Posted on 08/06/2007 6:34:13 AM PDT by steveg1961
Professional paleontologists from around the world are concerned about the misrepresentation of science at the newly opened Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky. The Creation Museum has been marketed to the public as a "reasoned, logical defence" for young- earth creationism by Ken Ham, the President and CEO of Answers in Genesis, which runs the Creation Museum. The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, a world-wide scientific and educational organization concerned with vertebrate paleontology, contends that the museum presents visitors with a view of earth history that has been scientifically disproven for over a century.
The Creation Museum's fossil exhibitions, though artistically impressive, include a vast number of scientific errors, large and small. These errors range from implying that the Earth's sedimentary rocks were deposited by a single biblical Flood, to claiming that humans and dinosaurs lived alongside one another, to denouncing the reality of transitional fossils.
"Ken Ham is not recognized as a scientist or educator among experts in the fields of geology and paleontology, and his views on the interpretation of Biblical texts are extremist. Visitors to his 'museum' may arrive knowing little about these sciences, but they will leave misled and intellectually deceived," said Dr. Kevin Padian, Professor and Curator, University of California, Berkeley and President of the National Center for Science Education.
The fossil exhibits at the Creation Museum discount the last 150 years of paleontological and geological discovery. Not only are transitional fossils, including snakes with limbs and dinosaurs with feathers, abundant in the fossil record, but radiometric dating allows paleontologists to pinpoint the timing of major events in the ancient history of the earth.
For example, Tyrannosaurus rex existed over 65 million years ago, whereas modern humans didn't show up on the scene until 200 thousand years ago. They never walked side by side. The Creation Museum neglects to include this critical data in its analysis of the history of life on earth. "Most of us in the public view museums as places to get the latest information on scientific discovery. In this case, the Creation Museum is using the disguise of science museums and centers without including an iota of science inside," said Dr. Kristi Curry Rogers of the Science Museum of Minnesota.
"That's the real danger of such a place – undermining the basic principles of science, eroding the public's confidence in science, and causing a general weakening of science education in the country," commented Dr. Glenn Storrs of the Cincinnati Museum Center.
Theologically, there are immense problems with any discovery of Jesus's sandal. According to the Gospels, John the Baptist was unfit to unfasten or carry Jesus's sandals. (Matthew is the only one who states John cannot carry the shoes; all others refer to John stooping down to unfasten his footwear.) If this artifact has indeed been recovered, and someone has managed to carry it or manipulate the strap, then that person must perforce be a prophet of Johannine magnitude. Certainly the apocalyptic ramifications are obvious.
Your link regarding the Bible and the Dimension of Time is the article to which I linked in post 69 (posted a couple years ago on aish.com); looking for thoughts on it - have you any? And thanks for the link to which I backtracked to Gerard Schroeder’s website.
There seems to be many athiests on this forum. Something I did not expect. For the record, there are tie-ins to support some elements of evolution to creationist views. I think it is on big joke God has played on us when we were granted free will. The of the observable elements to evoulution can be easily explained and acceted by creationism, however models and tests are set up by humans with a distinct point of view. I can set up a test to get one set of results and another can get a different set of results.
I don't have a dog in this fight, but I've never read where a team of scientists has evolved one animal into another. That would seem to be the real test.
“Has anybody proposed shutting it down? Of course it will continue to operate in a free country where even charlatans and idiots are afforded first amendment protections.”
Most notably those on the left.
The creation of the world in ~6000 years and resultant flood is not a scientific theory to be debated by scientists. It is a historical fact because the Bible says so. The scieentists weren’t there. They didn’t go back thousands of years in a time machine but G-d was there.
If for example science were to claim that George Washington lived 1000 years ago based on some dating scheme, then the science, not history, must be wrong somehow.
It is perfectly legitimate to offer evidence of George Washington’s existence in a museum even though there is no Theory of George Washington. The same is true with the creation and the flood.
Now if you have a problem of the Bible as historical fact, fine! say so! But don’t try to hide it in the robes of paleontology.
I happen to think there is a strong scientific case for the flood of Noah. Unfortunately it will not be known to followers of ICR and AIG...
No I'm not. They're the same thing. The folks who accept natural selection, mutation, gene flow and genetic drift on a local level but can't see its larger consequences suffer from a poverty of imagination.
"Microevolution" should, eventually, lead to speciation; after all, if two separate populations of the same species accumulate enough small changes, they shouldn't eventually be so different they won't be able to interbreed.
If that isn't the case -- and you seem to be arguing that it isn't -- what are you suggesting stops speciation from occurring? Inquiring minds want to know.
I assume that you are referring to the Ten Commandments? So, let me get this straight....you are an evolutionist that lives his life in accordance to the truth of a book (The Bible), in which the first chapter begins with the creation (Genesis).
Got it.
Your 'scientific' logic is astounding.
The Egyptians were sailing ships across the Mediterranean 2000 years before you say the world was created. That's a historical fact.
I think you may need to examine other sources.
It is not known to science either.
Early geologists gave up trying to prove the global flood about 1830.
and how do you know this? were you there at the time?
I was referring to the Ten Commandments, but also to 603 other Commandments across the Bible.
So, let me get this straight....you are an evolutionist that lives his life in accordance to the truth of a book (The Bible), in which the first chapter begins with the creation (Genesis).
Correct. And I believe in Genesis. However, I do not believe that Genesis is intended as a literal recounting of how Creation took place. I'm not alone in this either. I'm proud to share the viewpoint of a number of other crazy heretics in this regard, people like Saint Augustine and Maimonides.
Your 'scientific' logic is astounding.
No, you're conflating two things. Right now we're talking theology, not science. My theology holds that Genesis is a literal recounting of creation, not my "scientific logic".
Please ping me if you ever get a reply to this one. I'm curious to see who those 'experts' are and what is the particular 'expertise' of each.
8000 BCE Egyptians carved pictures of sail-powered ships onto artwork. Maybe they didn't actually build the ships they carved, but if they didn't (and they were just thinking about building them), they were being awfully duplicitous.
do you believe in the flood of Noah or is that an allegory too?
What about it? Are you so blinded by your ideology you can't see that's exactly what's happening?
again, how do you know that it was 8000 BCE?
i dont have a problem with the way the word of God says He created the earth and its inhabitants.
and it was posited earlier that it is a difference in the interpretation of the evidence, i agree with that as well.
as a YEC, i dont ever recall reading or hearing any creationist of note claiming all sedimentary rock is from the great flood...that sounds like a straw man to me.
the bashing of creationists is amazing...you would think that every one of us is a bible thumping rube incapable of rational thought, yet the thousands of scientists who are creationists, well, they just must be getting by on their good looks....
This link needs more love.
I don't have a dog in this fight, but I've never read where a team of scientists has evolved one animal into another. That would seem to be the real test.
Why an animal? Why not a plant or a fungus or a bacterium? In any case, here are some observed instances of speciation, and here are some more. Here is one of my favorite animals that evolved from a primitive canine. Here is a highly evolved form of carp, which has adapted to living in glass boxes tended by humans.
Also, dogfighting is barbaric. Say, rather, "I don't have a horse in this race," or simply, "I don't have an opinion."
My biggest issue with the critics is, what is the real harm?
You can call it stupid all you want, but just what truly bad things are coming out of it?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.