Newsletter Vol.3, #31—September 2, 2007

Matthew 11 ¹⁶"But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates, ¹⁷'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.'

Creation Museum: A Review

By Shannon Ramey

The newest attraction in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area is the 60,000 square foot Creation Museum.  The Creation Museum proposes to present the same specimens - geological, biological, astronomical, and historical - that are used by the scholastic elites who promote evolution and analyze them in the context of creation, not just "intelligent design" but God-governed creation. The museum has received caustic reviews by media professionals and is vehemently opposed by the leading figures of the academic community.  I toured the museum on June 1st to be an eyewitness to the spectacle.

The location was selected because it is within 650 miles of a majority of the population of the usa, also many Canadians.  It is easy to locate from I-275, exit 11.  The local officials of that county of Kentucky seem to have been cooperative in promoting the museum, as signs clearly direct travelers from I-275 to the gates of the museum and the road has even been re-surfaced recently.  The closest accommodations service the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky airport and may be at the upper end or out of the budget of some people.  A more economical option is to stay in Covington, Erlanger, or Florence, all in Kentucky.  At the museum, parking is free and admission is $19.95 for adults, $5.00 more for a planetarium pass, with reduced rates for seniors ($14.95) and children ($9.95).  All portions of the museum are fully handicap accessible.

The museum grounds contain walking trails with sculptured shrubbery in the shape of dinosaurs and sea monsters, petrified wood, picnic tables, and streams and ponds. Inside the museum there is a cafe, bookstore, planetarium, and miniature I-Max style theater.  The staff encourages visitors to begin with the movie presentation in the theater.  It sets the tone for the visit by introducing a young female with questions about the meaning of life and her own origins, discussing the extreme bias with which creation and evolution are handled by the academic community, and presenting some of the flaws of supposedly factual evolution while proposing that believing in creation is not stupid and unreasonable.  The slogan of the museum is: "prepare to believe."

The 27 stages of the walk through exhibition are designed with a chronological perspective of 7 C's: Creation, Corruption, Catastrophe, Confusion, Christ, Cross, Consummation.  The first several stages serve to affirm the reliability of the Bible in regard to science, in part by demonstrating it's reliability in regard to history as supported by archaeology.  Then, the consequences of evolution are examined, including the negative effect evolutionary thought has had on society with specific application to moral values.  Much to my surprise, the community church and mega church movements were attacked as being part of the problem due to a willingness to compromise on Bible truths in all areas and attempts to harmonize prevailing scientific theory with the Bible.

The next several stages deal with Creation.  A short film is screened detailing the events of the first six days of history.  Then, the tourists are released into a room featuring a variety of exhibits from all pertinent fields of science including more short films displayed on lcd units, to be watched or not watched at the individual's discretion.  The stages progress into an Edenic dramatization including a tree of life with a fruit resembling paw-paw on it and several scenes of the innocent Adam and Eve (nude but carefully exhibited behind or within various natural scenes to avoid eroticism).

Progress is made into a series of stages dealing with the Corruption theme.  The corruption is repeatedly linked to the first sin.  A variety of conjectures of the pre-sin world are posited, not all of which I am in agreement with.  The consequences of the sin are carefully detailed through scenes of Adam working, Cain and a slain Abel, etc.  Throughout there are animatronic figures that are very realistic.  A dramatized Methuselah’s tent serves as an introduction to the Catastrophe stages.

Catastrophe, the worldwide flood in the time of Noah, is dealt with in great detail.  It is presented as central to the creation vs. evolution debate, and relied upon for much of the geological and historical explanation.  It is posited as the cause for specimens that other scientists see millions of years in.  The biology that could cause the variety in species now observed is discussed, as well as the ice age and cavemen.  There are scale models of the ark and a variety of other interesting displays.

Confusion is the concept dealt with in the least detail.  Basically, it is explained as the result of the events at Babel.  The various cultures of the world are attributed to the scattering of families which occurred after God introduced new languages, thus leaving people too confused to cooperate on the Babel project.  Some attention is given to how this resulted in different cultures and ethnicities.

Christ, Cross, and Consummation are dealt with together through two stages.  A final short film is offered, largely evangelistic in nature, but tourists can choose to avoid this last stage. The museum maintained a high level of denominational neutrality until this last stage, wherein the film is closed with the typical generic plan of salvation of a variety of Evangelical Protestants: believe in Jesus and his work on the cross, repent, and confess faith in him.  Consummation is presented somewhat awkwardly, obviously to avoid eschatological debate and a discussion of millennial theories.  The consummation theme is generically linked to Heaven and Hell.

The Creation Museum is entertaining and informative.  Truly, a reasonable and open-minded person would be compelled to acknowledge the existence of a Creator after considering the exhibits.  The exhibits are state of the art in terms of animatronics and life-like figures.  The exhibits are also well organized and the flow of the stages is logical.  Above all, this museum provokes thought; perhaps not every conclusion is worthy of acceptance but through the deciding one's understanding and conviction is enriched.  A half day is adequate to view the museum; certainly more time should be given by the visitor to further considering its subject matter after departing.