Creationist museum
Encyclopedia
A creationist museum is one that uses the traditional natural history museum format to present a young Earth creationist
view that Earth
and life on Earth
were created some 6,000 to 10,000 years ago and that the Earth was created in six days. These museums have been created to spread the belief in literal Biblical creationism and to reach out to those (including 40% or more of Americans and a third of Britons) who believe that God created humans as they currently exist within the past ten thousand years and that they do not share a common descent with apes. The museums have received heavy criticism from scientists.
, in Eureka Springs, Arkansas
, was described by The Guardian
as "first dinosaur museum to take a creationist perspective" and was constructed as a joint venture of the Creation Truth Foundation and the Great Passion Play outdoor Biblical theme park, which attracts over seven million visitors a year to its 4,500-seat arena. Among the high-quality replica casts of dinosaurs are exhibits showing dinosaurs coexisting in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. The museum asserts that most dinosaurs became extinct during the Great Flood, and that while a pair of young dinosaurs accompanied elephants and lions on Noah's Ark
, these went extinct later.
in Santee, California
, part of the Institute for Creation Research, has been attracting 15,000 visitors per year, and had been considered the world's largest creationist museum by the Northwest Creation Network, until the title was taken by Kentucky's Creation Museum. The museum, established shortly after its parent in 1970, moved to its current site in the mid-1980s. The museum presents the view that all humans are descendants of the first humans created by God some six to ten thousand years ago and that a worldwide flood left behind beds of fossils that can be found all around the world, including on high plateaus and mountain ranges. The museum displays portraits of people the museum identifies as evolutionists
, such as Andrew Carnegie
who is described as "cruel and heartless in his own day to competitors and laborers alike" along with Karl Marx
and Adolf Hitler
.
The Creation Museum
, opened in Petersburg
, Kentucky
in 2007 and constructed at a cost of $27 million, includes exhibits of Adam and Eve
in the Garden of Eden
accompanied by dinosaur
s. Fossils are said to have been created in the biblical Flood during the days of Noah
. Plans for the museum date back to 1996. This museum has drawn criticism from scientists, who have circulated petitions accusing the Creation Museum of undermining education. According to Lawrence M. Krauss
, a physics professor at Arizona State University
, "When they try to confuse kids about what is science and what isn't science, scientists have an obligation to speak out. There's no doubt that these are documented lies".
, New York
, features odd creatures in its creationist exhibits, including a one-eyed kitten and a supposed chupacabra
from Texas.
, located in Silverlake, Washington near Mount St. Helens
, use the volcano's 1980 eruption
to claim that geologic change can happen on a rapid scale, and that changes believed by mainstream scientists to take millions of years can occur in as short a period of time as hours or days. This approach to creationism has been described as potentially plausible to non-specialists. Academic scientists maintain that this interpretation of the evidence can only be supported by ignoring scientific method and any evidence that disagrees with a foregone conclusion.
Young Earth creationism
Young Earth creationism is the religious belief that Heavens, Earth, and all life on Earth were created by direct acts of the Abrahamic God during a relatively short period, sometime between 5,700 and 10,000 years ago...
view that Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
and life on Earth
Life on Earth
Life on Earth: A Natural History by David Attenborough is a television natural history series made by the BBC in association with Warner Bros. and Reiner Moritz Productions...
were created some 6,000 to 10,000 years ago and that the Earth was created in six days. These museums have been created to spread the belief in literal Biblical creationism and to reach out to those (including 40% or more of Americans and a third of Britons) who believe that God created humans as they currently exist within the past ten thousand years and that they do not share a common descent with apes. The museums have received heavy criticism from scientists.
Canada
- Big Valley Creation Science MuseumBig Valley Creation Science MuseumThe Big Valley Creation Science Museum is a museum in Big Valley, Alberta, Canada, dedicated to promoting the young earth creationism as an alternative to scientific consensus on biological evolution presented by the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, also in Alberta, 35 miles to the south...
, Big ValleyBig Valley, AlbertaBig Valley is a village in central Alberta south east of Red Deer. It is located south of Stettler and north of Drumheller on Highway 56 in the County of Stettler.- Ranching era :...
, AlbertaAlbertaAlberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, - Creation Truth Ministries Travelling Museum, Red DeerRed Deer, AlbertaRed Deer is a city in Central Alberta, Canada. It is located near the midpoint of the Calgary-Edmonton Corridor and is surrounded by Red Deer County. It is Alberta's third-most-populous city – after Calgary and Edmonton. The city is located in aspen parkland, a region of rolling hills...
, AlbertaAlbertaAlberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
Germany
- Lebendige Vorwelt Museum, GrünstadtGrünstadtGrünstadt is a town in the Bad Dürkheim district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany with roughly 13,200 inhabitants. It does not belong to any Verbandsgemeinde – a kind of collective municipality – but is nonetheless the administrative seat of the Verbandsgemeinde of Grünstadt-Land.- Location :The...
, PfalzPfalzPfalz may refer to:*Kaiserpfalz, also known as Königspfalz, a castle which was a temporary seat of power for the Holy Roman Emperor in the Early and High Middle Ages, etymologically derived from Latin palatium - Geography:...
United Kingdom
- Creation Science Movement Genesis Exhibition, PortsmouthPortsmouthPortsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
, - AH Trust Christian Theme Park, LancashireLancashireLancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, (planned) - Noah's Ark Zoo FarmNoah's Ark Zoo FarmNoah's Ark Zoo Farm is a tourist attraction—a zoo and entertainment centre based around a working farm—in Wraxall, North Somerset, about from Bristol, England. The zoo has won several national awards, including 'Silver' in the Green Tourism Business Scheme and the 'Learning Outside the...
near BristolBristolBristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, whilst not strictly speaking a museum, represents creationism as scientific fact.
Arkansas
The Museum of Earth HistoryMuseum of Earth History
The Museum of Earth History is a controversial young Earth creationist museum based on fundamentalist Christian theology. It features replicas of dinosaur skeletons in exhibits and the Book of Genesis biblical scripture...
, in Eureka Springs, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, was described by The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
as "first dinosaur museum to take a creationist perspective" and was constructed as a joint venture of the Creation Truth Foundation and the Great Passion Play outdoor Biblical theme park, which attracts over seven million visitors a year to its 4,500-seat arena. Among the high-quality replica casts of dinosaurs are exhibits showing dinosaurs coexisting in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. The museum asserts that most dinosaurs became extinct during the Great Flood, and that while a pair of young dinosaurs accompanied elephants and lions on Noah's Ark
Noah's Ark
Noah's Ark is a vessel appearing in the Book of Genesis and the Quran . These narratives describe the construction of the ark by Noah at God's command to save himself, his family, and the world's animals from the worldwide deluge of the Great Flood.In the narrative of the ark, God sees the...
, these went extinct later.
California
The Museum of Creation and Earth HistoryMuseum of Creation and Earth History
The Museum of Creation and Earth History is a young earth creationist museum founded by the Institute for Creation Research at its original headquarters in Santee, California in 1970. After the Institute for Creation Research moved from Santee to Dallas, Texas in 2008, the institute sold the museum...
in Santee, California
Santee, California
Santee is a suburban city in San Diego County, California with a population of 53,413 at the 2010 census. Although it is a part of the East County region, Santee is located just from the Pacific Ocean. The city is connected to the coastline by State Route 52, a six-lane freeway that runs from...
, part of the Institute for Creation Research, has been attracting 15,000 visitors per year, and had been considered the world's largest creationist museum by the Northwest Creation Network, until the title was taken by Kentucky's Creation Museum. The museum, established shortly after its parent in 1970, moved to its current site in the mid-1980s. The museum presents the view that all humans are descendants of the first humans created by God some six to ten thousand years ago and that a worldwide flood left behind beds of fossils that can be found all around the world, including on high plateaus and mountain ranges. The museum displays portraits of people the museum identifies as evolutionists
Evolutionism
Evolutionism refers to the biological concept of evolution, specifically to a widely held 19th century belief that organisms are intrinsically bound to increase in complexity. The belief was extended to include cultural evolution and social evolution...
, such as Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and entrepreneur who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century...
who is described as "cruel and heartless in his own day to competitors and laborers alike" along with Karl Marx
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
and Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
.
- Cabazon DinosaursCabazon DinosaursCabazon Dinosaurs, also referred to as Claude Bell's Dinosaurs, are enormous, sculptured roadside attractions located in Cabazon, California and visible to the immediate north of Interstate 10. The site features Dinny the Dinosaur, a 150-ton building shaped like a larger-than-life-sized...
, Cabazon, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area... - Creation Research of the North Coast Museum, Bayside, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, (planned)
Florida
- A Key Encounter Theater, Key WestKey WestKey West is an island in the Straits of Florida on the North American continent at the southernmost tip of the Florida Keys. Key West is home to the southernmost point in the Continental United States; the island is about from Cuba....
, FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, - Creation Adventures Museum, ArcadiaArcadia, FloridaArcadia is a city in DeSoto County, Florida, United States. The population was 6,604 as of the 2000 census. According to the U.S Census estimates of 2005, the city grew to 7,151. It is the county seat of DeSoto County; it is also DeSoto County's only incorporated community. On October 27, 2009,...
, FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it... - Creation Discovery Museum, Ft. Lauderdale, FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
- Dinosaur Adventure Land, PensacolaPensacolaPensacola is a city in the western part of the U.S. state of Florida.Pensacola may also refer to:* Pensacola people, a group of Native Americans* A number of places in the Florida:** Pensacola Bay** Pensacola Regional Airport...
, FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, was started in 2001 by young-earth creationist Kent HovindKent HovindKent E. Hovind is an American young earth creationist. Hovind speaks on creation science and aims to convince listeners to reject theories of evolution, geophysics, and cosmology in favor of the Genesis creation narrative as found in the Bible...
. The park closed in 2009. - Dinosaur WorldDinosaur World (Florida)Dinosaur World is the name of three outdoor dinosaur theme parks. Locations include Plant City, Florida, Glen Rose, Texas, and Cave City, Kentucky. The parks features over 150 life-size dinosaur sculptures created by Christer Svensson...
, Plant City, FloridaPlant City, FloridaPlant City is a city in Hillsborough County, Florida, in the United States, approximately midway between Brandon and Lakeland along Interstate 4. The population was 34,721 at the 2010 census....
Georgia
- Camp SunriseCamp SunriseCamp Sunrise is a Salvation Army camp near Gibsons in British Columbia, Canada. Captain Fraser Morrison and Colonel Arch Layman first scouted out the area and chose the grounds for the camp in 1925. The Salvation Army runs week-long holiday camps at Sunrise throughout the summer....
Museum, FairmountFairmount, GeorgiaFairmount is a city in Gordon County, Georgia, United States. Gordon County is home to New Echota, which was once the Cherokee Nation's capital. It was the origin of the Cherokee written language and newspaper, The Cherokee Phoenix....
, GeorgiaGeorgia (U.S. state)Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
Kentucky
Creation Museum
The Creation Museum is a museum near Petersburg, Kentucky that presents an account of the origins of the universe, life, mankind, and man's early history according to a literal reading of the Book of Genesis...
, opened in Petersburg
Petersburg, Jefferson County, Kentucky
Petersburg is a neighborhood of Louisville, Kentucky centered along Petersburg Road & Indian Trail....
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
in 2007 and constructed at a cost of $27 million, includes exhibits of Adam and Eve
Adam and Eve
Adam and Eve were, according to the Genesis creation narratives, the first human couple to inhabit Earth, created by YHWH, the God of the ancient Hebrews...
in the Garden of Eden
Garden of Eden
The Garden of Eden is in the Bible's Book of Genesis as being the place where the first man, Adam, and his wife, Eve, lived after they were created by God. Literally, the Bible speaks about a garden in Eden...
accompanied by dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
s. Fossils are said to have been created in the biblical Flood during the days of Noah
Noah
Noah was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the tenth and last of the antediluvian Patriarchs. The biblical story of Noah is contained in chapters 6–9 of the book of Genesis, where he saves his family and representatives of all animals from the flood by constructing an ark...
. Plans for the museum date back to 1996. This museum has drawn criticism from scientists, who have circulated petitions accusing the Creation Museum of undermining education. According to Lawrence M. Krauss
Lawrence M. Krauss
Lawrence Maxwell Krauss is an American theoretical physicist who is professor of physics, Foundation Professor of the School of Earth and Space Exploration, and director of the Origins Project at the Arizona State University. He is the author of several bestselling books, including The Physics of...
, a physics professor at Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
, "When they try to confuse kids about what is science and what isn't science, scientists have an obligation to speak out. There's no doubt that these are documented lies".
- Dinosaur WorldDinosaur World (Florida)Dinosaur World is the name of three outdoor dinosaur theme parks. Locations include Plant City, Florida, Glen Rose, Texas, and Cave City, Kentucky. The parks features over 150 life-size dinosaur sculptures created by Christer Svensson...
, Cave City, KentuckyCave City, KentuckyCave City is a city in Barren County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 1,880 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Glasgow Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Cave City is located at ....
Montana
- Glendive Dinosaur & Fossil Museum, GlendiveGlendive, MontanaGlendive is a city in and the county seat of Dawson County, Montana, United States. The population was 4,935 at the 2010 census.The town of Glendive is located in South Eastern Montana and is considered by many as an agricultural hub of Eastern Montana...
, MontanaMontanaMontana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
New York
The Lost World Museum, in PhoenixPhoenix, New York
Phoenix is a village in Oswego County, New York, United States, about north of Syracuse. The population was 2,251 at the 2000 census. The name is derived from Alexander Phoenix...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, features odd creatures in its creationist exhibits, including a one-eyed kitten and a supposed chupacabra
Chupacabra
The chupacabras is a legendary cryptid rumored to inhabit parts of the Americas. It is associated more recently with sightings of an allegedly unknown animal in Puerto Rico , Mexico, and the United States, especially in the latter's Latin American communities...
from Texas.
North Carolina
- Creation Museum, Taxidermy Hall of Fame of North Carolina, and Antique Tool Museum, Southern Pines, North CarolinaSouthern Pines, North CarolinaSouthern Pines is a town in Moore County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 10,918 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Southern Pines is located at ....
Ohio
- Akron Fossils & Science CenterAkron Fossils & Science CenterThe Akron Fossils & Science Center is a museum in Copley Township, Ohio, USA, a few miles west of Akron, devoted to presenting creation science and intelligent design in contrast to commonly accepted models of planetary and animal evolution....
, AkronAkron, OhioAkron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
/Copley, OhioOhioOhio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
.
South Dakota
- Grand River Museum, LemmonLemmon, South DakotaLemmon is a city in Perkins County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 1,227 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Lemmon is located at ....
, South DakotaSouth DakotaSouth Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
Tennessee
- Ark Museum and Dinosaur Park, Murfreesboro, TennesseeTennesseeTennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, (planned) - Wyatt Museum, Cornersville, TennesseeTennesseeTennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
Texas
- Creation Evidence MuseumCreation Evidence MuseumThe Creation Evidence Museum, originally Creation Evidences Museum, is a museum in Glen Rose in Somervell County in central Texas, USA. Founded in 1984 by Carl Baugh for the purpose of researching and displaying purported evidence for creationism, the museum purports to show that the Earth is only...
, Glen RoseGlen Rose, TexasGlen Rose is a city in Somervell County, Texas, United States. It is the county seat of Somervell County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,444. Glen Rose is part of the Granbury micropolitan area.-19th century:...
, TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, - Mt. Blanco Fossil MuseumMt. Blanco Fossil MuseumThe Mt. Blanco Fossil Museum is a creationist museum in Crosbyton, Texas, opened in 1998. Its motto is "Digging up the facts of God's Creation: One fossil at a time."The warehouse-sized museum contains a mixture of fossilized skeletons and cast replicas...
, CrosbytonCrosbyton, TexasCrosbyton is a city in and the county seat of Crosby County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,874 at the 2000 census. Crosbyton is part of the Lubbock Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, - The Museum of Earth History in Dallas, Dallas, TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, plans to open Spring 2010. - Dinosaur WorldDinosaur World (Florida)Dinosaur World is the name of three outdoor dinosaur theme parks. Locations include Plant City, Florida, Glen Rose, Texas, and Cave City, Kentucky. The parks features over 150 life-size dinosaur sculptures created by Christer Svensson...
, Glen Rose, TexasGlen Rose, TexasGlen Rose is a city in Somervell County, Texas, United States. It is the county seat of Somervell County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,444. Glen Rose is part of the Granbury micropolitan area.-19th century:...
Washington
The founders of the 7 Wonders Creation Museum7 Wonders Museum
The 7 Wonders Creation Museum, also 7 Wonders Museum of Mount St. Helens, is a museum and bookstore dedicated to promoting young Earth creationism in Silverlake, Washington near Mount St. Helens, United States...
, located in Silverlake, Washington near Mount St. Helens
Mount St. Helens
Mount St. Helens is an active stratovolcano located in Skamania County, Washington, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is south of Seattle, Washington and northeast of Portland, Oregon. Mount St. Helens takes its English name from the British diplomat Lord St Helens, a...
, use the volcano's 1980 eruption
1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens
The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, a stratovolcano located in Washington state, in the United States, was a major volcanic eruption. The eruption was the only significant one to occur in the contiguous 48 U.S. states since the 1915 eruption of Lassen Peak in California...
to claim that geologic change can happen on a rapid scale, and that changes believed by mainstream scientists to take millions of years can occur in as short a period of time as hours or days. This approach to creationism has been described as potentially plausible to non-specialists. Academic scientists maintain that this interpretation of the evidence can only be supported by ignoring scientific method and any evidence that disagrees with a foregone conclusion.
External links
- Creationwiki list of creationist museums
- Northwest Creation Network list of creationist museums
- Specters of a Young Earth Piece on Northern Kentucky's Creation Museum and its exhibits on dinosaurs, evolution, and modern science. At Triple Canopy (online magazine)Triple Canopy (online magazine)Triple Canopy is an online magazine, which was first published in 2008. In an effort to "slow down the Internet," the magazine curates and facilitates new media projects, which engage with the formal possibilities of the web. Its content ranges from art and literature to essays and critical theory...