I keep thinking about that Bible museum set to open soon in Northern Kentucky, the Answers in Genesis Creation Museum.  What sorts of displays could possibly fill a project like this?  What sorts of items would constitute an exhibit?

As I took the virtual tour, some things started to make sense. (Not their actual argument! I mean I understood what kinds of exhibits could be in a museum like this.) For example, they will apparently have this life size version of Noah’s Ark you can walk through (click here). 

I guess that’s interesting, in an artistic kind of way—rather like how I would feel if someone had a life-size sculpture of Moby Dick.  One does not need to believe Moby Dick actually swam the seven seas to enjoy the story.  I would enjoy looking at a really great reproduction of Moby Dick (at least if admission were free), and the same is true for Noah’s Ark.

The so-called museum’s web page has a virtual ”walking tour” to show you the exhibits.  While perusing the various slides, I learned a little something I had never heard before:  that the Tyrannosaurus Rex is the “terror” unleashed by Adam’s sin!

In fact, this Creation Museum seems strangely fixated on dinosaurs—the one creature whose fossil remains make very complicated the literal interpretation of myths.  For example, the museum features an exhibit with dinosaur fossils on the the Grand Canyon wall, dinosaurs standing watch over the entrance to the building, dinosaurs throughout the lobby, movies of dinosaurs going inside Noah’s Ark, children playing with dinosaurs, a play area for digging up dinosaur fossils, trails through a dinosaur-filled Eden, and let’s not forget book-reading dinosaurs for the kiddies! 

Even the banner across the top of the website is filled with dinosaurs:

Who would have guessed that the Flintstones had it right?

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1. anon says:
   19 Jul 2006  at  12:08 pm | #

   that the Tyrannosaurus Rex is the “terror” unleashed by Adam’s sin!

   So what crazed beast was the result of Eve’s sin? Phil Burress?

   Is it also a sin to visit Big Bone Lick State Park in Kentucky? Is it a sin to say Big Bone Lick?

   Dean, I think you should work on some suitable questions for the director of the Creationism Museum so we can find out more about sin and salvation! How about other readers posting some suggested questions here?

2. komarek says:
   19 Jul 2006  at  12:41 pm | #

   Were there any Mother-Beasts?

   For a peek into evolution vs creationism “blog life,” take a look at http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2006/07/there_are_no_limits_to_creatio.php.

   In this article, the self-described “godless liberal” blogger addresses a creationist rant that makes claims like this:

   “If any two species chosen at random share a common ancestor, would that not imply that every living creature today was ultimately derived from one singular “Mother-Beast”? Just what did this creature look like (I imagine a bulbous sphere, fourteen stories in diameter, with various heads sticking out all over: cow, porcupine, squid, human, etc. Most are confused; none are happy.)”

   The pro-science blogger puts it this way: “This person learned everything they needed to know about evolution from playing with Mr Potato Head at the age of 4, and has not progressed since. They have not bothered to read word one of any actual science text, but are still convinced that they can accurately summarize evolutionary theory. (It’s also telling that one of their objections is that they are uncertain about whether biology argues that plants and animals are related; of course they are.)”

   --pk---