Tulsa Mayoral candidate wants zoo to have creationism exhibit

Tulsa Mayoral candidate wants zoo to have creationism exhibit

www.tulsaworld.com

Republican mayoral candidate Anna Falling said Tuesday that putting a Christian creationism display in the Tulsa Zoo is No. 1 in importance among city issues that also include violent crime, budget woes and bumpy streets.

"It's first," she
said to calls of "hallelujah" at a rally outside the zoo. "If we can't come to the foundation of faith in this community, those other answers will never come. We need to first of all recognize the fact that God needs to be honored in this city."

Falling, who has founded several Christian nonprofit groups and is a former city councilor, also

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There is a massive difference between being open minded and allowing a group of scientific ignorants to ram their religious beliefs down our throats.

A zoo's main job, at least on paper, is to provide an educational experience and enlighten minds about the natural world. Nothing could be further from this than building an exhibit based on creationism, intelligent design, or however the religious right is trying to get the Book of Genesis taught as actual science these days.

Actually, how about this idea for an exhibit, a mural that goes something like "Evidence for Evolution: Fossil Record(Showing different transitional species like Tiktaalik, Acanthostega, Pikiai, etc), Genetics (Fused chromsomes in humans where the extra pair of exists in Great Apes), Scientific experimentation, etc and then "Evidence for Creationism: The book of Genesis"

www.tulsaworld.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

This is what is wrong with Oklahoma these days. I grew up here, then went to college out of state and spent time in the military out of state. I came back several years ago and went to grad school in Tulsa and was surprised by how fundamentalist our politicians have become. Maybe when I was in my teenage years I didn't notice, but I was politically active from about the age of 16 and I really don't remember our state being so backwards.

Don't get me wrong, there is certainly a place for religion, and people have a right to believe as they choose, but the zoo isn't the place for that debate. It's sad to me that these zealots are so small minded as to see their own religion as being so small, so exclusive of other ideas that they refuse to see the allegorical lessons and instead cling to the absolute TRUTH of their upbringing, while ignoring the possibility of learning and sharing with others who may see things differently. Small mindedness breeds fear.

Hey, why not?

Then we can have an alien creationism exhibit too. You know, show some aliens in a lab manipulating our DNA.

What's fair is fair! Let's please us all.

reply to post by FSBlueApocalypse


Maybe they should just tell her why waste the money, doesnt your Bible say the Apocolypse is coming any day now.

This is why I'll never vote republican.

This is not the first time this has been suggested. We have a wonderful zoo, it needs to not be the target of political BS!

It is largely in response to the fact that within the elephant museum and enclosure there is a statue of Ganesh and a small area depicting the belief in Elephants sacred in eastern cultures. It also shows the evolution of the pachyderm family, all sorts of things about their gait and physical structure and other things that belong in a zoo.

If they want to include some sort of creationist belief museum in need to be in some sort of context that makes sense, the way the elephant enclosure does.

This city needs so many other things, I can not fathom how this can be a priority right now.

reply to post by FSBlueApocalypse


Please, will it really bother you all that much if they do this? Christianity doesn't get much of a break these days, and the believers are becoming a minority. They aren't some wicked oppressive force of mind control like some make them out to be. Seems like they can't do or say anything lately without some uppity atheist, (who in general are no smarter nor mature than the average christian) coming out and screaming complaints.

Christianity hasn't been used to control people for a long time. That's what TV and public education is for, duh. Don't give the christians so much credit, for the most part they are just average people doing what they think is the right thing. The worst you can say about anyone, really, is that they're a human. We all fall under that category.

Let the creationists have this ONE small victory. What difference will it make in the end? If you don't like it, stay out of the exhibit. It's just one theory. They're still teaching the theory of evolution, and the big bang theory in schools. So, all we're squabbling about is a bunch of opposing theories, of how things may or may not be. Science discounts all that can't be explained within the constraints of scientific thought, and religion discounts what science says.

I believe I said that if they are going to include it, it needs to be done within the context of the zoo as a whole, as well as part of an exhibit that makes sense.

Perhaps an area or building that explores creation and earth stories of different cultures.


Did you read the article and about her agenda as a whole?
That is what really bothers me.

Originally posted by mostlyspoons
reply to post by FSBlueApocalypse

 

Please, will it really bother you all that much if they do this? Christianity doesn't get much of a break these days, and the believers are becoming a minority. They aren't some wicked oppressive force of mind control like some make them out to be. Seems like they can't do or say anything lately without some uppity atheist, (who in general are no smarter nor mature than the average christian) coming out and screaming complaints.

Christianity hasn't been used to control people for a long time. That's what TV and public education is for, duh. Don't give the christians so much credit, for the most part they are just average people doing what they think is the right thing. The worst you can say about anyone, really, is that they're a human. We all fall under that category.

Let the creationists have this ONE small victory. What difference will it make in the end? If you don't like it, stay out of the exhibit. It's just one theory. They're still teaching the theory of evolution, and the big bang theory in schools. So, all we're squabbling about is a bunch of opposing theories, of how things may or may not be. Science discounts all that can't be explained within the constraints of scientific thought, and religion discounts what science says.

"Give an inch and they'll take a mile" so the saying goes.

What are they going to do, put a big beareded mannequin in a glass box creating elephants, zebras, veliceraptors, and people out of clay? A zoo is a place for people to go see exotic animals and fossils that you wouldn't be able to see normally in and around the city, not a place to push ideology from an ancient book that has no supporting evidence for its creationism basis in the real world.

And I'd also like to add that just like every religion, Christianity has been used to control people since its inception. The NT contains many laws and parables showing how people should live, as well as letters to churches and peoples telling them what they're doing wrong and how they should act in the eyes of God.

Originally posted by mostlyspoons
reply to post by FSBlueApocalypse

 

Please, will it really bother you all that much if they do this? Christianity doesn't get much of a break these days, and the believers are becoming a minority. They aren't some wicked oppressive force of mind control like some make them out to be. Seems like they can't do or say anything lately without some uppity atheist, (who in general are no smarter nor mature than the average christian) coming out and screaming complaints.

Christianity hasn't been used to control people for a long time. That's what TV and public education is for, duh. Don't give the christians so much credit, for the most part they are just average people doing what they think is the right thing. The worst you can say about anyone, really, is that they're a human. We all fall under that category.

Let the creationists have this ONE small victory. What difference will it make in the end? If you don't like it, stay out of the exhibit. It's just one theory. They're still teaching the theory of evolution, and the big bang theory in schools. So, all we're squabbling about is a bunch of opposing theories, of how things may or may not be. Science discounts all that can't be explained within the constraints of scientific thought, and religion discounts what science says.

Oh yeah, the poor Christians are being soooo oppressed in this country. And Christianity hasn't been used to control people for a long time!

Seriously though... Why do they feel the need to bring religion to the zoo?

Why don't they save souls by converting the sick and the poor with a helping hand and the good word? Sort of like Jesus would have done.

Probably because they know that putting up a creationist exhibit at a freaking zoo would be a political lightning rod that they can use as an issue to get their conservative base out to vote.

Let him have his creationism exhibit.. it can be erected right next to the exhibit depicting the stork delivering a newborn to a happy couple. Both of which conveniently located inside the tent of ridiculous parodies.

It's almost hard to believe this guy is for real. How can someone be elected for mayor that would clearly fail 10th grade biology? Did he even go to school, at all? Was he born in Afghanistan maybe? Someone should really ask to see his birth certificate long form only! And his high school diploma would also be useful.

what religion has anything to do with a Zoo? Don't make any sense at all. well creationist ideas has any sense to begin for me so it's not surprise that this all circus don't make any sense.

2nd line.

reply to post by mostlyspoons


Christianity doesn't get much of a break? Besides the Religious Right shoving their agenda down the throats of America, I would agree.