell me to stop thinking about those things; instead encouraging me to think about everything as much as possible.
I’ve been thinking about those complicated issues ever since and have absolutely no regrets!
I wish more people would try that thinking thing.
But is it a legitimate opinion to believe that a proven fact is not a fact? I say it is not.
Opinions do not have to be correct. That is why they are opinions and not facts.
I get that. What I am saying is it is not a legitimate opinion to say a fact is not a fact. For example, someone might say, “The sun does not provide heat and light.” Why is it OK to hold that as an opinion when it is completely not a fact nor even open for discussion? I think we agree here, but it also seems that you are allowing a space where people can deny facts under the heading that it is “their opinion.”
I mean, we are never going to change the mind of people that think the holocaust didn’t happen, or the earth is flat, or the virus is a hoax. I can’t change opinions, only state facts.