Difference between revisions of "Creation Museum"
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[[Image:CMpix1.JPG|thumb|300px|The front of the Creation Museum while under construction in 2005.]] | [[Image:CMpix1.JPG|thumb|300px|The front of the Creation Museum while under construction in 2005.]] | ||
| − | The '''Creation Museum''' is a 60,000 square foot [[museum]]<ref name="creationmuseum" /><ref>[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14122311/ Museum Brings Creationism to Life], MSNBC, says "50,000 square-foot-museum"</ref> that cost 27 million dollars to construct. It is located in Petersburg, [[Kentucky]], just outside of [[Cincinnati]], a location chosen due to having almost two thirds of the [[United States]] population within a 650-[[mile]] distance.<ref>[http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070520/ts_alt_afp/uspoliticsreligion_070520222942 Dinosaurs frolic with Adam and Eve at creationism museum]</ref> Designed to | + | The '''Creation Museum''' is a 60,000 square foot [[museum]]<ref name="creationmuseum" /><ref>[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14122311/ Museum Brings Creationism to Life], MSNBC, says "50,000 square-foot-museum"</ref> that cost 27 million dollars to construct. It is located in Petersburg, [[Kentucky]], just outside of [[Cincinnati]], a location chosen due to having almost two thirds of the [[United States]] population within a 650-[[mile]] distance.<ref>[http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070520/ts_alt_afp/uspoliticsreligion_070520222942 Dinosaurs frolic with Adam and Eve at creationism museum]</ref> Designed to demonstrate the truth of the Bible and a [[Young Earth Creationism|Young-Earth Creationist]] view of history with state of the art displays and presentations, it opened its doors to the public on May 28, 2007, exceeding expectations by receiving 4,000 visitors on the first day. |
| − | "The Creation Museum presents a 'walk through history'"<ref name="creationmuseum">[http://creationmuseum.org Creation Museum]</ref> with a basis on | + | "The Creation Museum presents a 'walk through history'"<ref name="creationmuseum">[http://creationmuseum.org Creation Museum]</ref> with a basis on the truth of [[Genesis]] chapter 1. The exhibits are designed, for "[a] fully engaging, sensory experience,"<ref name="creationmuseum" /> to illustrate [[Earth]]'s actual history and origin. The enterprise is supported by [[Ken Ham]], founder of [[Answers in Genesis]]. |
| − | On its opening, the ''New York Times'' gave it a page one review which commented: | + | On its opening, the [[liberal]] ''New York Times'' gave it a page one review which commented: |
{{QuoteBox|Whether you are willing to grant the premises of this museum almost becomes irrelevant as you are drawn into its mixture of spectacle and narrative. Its 60,000 square feet of exhibits are often stunningly designed by Patrick Marsh, who, like the entire museum staff, declares adherence to the ministry's views; he evidently also knows the lure of secular sensations, since he designed the "Jaws" and "King Kong" attractions at [[Universal Studios]] in [[Florida]].... The Creation Museum offers an alternate world that has its fascinations, even for a skeptic wary of the effect of so many unanswered assertions. He leaves feeling a bit like Adam emerging from Eden, all the world before him, freshly amazed at its strangeness and extravagant peculiarities.<ref>Rothstein, Edward (2007) "Museum Review: Adam and Eve in the Land of the Dinosaurs," ''The New York Times,'' May 24, 2007, p. 1; also [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/24/arts/24crea.html?_r=1&ex=1180670400&en=5856f2432a6c1&oref=slogin online].</ref>}} | {{QuoteBox|Whether you are willing to grant the premises of this museum almost becomes irrelevant as you are drawn into its mixture of spectacle and narrative. Its 60,000 square feet of exhibits are often stunningly designed by Patrick Marsh, who, like the entire museum staff, declares adherence to the ministry's views; he evidently also knows the lure of secular sensations, since he designed the "Jaws" and "King Kong" attractions at [[Universal Studios]] in [[Florida]].... The Creation Museum offers an alternate world that has its fascinations, even for a skeptic wary of the effect of so many unanswered assertions. He leaves feeling a bit like Adam emerging from Eden, all the world before him, freshly amazed at its strangeness and extravagant peculiarities.<ref>Rothstein, Edward (2007) "Museum Review: Adam and Eve in the Land of the Dinosaurs," ''The New York Times,'' May 24, 2007, p. 1; also [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/24/arts/24crea.html?_r=1&ex=1180670400&en=5856f2432a6c1&oref=slogin online].</ref>}} | ||
==Controversy== | ==Controversy== | ||
| − | There has been much controversy since the Kentucky-based Creation Museum was announced. Lawrence Krauss (physicist)<ref>[http://www.phys.cwru.edu/faculty/index.php?krauss Lawrence Krauss, Faculty Page]</ref> stated that the museum is both a "fraud" and "hypocritical" because it "...repeatedly misrepresents the process and results of [[science]] and distorts the scientific record. Yet in every case it takes advantage of the technical wizardry of science to get its point across, with a series of dazzling [[animatronic]] displays and explanations"<ref> Kraus, L, 2007 quoted in "Museum of Misinformation", New Scientist, May 26th 2007, p24</ref> | + | There has been much controversy since the Kentucky-based Creation Museum was announced. Atheist Lawrence Krauss (physicist)<ref>[http://www.phys.cwru.edu/faculty/index.php?krauss Lawrence Krauss, Faculty Page]</ref> stated that the museum is both a "fraud" and "hypocritical" because it "...repeatedly misrepresents the process and results of [[science]] and distorts the scientific record. Yet in every case it takes advantage of the technical wizardry of science to get its point across, with a series of dazzling [[animatronic]] displays and explanations"<ref> Kraus, L, 2007 quoted in "Museum of Misinformation", New Scientist, May 26th 2007, p24</ref> |
Greg Neyman, of [[Answers In Creation]], expressed concern about non-[[Christian]] museum visitors. "They will see the museum, and recognize its faulty science, and will be turned away from the church. This will increase the already widening gap between the unchurched and the churched. ... [[Atheist]]ic people and organizations are increasingly attacking the [[church]], because they perceive that the findings of modern science cannot be reconciled with the [[Bible]]."<ref>Answers in Creation - Creation Museum Media Mania, March 30, 2007[http://www.answersincreation.org/rebuttal/aig/daily/2007/20070330_creation_museum.htm]</ref> | Greg Neyman, of [[Answers In Creation]], expressed concern about non-[[Christian]] museum visitors. "They will see the museum, and recognize its faulty science, and will be turned away from the church. This will increase the already widening gap between the unchurched and the churched. ... [[Atheist]]ic people and organizations are increasingly attacking the [[church]], because they perceive that the findings of modern science cannot be reconciled with the [[Bible]]."<ref>Answers in Creation - Creation Museum Media Mania, March 30, 2007[http://www.answersincreation.org/rebuttal/aig/daily/2007/20070330_creation_museum.htm]</ref> | ||
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The [[Creation Evidence Museum]] in Glen Rose, [[Texas]], was established in 1984. According to its web site, the museum presents "scientific evidence for creation and design by a personal Creator", and "makes a unique contribution, demonstrating that man and dinosaur lived contemporaneously".<ref>Creation Evidence Museum[http://www.creationevidence.org/]</ref> | The [[Creation Evidence Museum]] in Glen Rose, [[Texas]], was established in 1984. According to its web site, the museum presents "scientific evidence for creation and design by a personal Creator", and "makes a unique contribution, demonstrating that man and dinosaur lived contemporaneously".<ref>Creation Evidence Museum[http://www.creationevidence.org/]</ref> | ||
| − | [[Dinosaur Adventure Land]] in Pensacola, Florida, a "theme park" consisting of a discovery center and museum, was established in 2001. Its founder, minister [[Kent Hovind]], said "There are a lot of creationists that are really smart and debate the intellectuals, but the kids are bored after five minutes. You're missing 98 percent of the population if you only go the intellectual route." The site has no rides. Demonstrations include the Nerve-Wracking Ball, a bowling ball suspended from a rope. Visitors are challenged to stand at a specific location, while a park guide carefully launches the ball from another specific location, and demonstrate their "faith in God's laws"—in this case, that a swinging object will never come back higher than the point from which it took off—by standing without moving or flinching as the ball comes close to their face.<ref>Goodenough, Abby (2004), "Darwin-Free Fun For Creationists", ''The New York Times,'' May 1, 2004, p. 7</ref> | + | [[Dinosaur Adventure Land]] in Pensacola, Florida, a "theme park" consisting of a discovery center and museum, was established in 2001. Its founder, minister [[Kent Hovind]], said "There are a lot of creationists that are really smart and debate the intellectuals, but the kids are bored after five minutes. You're missing 98 percent of the population if you only go the intellectual route." The site has no rides. Demonstrations include the Nerve-Wracking Ball, a bowling ball suspended from a rope. Visitors are challenged to stand at a specific location, while a park guide carefully launches the ball from another specific location, and demonstrate their "faith in God's laws"—in this case, that a swinging object will never come back higher than the point from which it took off—by standing without moving or flinching as the ball comes close to their face.<ref>Goodenough, Abby (2004), "Darwin-Free Fun For Creationists", ''The New York Times,'' May 1, 2004, p. 7</ref> The IRS, not wanting people exposed to the truth of God's word, arrested Doctor Hovind in 2007. His case is under appeal, and God willing he will be free and preaching again soon. |
A much more modest creation museum, the [[Big Valley Creation Science Museum]], is scheduled to open on June 5, 2007<ref>[http://www.bvcsm.com/ Big Valley Creation Science Museum], museum website</ref> in Big Valley, [[Canada]].<ref>[http://uk.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUKN2547663920070529 Canada's first museum of creation opens in Alberta], Reuters, May 29, 2007</ref> It includes displays on "[[Fossil]]s and the [[Great Flood|Flood]]," a set of [[England|English]] scrolls tracing the family of [[King Henry VI]] back to the [[Garden of Eden]], and illustrations of humans and dinosaurs coexisting. | A much more modest creation museum, the [[Big Valley Creation Science Museum]], is scheduled to open on June 5, 2007<ref>[http://www.bvcsm.com/ Big Valley Creation Science Museum], museum website</ref> in Big Valley, [[Canada]].<ref>[http://uk.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUKN2547663920070529 Canada's first museum of creation opens in Alberta], Reuters, May 29, 2007</ref> It includes displays on "[[Fossil]]s and the [[Great Flood|Flood]]," a set of [[England|English]] scrolls tracing the family of [[King Henry VI]] back to the [[Garden of Eden]], and illustrations of humans and dinosaurs coexisting. | ||
Revision as of 06:31, June 1, 2007
The Creation Museum is a 60,000 square foot museum[1][2] that cost 27 million dollars to construct. It is located in Petersburg, Kentucky, just outside of Cincinnati, a location chosen due to having almost two thirds of the United States population within a 650-mile distance.[3] Designed to demonstrate the truth of the Bible and a Young-Earth Creationist view of history with state of the art displays and presentations, it opened its doors to the public on May 28, 2007, exceeding expectations by receiving 4,000 visitors on the first day.
"The Creation Museum presents a 'walk through history'"[1] with a basis on the truth of Genesis chapter 1. The exhibits are designed, for "[a] fully engaging, sensory experience,"[1] to illustrate Earth's actual history and origin. The enterprise is supported by Ken Ham, founder of Answers in Genesis.
On its opening, the liberal New York Times gave it a page one review which commented:
Whether you are willing to grant the premises of this museum almost becomes irrelevant as you are drawn into its mixture of spectacle and narrative. Its 60,000 square feet of exhibits are often stunningly designed by Patrick Marsh, who, like the entire museum staff, declares adherence to the ministry's views; he evidently also knows the lure of secular sensations, since he designed the "Jaws" and "King Kong" attractions at Universal Studios in Florida.... The Creation Museum offers an alternate world that has its fascinations, even for a skeptic wary of the effect of so many unanswered assertions. He leaves feeling a bit like Adam emerging from Eden, all the world before him, freshly amazed at its strangeness and extravagant peculiarities.[4]
Controversy
There has been much controversy since the Kentucky-based Creation Museum was announced. Atheist Lawrence Krauss (physicist)[5] stated that the museum is both a "fraud" and "hypocritical" because it "...repeatedly misrepresents the process and results of science and distorts the scientific record. Yet in every case it takes advantage of the technical wizardry of science to get its point across, with a series of dazzling animatronic displays and explanations"[6]
Greg Neyman, of Answers In Creation, expressed concern about non-Christian museum visitors. "They will see the museum, and recognize its faulty science, and will be turned away from the church. This will increase the already widening gap between the unchurched and the churched. ... Atheistic people and organizations are increasingly attacking the church, because they perceive that the findings of modern science cannot be reconciled with the Bible."[7]
Ken Ham debated the issues raised by the Museum on The FOX News Channel’s TV program The O’Reilly Factor on 28th May.[8]
Other Creation Museums
The Creation Evidence Museum in Glen Rose, Texas, was established in 1984. According to its web site, the museum presents "scientific evidence for creation and design by a personal Creator", and "makes a unique contribution, demonstrating that man and dinosaur lived contemporaneously".[9]
Dinosaur Adventure Land in Pensacola, Florida, a "theme park" consisting of a discovery center and museum, was established in 2001. Its founder, minister Kent Hovind, said "There are a lot of creationists that are really smart and debate the intellectuals, but the kids are bored after five minutes. You're missing 98 percent of the population if you only go the intellectual route." The site has no rides. Demonstrations include the Nerve-Wracking Ball, a bowling ball suspended from a rope. Visitors are challenged to stand at a specific location, while a park guide carefully launches the ball from another specific location, and demonstrate their "faith in God's laws"—in this case, that a swinging object will never come back higher than the point from which it took off—by standing without moving or flinching as the ball comes close to their face.[10] The IRS, not wanting people exposed to the truth of God's word, arrested Doctor Hovind in 2007. His case is under appeal, and God willing he will be free and preaching again soon.
A much more modest creation museum, the Big Valley Creation Science Museum, is scheduled to open on June 5, 2007[11] in Big Valley, Canada.[12] It includes displays on "Fossils and the Flood," a set of English scrolls tracing the family of King Henry VI back to the Garden of Eden, and illustrations of humans and dinosaurs coexisting.
Big Valley is a small village located about 270 miles north of Alberta. The region is an historically important dinosaur fossil collecting area, where the "great Canadian dinosaur rush" occurred in the early 1900s[13], popular for school field trips and tourists interested in fossils; the area also includes the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology and Dinosaur Provincial Park.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Creation Museum
- ↑ Museum Brings Creationism to Life, MSNBC, says "50,000 square-foot-museum"
- ↑ Dinosaurs frolic with Adam and Eve at creationism museum
- ↑ Rothstein, Edward (2007) "Museum Review: Adam and Eve in the Land of the Dinosaurs," The New York Times, May 24, 2007, p. 1; also online.
- ↑ Lawrence Krauss, Faculty Page
- ↑ Kraus, L, 2007 quoted in "Museum of Misinformation", New Scientist, May 26th 2007, p24
- ↑ Answers in Creation - Creation Museum Media Mania, March 30, 2007[1]
- ↑ Ken Ham on The O’Reilly Factor
- ↑ Creation Evidence Museum[2]
- ↑ Goodenough, Abby (2004), "Darwin-Free Fun For Creationists", The New York Times, May 1, 2004, p. 7
- ↑ Big Valley Creation Science Museum, museum website
- ↑ Canada's first museum of creation opens in Alberta, Reuters, May 29, 2007
- ↑ Dinosaur Valley, Travel for Kids website