Creation Museums and Theme Parks

[ToroidalBoat]

Are creation museums and theme parks just an American thing?

 

[Durable Mike Malloy]

Are creation museums and theme parks just an American thing?

I'm under the impression that they're mostly an American thing, but there is the Noah's Ark Creation Park in Hong Kong. It was a project of the Kwok brothers, "devoutly Christian Hong Kong billionaires" who turned out to be criminals.

 

[Surtur]

I have been to the museum Hovind had in Pensacola, even took pics. Will post later.

 

[GandT]

If it wasn't for the overprice admission (what a great way to evangelize creationism), I always wanted to get baked/hammered and go to the Creation Museum and ride the dinosaurs and get kicked out and not give a damn.

If some guy can get $55.5K through Kickstarter for some potato salad, then I'm reasonably sure that there's a way you can use crowdfunding to get enough money to both get some marijuana and the entry fee for the Creation Museum. Hell, get someone to video it too and you can probably monetise the shit out of it on youtube.

Are creation museums and theme parks just an American thing?

Pretty much from the sounds of it, the rest of the world doesn't seem to have the same blend of strong religious views within a significant proportion of the population and large (relatively) disposable incomes. In the UK, we just had to settle for Mr. Blobby theme parks to get our theme park based insanity.

 

[MysticMisty]

Ken Hamm is the figurehead for Christians are anti-intellectual strawmen because he is so mind-bogglingly stupid. There are SO many ways to combine your faith and science and he neglects them all.

It just bothers me that this sort of behavior is exactly the reason that the Protestant and Reformed churches have a problem with the young adult and teenage demographic.

I've actually had more than one (assumed) fundie tell me you can only believe in science OR God, not both. Presumably they explain away technology as God giving researchers the intelligence and ideas to carry out his ideas.

 

[Durable Mike Malloy]

If they have a insect collection assembled by some random exterminator dude it's likely only got local insect specimens and perhaps a few exotic specimens that he aquired through the internet or whatever. Not that having a collection of local athropods isn't useful, the butterfly zoo near me has a large collection of local insects that were caught and mounted by students at the botanical garden outside and they use them to educate children and students at the school of horticulture. But having a collection of insects and saying "it rivals the Smithsonian" is plain old retarded

In all fairness, it's really a lovely display collection. Comparing it to "the world's greatest" is absurd, but any regional museum or science center with natural history holdings would be happy to have it. Here's a video walkthrough, capped with a counterfactual spiel from the animatronic perfesser:

Whoever made this video credits Dr. Philip H. Crawley, Biology Professor at the University of Kentucky for the donation. The actual Dr. Crowley would probably be surprised to learn of this.

Here's a picture of a behind-the-scenes tour of the Creation Museum's fossil collection, which is a special event to thank the families of donors. Gosh, look at that sad little folding table of random stuff. (An amateur collector has since contributed more than 400 fossils of such poor quality that a real museum would politely decline the gift, and they are pretending that they're going to research them.)

Imagine how sad you'd be if you were a kid expecting this, but delivered...that.

 

[DykesDykesChina]

Are creation museums and theme parks just an American thing?

In the UK, we just had to settle for Mr. Blobby theme parks to get our theme park based insanity.

Boris the Tardosaur hails from Portsmouth.

 

[Grand Number of Pounds]

The biologist PZ Myers rode the dinosaur at the end of the museum - and yes, Ken Ham has seen it and scolded Myers about it -

Spoiler

I've been to the Creation Museum, but I was there a few months after it first opened - bizarre is the only way I can explain it. There are plenty of online critiques if you don't want to give money to Answers in Genesis.
This is my favorite one - http://www.buffalobeast.com/117/let_there_be_retards.htm
pics from about the time I was at the Creation Museum - https://www.flickr.com/photos/scalzi/sets/72157603091357751/

A pic in the museum says T-Rex went extinct around 2500 BC when the flood happened, despite no historical or scientific evidence.

There is also a museum near me called (local city) Fossil Museum that teaches young earth creationism. They close off part of the museum that is overtly religious when public schools go through but they still try to disprove evolution in the areas that are on display.

 

[ChurchOfGodBear]

I've actually had more than one (assumed) fundie tell me you can only believe in science OR God, not both. Presumably they explain away technology as God giving researchers the intelligence and ideas to carry out his ideas.

Which is absurd, because the vast majority of world religions teach that some balance of both in not only acceptable, but required. So if you accept this horribly narrow view of what you can and can't believe, you're saying that the only people who follow God "correctly" are the members of the tiny backwater churches in rural Bumfuckville. So Jesus came to save all of humanity, but somehow only managed to grab a few hundred goobers in the hills of Kentucky.

 

[Francis E. Dec Esc.]

Remember the big dinosaur statues from Pee-Wee's Big Adventure and The Wizard? Yep, they've been revamped into a creationist museum.

 

[Jewelsmakerguy]

I've actually had more than one (assumed) fundie tell me you can only believe in science OR God, not both. Presumably they explain away technology as God giving researchers the intelligence and ideas to carry out his ideas.

I hate it when this narrow mindset happens (referring to the fundie here). Last I checked, God wanted us to believe in both, did he not?

So why say "You can only have this opinion or that opinion. Not both, you heathen!"?

Remember the big dinosaur statues from Pee-Wee's Big Adventure and The Wizard? Yep, they've been revamped into a creationist museum.

That's sad, yet at the same time, I can't help but laugh about this situation.

 

[Sammy]

If some Kiwis have some free time, here's some good Ken Ham / Creation Museum videos-

Spoiler: Ken Ham vs Bill Nye

Located at the Creation Museum, Ken Ham engages in a 2 and a half hour long debate against everyone's favorite 90s educational television host, Bill Nye the Science Guy.

Spoiler: Ken Ham vs Bill Maher

A portion of the Bill Maher's film Religulous, Wherein Ken Ham shows off the Creation Museum as it was being constructed, along with some short discussion between Bill Maher and Ken Ham.

Spoiler: Bill and Bill Talk About Ham

Bill Maher and Bill Nye get together and discuss both of their previous meetings with Ken Ham in the videos above.

EDIT: put the videos in spoilers.

 

[TyrannoNinja]

As cool as the idea of dinosaurs coexisting with humans sounds, I'd argue it's not an inherently YEC belief. Dubious interpretations of certain mythical creatures aside, the Bible doesn't mention non-avian dinosaurs or any other Mesozoic animals at all. And then you have all the old caveman movies with titles like "One Million Years BC", not "4004 BC". Humans and dinosaurs coexisting wouldn't conflict with the fundamentals of evolutionary theory anyway; it's simple an issue of when certain species evolved relative to each other. Such a world could just as easily be one where the K/T extinction didn't happen and dinosaurs still got to roam the earth while primates were developing in the trees (although speculative evolution would be off-topic here).

In fact, without that dinosaur/human coexistence scenario thrown in, the YEC worldview at its core doesn't have nearly the majesty of the world and universe as science has revealed. I don't know about you, but somehow the world feels larger and more mysterious when it's 4.5 billion years old than when it's ~6,000. That's not to mention how ethnocentric the Biblically-centered YEC narrative is. I never got how it was more credible than, say, Aboriginal Australian traditions about the Rainbow serpent and people turning into animals (or something like that; I had a couple of books illustrating Australian mythology when I was a kid, and I believe this was before I even knew what Christianity was).

 

[Mrs Paul]

It's the kind of thing you visit just for shits and giggles. And/or to PALATR.

 

[Optimus Prime]

I've actually had more than one (assumed) fundie tell me you can only believe in science OR God, not both. Presumably they explain away technology as God giving researchers the intelligence and ideas to carry out his ideas.

I would love for those same fundies, if they seriously believe that, to explain why God gave rocket engine technology to the Nazis first.

 

[DykesDykesChina]

Humans and dinosaurs coexisting wouldn't conflict with the fundamentals of evolutionary theory anyway; it's simple an issue of when certain species evolved relative to each other. Such a world could just as easily be one where the K/T extinction didn't happen and dinosaurs still got to roam the earth while primates were developing in the trees (although speculative evolution would be off-topic here).

It would conflict with the fundamentals of ecology: Dinosaurs occupied all the ecological niches nowadays held by mammals. Thus in order for mammals (and, in consequence, primates) to rise, the dinosaurs first had to go. If they hadn't gotten meteorited at the end of the Cretaceous, they themselves could very well have developed into some lifeform of human-equivalent intelligence.

In fact, without that dinosaur/human coexistence scenario thrown in, the YEC worldview at its core doesn't have nearly the majesty of the world and universe as science has revealed. I don't know about you, but somehow the world feels larger and more mysterious when it's 4.5 billion years old than when it's ~6,000. That's not to mention how ethnocentric the Biblically-centered YEC narrative is. I never got how it was more credible than, say, Aboriginal Australian traditions about the Rainbow serpent and people turning into animals (or something like that; I had a couple of books illustrating Australian mythology when I was a kid, and I believe this was before I even knew what Christianity was).

This, exactly. YEC live in a small, claustrophobic, scary world

 

[WonkeyDong]

Sooner or later, every person who buys into "scientific creationism" in the Biblical literal sense (earth is 6000 years old etc.), will have to face a problem: Dinosaurs! No, not the fact that they died out (many animals did die out in historical times, such as the Dodo), but rather their ongoing high popularity with kids. Unfortunately, most exhibits, movies, museums etc. who cater to the dinosaur fan crowd follow Darwin closely, so children's love of the primeval giants may all to easily pull them away from the Holy Scriptures and into the infernal abyss of scientism. What to do? Well, easy enough: Let's create our own Biblical dinosaur museums and theme parks!!

The most famous (and largest) of these is probably Ken Ham's Creation Museum in Kentucky. Coming with state of the art edutainment technology such as animatronic dinos and biblical characters, a planetarium and multimedia displays, it is highly informative.

E.g., we learn:

Spoiler: ...that Adam and Eve were pretty hot stuff...

Spoiler: ...that animatronic Old Testament scenes are something that exists...

Spoiler: ...that the flood was very scary cuz Yahve was angry...

Spoiler: ...that T-Rexes ate pumpkins!

Spoiler: ...and that video games cause sexism due to the objectification of women.

Hm, wait, no... Lolcow mixup! But the message is similar in spirit.

Not resting on his laurels, Ken has gone on to construct a Noah's Ark Theme Park. It will open soon.

Spoiler: Boat

Of course, there is a great number of smaller offshoots of this type of museum.

Some are modest in size and 90ies-ish in web design.

Spoiler: ...but they all make sure that children learn the Biblical truth about their beloved Dinos.

Some have branched off into other scientific topics beloved by kids, such as space and astronomy.

Europe hasn't been spared.

Spoiler: Boris, the Special-Needs Dino.

Of course, we cannot finish without a nod to the retarded little brother of all creation museums: Dinosaur Adventure Land by "Dr."-must-not-drop-soap-Hovind.

Spoiler: Dinosaurs go RRROOOAAARRRR

Maybe Hovind (who has recently been released from Sing Sing) could assist Günter Tesch in building his Maradonia Adventure Park??

Many of these museums have bookstores you can visit on your way out. Don't forget to grab some nice dino books for the kids!

Spoiler: To be honest, a T-Rex-riding Messiah is a strong argument in favor of joining a religion.

Flesh of christ is a pretty rad crayon name

 

[The Great Chandler]

I hate it when this narrow mindset happens (referring to the fundie here). Last I checked, God wanted us to believe in both, did he not?

So why say "You can only have this opinion or that opinion. Not both, you heathen!"?


That's sad, yet at the same time, I can't help but laugh about this situation.

That mindset is pretty much the reason both political parties never compromise.

 

[Reddit Avenger]

5 Nights At Creation Museum when?

Considering all the awful FNaF knockoffs floating around Steam Greenlight and Newgrounds I'm honestly shocked it isn't already a thing.

 

[pickletickle]

I've always wanted to go to a creation museum but never had a chance. I did go to the Holy Land Theme Park in Orlando, FL once though. Their "Jesus" actor came off as incredibly narcissistic, like he thought he literally was Jesus or something. It was fun to watch a live crucifixion, though.