Creation Museum Gets its Way
Published by Greg September 2nd, 2007 in Science Essays, Framing Science, Creationism, Commentary
A bloody event from the bible depicted in a Creation Museum diorama. Photo: Answers in Genesis Kids: If you want a new toy GI Joe, demand a pony. Your parents will come up with a plan to appease you. Perhaps they’ll suggest a GI Joe toy. You’ll “settle” for the GI Joe and be happy. I learned that sneaky lesson from the God People at the Kentucky Creation Museum.
Last week, the Cincinnati Enquirer (and other outlets) reported that Daniel Phelps, head of the Kentucky Paleontological Society, objected to wording being used by the Northern Kentucky Convention and Visitors Bureau promoting the highly controversial Creation Museum. The brochure said “This ‘walk through history’ museum will counter evolutionary natural history museums that turn countless minds against Christ and Scripture.”
That statement was so absurd and inflammatory that it is impossible to believe that even the extremists at the Creation Museum would want to use this verbiage as part of this aspect of their public outreach. If you go to the Creation Museum web site, this is what they say in the “about” section: “The Creation Museum presents a unique and unparalleled experience, a walk through time portraying significant, life-altering events of the past, illuminating the effects of biblical history on our present and future world.” Note the dramatic contrast between “… natural history museums … turn countless minds against Christ…” and “A walk through time.” Similar wording is used on their main page. You have to dig around quite a bit to find the “turn minds against scripture” verbiage on that site.
Adam and Eve in their paleolithic fern bath. Photo: Answers in Genesis Well, lots of people complained about this first, very aggressive wording. A virtual maelstrom developed among the Kentuckians involved in the tourist bureau, the paleontological society, etc., and the Blogosphere went nuts. So the wording on the Tourism Bureau’s web site was changed to: “A walk through history via the pages of the Bible - exploring how scripture provides an eye-witness account of the beginning of all things.”
Hmmmm. What it should really say is “A walk through the delusional fantasy of Duane Gish … exploring how young earth creationists think when they go off their meds.”
Dan Phelps of the Paleontological Society’s comment on the new wording:
“Well, at least it’s not inflammatory … I worry about separation of church and state, but at the same time, it is a local tourist attraction, so it’s probably not something we should be concerned about anymore. It takes away the ‘throwing gasoline on things’ by removing the statement that was on there before about natural history museums turning people against Christ and scriptures … So, I guess they listened to us. I wonder what the Creation Museum’s reaction to having the wording changed would be.”
Humans, dinosaurs, and other creatures peacefully co-inhabit the fantasy world of the Young Earth Creationists (YEC). Photo: Watchingamerica.com Dan, buddy, the creation museum’s reaction is that they are absolutely ecstatic. They get to violate the United States Constitution (using the tourist bureau, a government or quasi-government agency, to promote a religion) and everyone is happy that this is all they are getting away with.
But Dan, please don’t think for a moment that I and countless others are not grateful for your efforts. Thanks for standing up to them. You have a lot of support out there in the real world!
The Enquirer reports that officials from the Creation Museum could not be reached for comment. That’s probably because they are out on the town celebrating.
Sources: The Enquirer August 26; The Enquirer September 2.
[thanks again, Joe]
I’d say it’s an improvement, but it still seems like it can mislead the reader into thinking they’re going to a real museum, rather than the Flintstones’ Funny Farm Fantasy Temple. The kicker remains the “eye-witness account” part.
Sure, the Bureau of Tourism should list the site, just as Maryland’s tourism office could list the Rebuilt Noah’s Ark (well, if it ever gets finished) or Pennsylvania should list the “Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe” house. But they really ought to give it an accurate description.
Mark: The Answers in Genesis Ministry Creation Museum could be listed with the other churches/houses of worship that the tourism office lists for the convenience of travelers in the area. Along with public bathrooms and parking lots.
Notice how in the photograph, Eve is apparently a long haired Asian woman ( read : heathen Chinese) woman, and Adam is an Islamo-Bulgarian….marriage of current porn trends/ Ideology and the Eastern bloc soldiers of the future…
subtle marriage of the minds there, brought to you courtesy of Billy Graham, et al……
Hello. I recently was thrown into the quite contreversial debate over creationism vs. evolution this past week and after this discussion I went home to arm myself for the fear of a lynch mob coming and removing me from my home and string me up on charges of high treason or heracy of some sort. I live in southern Mississippi and I was asked about my opinion pertaining to the relative age of the planet, forget the universe because it doesn’t exist. the pictures you see from the Hubble space probe are fabrications from some overcrative “evildoers” meddeling with one of those “viewfinders” we used as kids. I was ASSURED that we as humans are no older than 6,000 years old and that we did indeed use Dinosours as did the Flinstones. Also I was told that the Grand Canyon was formed in less than a week and that the cause of the extinction of dinosaurs was from the “great flood”, I asked why was there no dinosaurs on the ark and was told there was no room for them? Ok.
Who is the author of Genisis anyway? If you go from the begining with Adam and Eve all the way to the twelve tribes of Israel, that’s quite a span for one person to report on. Anyway, I am 32 years old and was raised in a catholic enviornment and as I grew older I was not very involved in the church until I was about 25 years old and at that point I began to read the bible and attend bible studies and so fourth. However, in light of these recent discussions with my fellow christian friends, I just can’t find it in me to move forward with these thoughts and beliefs of my fellow christian friends that are CERTAIN of our existence and our origins. I can’t believe we’re in the 21st century.