Museum Of Earth History Displays Creationism Exhibit, page 1

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Topic started on 8-8-2005 @ 08:50 AM by looking4truth

Just thought some members might find this interesting. The Museum of Earth History, located in a resort town in the Ozark mountains, displays Dinosaur fossils and lush pre-historic scenes designed to depict the creation of the earth in six days as taught in the Bible. G. Thomas Sharp, the chairman of the Creation Truth Foundation who co-founded the museum, is a former high school science teacher and states that "There is so much demographic data telling us that about 50 percent of the American public believes in the biblical story of origins".

Plaquards at each of the displays describe how it's possible that the creation of the earth could have happened as taught in The Book of Genisis in the Bible. A sign on one display reads:

"Each of these unique design features indicate that Pteranodons were created to fly, not that they slowly evolved into flying creatures."

Pteranodons were flying reptiles with a wingspan of more than thirty feet.

Yahoo News via The Chicago Tribune

At first glance, with its research-quality replicas and lush dioramas of prehistoric Earth, the Museum of Earth History, which opened in April in this Victorian spa town, may seem like any other facility devoted to dinosaurs and fossils. But with exhibits aligned with the Bible's six days of creation, it also is emblematic of the increasing volume in the national debate over how evolution should be taught in public schools and the emboldening of those who oppose or question evolution.

At issue, in state legislatures, school boards, museums and other cultural institutions across the country, is whether evolution, Charles Darwin's widely accepted theory that all life descended from common ancestors and developed through natural selection and random mutation, should be presented alone or in conjunction with alternative explanations.

Most visitors to the Museum of Earth History prefer the explanation in Genesis. And that is exactly what the museum, a joint project of the non-profit, Oklahoma-based Creation Truth Foundation and Eureka Springs' Great Passion Play outdoor Bible theme park, offers.

I guess if the supporter's of creationism are going to make a national debate about the validity of the claims then having museums where they can show the "science" behind creationism is a key component. No matter how you feel about this subject, there is no doubting that this debate is really gaining momentum in American culture. Court battles, politicians weighing in, and alot of media attention point to signs that this issue is so very far from being settled.

I've always thought that the theory of evolution was the most likely explanation for the history of the earth. I've even shyed away from debating it, mostly because I've always considered that the idea of creationism is so lacking in evidence and credibility that to argue it was ubsurd. Although, someone looking at this objectively has to admit that no definitive and proven theory has shown exactly how and why life on earth started when and the way it did. One thing that really surprises me sometimes is that many of the most ardent supporters of creationism are very well educated people. Teachers, doctors, and all manner of highly educated professionals support the biblical version of earth's history. With that in mind I find myself having to let go of the stereotypes I've always believed in when thinking of the supporters of creationism. This is a strange debate in that there is seemingly no middle ground, you either believe one theory or the other so completely that the other viewpoint seems silly.

Anyone else wanna weigh in? Tell me what you think.