On the Creationism Museum

Outside Cincinnati in the rolling hills of Kentucky a museum is being built, the Creation Museum. Its idea? To present exhibits based on the idea that the Biblical account of creation–that an omnipotent diety created the universe and everything in it in seven days a few thousand years ago–is literally true.

From an Associated Press article:

Like most natural history museums, this one has exhibits showing dinosaurs roaming the earth. Except here, the giant reptiles share the forest with Adam and Eve.

That, of course, is contradicted by science, but that’s the point of the $25 million Creation Museum rising fast in rural Kentucky.

[snip]

“If the Bible is the word of God, and its history really is true, that’s our presupposition or axiom, and we are starting there,” museum founder Ken Ham said during recent tour of the sleek and modern facility, which is due to open next year.

The truly funny quote, in a so-disturbing-it’s-funny-sort-of-way:

“It’s education, but it’s also doing it in an entertaining way,” Ham said.

Yes, it’s education, an education that promotes ignorance, an intolerance for science, and a willful disregard of the nature of the universe. No one can say truly how the universe began, but for anyone to believe, really and truly believe, that the universe is a few thousand years ago, that humans and dinosaurs walked the Earth at the same time, that a book compiling legends and oral traditions three thousand years ago is more accurate in its depiction of the universe than all the tests and theories science can muster, and then promote that belief as a truth that can be, that should be taught, that’s a person who has done harm education and closed the human mind from its potential. The idea behind this Creation Museum amounts to putting fingers in ears and humming loudly with eyes squeezed shut hoping that if they ignore the world the world will go away, when in reality it’s ideas like Creationism that need to go away.

Published by Allyn

A writer, editor, journalist, sometimes coder, occasional historian, and all-around scholar, Allyn Gibson is the writer for Diamond Comic Distributors' monthly PREVIEWS catalog, used by comic book shops and throughout the comics industry, and the editor for its monthly order forms. In his over ten years in the industry, Allyn has interviewed comics creators and pop culture celebrities, covered conventions, analyzed industry revenue trends, and written copy for comics, toys, and other pop culture merchandise. Allyn is also known for his short fiction (including the Star Trek story "Make-Believe,"the Doctor Who short story "The Spindle of Necessity," and the ReDeus story "The Ginger Kid"). Allyn has been blogging regularly with WordPress since 2004.

2 thoughts on “On the Creationism Museum

  1. “If the Bible is the word of God, and its history really is true, that’s our presupposition or axiom, and we are starting there,” museum founder Ken Ham said

    Which is precisely why so-called Creation “Science” is completely antithetical to the scientific method. You’re beginning with a preconceived idea that is arbitrary yet inviolable and unfalsifiable. Then you go out and collect “evidence” that is carefully selected so as to include anything that might support your hypothesis, while rejecting outright any observations that might challenge it.

    Using the same technique, I can “prove” that the moon is made of green cheese. And yet people want to teach this shit in public schools. **sigh!**

  2. “…an education that promotes ignorance…” Yep. You nailed it. Doesn’t seem like it deserves to be called “education,” does it? More of an indoctrination in irrationality if you ask me. I hope you will keep blogging about important topics like this. We can always use more reality-based blogs.

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