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Dinosaurs, humans coexist in U.S. creation museum
Reuters ^ | 1 hour, 39 minutes ago | Andrea Hopkins

Posted on 01/14/2007 5:31:07 PM PST by Tim Long

PETERSBURG, Kentucky - Ken Ham's sprawling creation museum isn't even open yet, but an expansion is already underway in the state-of-the art lobby, where grunting dinosaurs and animatronic humans coexist in a Biblical paradise.

A crush of media attention and packed preview sessions have convinced Ham that nearly half a million people a year will come to Kentucky to see his Biblically correct version of history.

"I think we'll be surprised at how many people come," Ham said as he dodged dozens of designers working to finish exhibits in time for the May 28 opening.

The $27 million project, which also includes a planetarium, a special-effects theater, nature trails and a small lake, is privately funded by people who believe the Bible's first book, Genesis, is literally true.

For them, a museum showing Christian schoolchildren and skeptics alike how the earth, animals, dinosaurs and humans were created in a six-day period about 6,000 years ago -- not over millions of years, as evolutionary science says -- is long overdue.

While foreign media and science critics have mostly come to snigger at exhibits explaining how baby dinosaurs fit on Noah's Ark and Cain married his sister to people the earth, museum spokesman and vice-president Mark Looy said the coverage has done nothing but drum up more interest.

"Mocking publicity is free publicity," Looy said. Besides, U.S. media have been more respectful, mindful perhaps of a 2006 Gallup Poll showing almost half of Americans believe that humans did not evolve, but were created by God in their present form within the last 10,000 years.

Looy said supporters of the museum include evangelical Christians, Orthodox Jews and conservative Catholics, as well as the local Republican congressman, Geoff Davis (news, bio, voting record), and his family, who have toured the site.

FROM 'JAWS' TO EDEN

While the debate between creationists and mainstream scientists has bubbled up periodically in U.S. schools since before the Scopes "monkey trial" in nearby Tennessee 80 years ago, courts have repeatedly ruled that teaching religious theory in public schools is unconstitutional.

Ham, an Australian who moved to America 20 years ago, believes creationists could have presented a better case at the Scopes trail if they'd been better educated -- but he's not among those pushing for creation to be taught in school.

Rather than force skeptical teachers to debate creation, Ham wants kids to come to his museum, where impassioned experts can make their case that apparently ancient fossils and the Grand Canyon were created just a few thousand years ago in a great flood.

"It's not hitting them over the head with a Bible, it's just teaching that we can defend what it says," he said.

Ham, who also runs a Christian broadcasting and publishing venture, said the museum's Hollywood-quality exhibits set the project apart from the many quirky Creation museums sprinkled across America.

The museum's team of Christian designers include theme park art director Patrick Marsh, who designed the "Jaws" and "King Kong" attractions at Universal Studios in Florida, as well as dozens of young artists whose conviction drives their work.

"I think it shows (nonbelievers) the other side of things," said Carolyn Manto, 27, pausing in her work painting Ice Age figures for a display about caves in France.

"I don't think it's going to be forcing any viewpoint on them, but challenging them to think critically about their evolutionary views," said Manto, who studied classical sculpture before joining the museum.

Still, Looy is upfront about the museum's mission: to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with nonbelievers.

"I think a lot of people are going to come out of curiosity ... and we're going to present the Gospel. This is going to be an evangelistic center," Looy said. A chaplain has been hired for museum-goers in need of spiritual guidance.

The museum's rural location near the border of Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana places it well within America's mostly conservative and Christian heartland. But the setting has another strategic purpose: two-thirds of Americans are within a day's drive of the site, and Cincinnati's international airport is minutes away.

The project has not been without opposition. Zoning battles with environmentalists and groups opposed to the museum's message have delayed construction and the museum's opening day has been delayed repeatedly.

The museum has hired extra security and explosives-sniffing dogs to counter anonymous threats of damage to the building. "We've had some opposition," Looy said.


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: darwinismisareligion; darwinismsnotscience; evolutionisareligion; flintstonesministry; goddidit; ignoranceisstrength; yecapologetics
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To: King Prout; Central Scrutiniser
Sorry, I messed it up, I wanted to ping Central Scrutiniser to my post #559. But thank you for your reply, I'll work on my grammar!
561 posted on 01/18/2007 5:14:42 AM PST by si tacuissem (.. lurker mansissem)
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To: CottShop

Wow, you really do need help.

Keep it up, you are entertaining in a sad kind of way.


562 posted on 01/18/2007 6:08:05 AM PST by Central Scrutiniser (Never Let a Theocon Near a Textbook. Teach Evolution!)
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To: CottShop; central scrutinizer; si tacuissem; King Prout
Darwin: "Why is not every ge******* and every ******* *** *** such *******? ******* assuredly does not ***** ****** ****** ******* ***** **** ******; and this is *** ***** ****** **** ****** ****** ****** ******* *** ****** ***** the theory.1"

Woo Hoo! I love it! It reads like Bill Clinton's personal Bible.

He's got the Ten Commandments whittled down to three.

563 posted on 01/18/2007 6:14:22 AM PST by NicknamedBob (My tuner doesn't have good taste the way it used to!)
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To: Central Scrutiniser; central scrutinizer

My apologies. I pinged a doppelganger.


564 posted on 01/18/2007 6:25:44 AM PST by NicknamedBob (My tuner doesn't have good taste the way it used to!)
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To: Central Scrutiniser
 
Ask your friend Cottshop to show me where Darwin refuted his theories....
 
 I can show you where he refuted his soul....
 


Charles Darwin (1809-1882)

"By further reflecting that the clearest evidence would be requisite to make any sane man believe in the miracles by which Christianity is supported,—and that the more we know of the fixed laws of nature the more incredible do miracles become,—that the men at that time were ignorant and credulous to a degree almost incomprehensible by us,—that the Gospels cannot be proven to have been written simultaneously with the events,—that they differ in many important details, far too important, as it seemed to me to be admitted as the usual inaccuracies of eye witnesses;—by such reflections as these, which I give not as having the least novelty or value, but as they influenced me, I gradually came to disbelieve in Christianity as a divine revelation. The fact that many fake religions have spread over large portions of the earth like wildfire had some weight with me. But I was very unwilling to give up my belief; I feel sure of this, for I can remember often and often inventing day-dreams of old letters between distinguished Romans, and manuscripts being discovered at Pompeii or elsewhere, which confirmed in the most striking manner all that was written in the Gospels. But I found it more and more difficult, with free scope given to my imagination, to invent evidence which would suffice to convince me. Thus disbelief crept over me at a very slow rate, but was at last complete. The rate was so slow that I felt no distress, and have never since doubted even for a single second that my conclusion was correct."

( Charles Darwin in his Autobiography of Charles Darwin, Dover Publications, 1992, p. 62. )


Charles Darwin (1809-1882)

"I think that generally (& more & more as I grow older), but not always, that an agnostic would be the most correct description of my state of mind."

( Quoted from Adrian Desmond and James Moore, Darwin: The Life of a Tormented Evolutionist, New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1991, p. 636. )


 
 
 
 
 

NIV 1 Timothy 1:20-21
 20.  Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge,
 21.  which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith.   Grace be with you.

 
NIV Proverbs 4:13
   Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.
 

NIV Hebrews 3:6
   But Christ is faithful as a son over God's house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast.
 

NIV Hebrews 3:14
   We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.
 

NIV Hebrews 6:11
   We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure.
 
 
NIV Hebrews 12:3
   Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
 
 
NIV 2 Timothy 2:11-13
 11.  Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him;
 12.  if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us;
 13.  if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.
 

NIV 2 Peter 2:20-21
 20.  If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning.
 21.  It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them.
 
 
 
NIV 2 John 1:8
  Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully.
 

NIV Jude 1:21
   Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.
 

NIV Revelation 2:25
   Only hold on to what you have until I come.
 

NIV Revelation 3:11
   I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.


565 posted on 01/18/2007 6:35:11 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going....)
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To: RunningWolf
Real experts on the subject are aware that there is no scientific foundation for the claim of human evolution. David Pilbeam, a Harvard University paleoanthropologist, says: If you brought in a smart scientist from another discipline and showed him the meagre evidence we've got he'd surely say, "forget it; there isn't enough to go on.

Your hole post is taken verbatim - as you should have mentioned - from "Darwinism Refuted", written by Harun Yaha. You should have given a link to this book - or some of his other works, like:

THE HOLOCAUST VIOLENCE,

subtitled: How Did The Nazis Massacre Millions Of Jews, Gypsies And The Disabled?
What Was The Secret Agreement Between Nazism And Radical Zionism?

Frankly, if he distorts the truth here, I'm inclined to be skeptical of his other claims...

566 posted on 01/18/2007 6:38:07 AM PST by si tacuissem (.. lurker mansissem)
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To: NicknamedBob
Woo Hoo! I love it! It reads like Bill Clinton's personal Bible.

I always imagined him having a Pictorial Bible with lots of pictures of a pre-fall Eve....

567 posted on 01/18/2007 6:54:31 AM PST by si tacuissem (.. lurker mansissem)
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To: editor-surveyor
The judge played the same game that you are playing here.

If you choose to, you can, of course, provide some marginal support for your thoroughly bizarre, conspiratorial claim (that a United States District Judge lied in the body of his published opinion when he summarized the substance of the testimonial evidence).

All you need to do is demonstrate that, preceding the date of the McLean v. Arkansas decision (January 5, 1982), there were in fact scientific articles espousing creationism which were refused publication in a scientific journal.

Have at it.

568 posted on 01/18/2007 7:27:37 AM PST by atlaw
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To: Tim Long
The definition of naturalism.

That means nothing to me.

I believe very firmly that God created and designed the various systems on Earth - including the weather, evolution and the other laws of nature.

Someone else's "definition" of a belief system has no bearing on my beliefs - and I know there are millions of others who believe the same thing that I do.

569 posted on 01/18/2007 8:09:45 AM PST by Tokra (I think I'll retire to Bedlam.)
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To: si tacuissem

ooo. a palpable hit.
you do know they don't like to be shown to be allied with muslim fanatics, right?


570 posted on 01/18/2007 8:46:52 AM PST by King Prout (many complain I am overly literal... this would not be a problem if fewer people were under-precise)
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To: NicknamedBob

*grins*

of course, I'm pretty sure Bubba has only one commandment: "Thou shalt not get convicted"


571 posted on 01/18/2007 8:48:11 AM PST by King Prout (many complain I am overly literal... this would not be a problem if fewer people were under-precise)
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To: si tacuissem

lol 'quote mining' - I love it- you folks do NOTHING but read the links given- ignore the science that is present and systematically pull just the Christian related sentances and use them as some sort of wand to wave and dismiss the facts that are presented- please- do accuse me of 'quote mining' - it's amusing.

Yes, that's the quote- although it seems you've put the two together in an attempt to accuse someone of being dishonest? And you've either misquoted Darwin, or copied someone else's misquote- He didn't just say it was 'the greatest' objection, he also stated it was serious object, and rightfully so ""Why then is not every geological formation full of such intermediate links. Geology assuredly does not reveal any finely graduated organic change, and this is the most obvious and serious objection that can be urged against the theory".
Darwin answered the serious lack of transitionals later in the chapter? That's a new one to me.


572 posted on 01/18/2007 9:37:35 AM PST by CottShop
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To: CottShop
Darwin answered the serious lack of transitionals later in the chapter? That's a new one to me.

This I believe.

573 posted on 01/18/2007 10:02:53 AM PST by Gumlegs
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To: si tacuissem

I see you are a talkorigins devotee- I also note that they go to great lengths trying to do 'damage control' by explaining away all the objections Darwin had to his own theory- Saying things like 'presumably' or 'Darwin meant htis because____ fill in the blank" . They're attempting to vilify those who use Darwin's own quotes by doing some quote mining of their own. "Darwin must have meant htis because earlier he said so and so" (although I find their links to be quite a stretch at times.


574 posted on 01/18/2007 10:13:08 AM PST by CottShop
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To: CottShop

You might find it edifying to actually read Darwin's writings, and to educate yourself as well on the rhetorical style he employed.


575 posted on 01/18/2007 10:21:45 AM PST by atlaw
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To: atlaw

mmm yes, the 'rhetorical style' that says "There should be mountains of evidence' (more or less) and then "We wouldn't recognize the evidence even if we had it unless there was a near perfect chain of tansitions' (more or less)

Nothing 'rhetorical' about stating a fact and then dismissing it by stating we couldn't recognize the evidence even if we had it unless...

Of course we'd recognize steps or transitions even without a 'near perfect chain'- And it is my beleif that Darwin knew this unless he simply didn't have access to too many fossils which clearly showed lines of species. But I'm sorry- in one case he admits there should be a lot of transitions, then explains the fact that the fossil records lack transitions which should be present and identifiable away by stating we 'wouldn't regonize them unless..."? That's either blatant denial, or a lack of understanding.


576 posted on 01/18/2007 10:34:37 AM PST by CottShop
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To: si tacuissem
Here let me make it more my own

Genuine experts in paleontology, anthropology, paleoanthropology from institutions such as Harvard University are aware of the gaping holes to the scientific foundation for the claim of human evolution. In fact experts like paleoanthropologist David Pilbeam of Harvard have made several statements to this.

"Paleoanthropologists have long thought that when East Africa's Rift Valley formed during the late Miocene, some five to seven million years ago, it functioned as a geographical barrier separating ape populations. Those in open grasslands, it was believed, were under more pressure to abandon their arboreal way of life in order to survive, thus initiating hominid development. "We now know that this is far too simplistic a scenario," says Harvard University paleoanthropologist David Pilbeam. "Although climate change is a more likely factor, we simply have too little data to explain such a singular event in human history."
577 posted on 01/18/2007 10:39:33 AM PST by RunningWolf (2-1 Cav 1975)
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To: RunningWolf
Those in open grasslands, it was believed, were under more pressure to ...
578 posted on 01/18/2007 10:56:35 AM PST by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going....)
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To: CottShop
lol 'quote mining' - I love it- you folks do NOTHING but read the links given- ignore the science that is present and systematically pull just the Christian related sentances and use them as some sort of wand to wave and dismiss the facts that are presented- please- do accuse me of 'quote mining' - it's amusing.

How does this relate to my post?

Yes, that's the quote- although it seems you've put the two together in an attempt to accuse someone of being dishonest?

One quote? Two quotes?
You wrote: Darwin: "Why is not every ge******* and every ******* *** *** such *******? ******* assuredly does not ***** ****** ****** ******* ***** **** ******; and this is *** ***** ****** **** ****** ****** ****** ******* *** ****** ***** the theory.1" End quote-

So you presented this two sentences as a single quote - Pray, why?

And you've either misquoted Darwin, or copied someone else's misquote- He didn't just say it was 'the greatest' objection, he also stated it was serious object, and rightfully so ""Why then is not every geological formation full of such intermediate links. Geology assuredly does not reveal any finely graduated organic change, and this is the most obvious and serious objection that can be urged against the theory".

I'm sorry, yes, indeed, instead of "most obvious and gravest" I wrote "greatest". So, let's see the corrected version - straight from the source:

Why then is not every geological formation and every stratum full of such intermediate links? Geology assuredly does not reveal any such finely graduated organic chain; and this, perhaps, is the most obvious and gravest objection which can be urged against my theory. The explanation lies, as I believe, in the extreme imperfection of the geological record.

Ups, Darwin even had a "perhaps" in it - which you missed... and than this chain/change thing....
But that doesn't mean - necessarily - a misquote - as different editions may slightly differ.

Darwin answered the serious lack of transitionals later in the chapter? That's a new one to me.

Therefore you should read Chapter 9: On the Imperfection of the Geological Record . Yes, the link goes to talkorigins, as they have posted Darwin's "The Origin of Species ".

579 posted on 01/18/2007 10:56:45 AM PST by si tacuissem (.. lurker mansissem)
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To: si tacuissem

Virtually every word Darwin wrote -- all his published works, and even his private letters -- are available online in searchable format.

http://darwin-online.org.uk/majorworks.html

Even images of his handwritten manuscripts are available in case there is a dispute over a word or two.


580 posted on 01/18/2007 11:05:54 AM PST by js1138 (The absolute seriousness of someone who is terminally deluded.)
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