Creation Museum a Top-Notch Tour of Biblical Science
Dinosaur and human being, side by side in the Creation Museum
The Creation Museum created quite a splash when it opened a year and a half ago. Created by Ken Ham and his Answers in Genesis ministry, this fantastic facility became the most spectacular presentation of Biblical creation science ever built. It wasted no time amazing Christians and the open-minded…and earning the fury and scorn of evolution-faithful.
I have wanted to visit the facility since it opened, but it took some time to work up a trip since the Kentucky area on the outskirts of Cincinnati, Ohio is considerably outside the areas of the United States where I normally travel. But I managed to put together a trip with my family, and noted with interest what a big attraction the museum has become.
An article in the Kentucky Enquirer tourism quotes Tom Caradonio, president of the Northern Kentucky Convention and Visitors Bureau:
“It amazes me, 530,000 [visitors] the first year. I’ve been in this business for over 37 years. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an attraction pull in that many people with that kind of facility.”
The Creation Museum says they’ve had over 900,000 visitors since they opened in 2007, far exceeding their expectations. Having now visited this 70,000 square-foot, $27 million facility, I understand why.
When I first pulled into nearby Florence, Kentucky and stopped at Best Western hotel, I walked in and saw prominently displayed on the counter a stack of Creation Museum brochure cards. We saw such information about the Creation Museum in several places during our two nights and one day in the area.
My family and I arrived a few minutes before opening time at 10:00 am and there were dozens of people waiting outside. Before we could get our things collected and walk to the front, museum staff opened the doors early to let people in. I chatted briefly with one of the staff members in the lobby, and he told me that day would be a good day to look at everything at our own pace, since they expected it to be a “slow day.”
About mid-day, I popped out to our vehicle to leave something there and noticed five or six tour buses parked on the far side of the parking lot, and that the large parking lot was half full or more. A “slow day” indeed.
The museum was filled with wonders both ancient and new. We saw fossils that were thousands of years old and we saw animated robotic dinosaurs and human figures that moved, made sounds and talked.
There were displays that showed how atheists and evolutionists interpret scientific information alongside illustrations of how creationists interpret the same information.
Other displays showed some of the many attacks on Biblical accuracy, and how in time archaeology and science had come to support the claims of the Bible. The museum also showed the life-outcomes when the implications of evolution theory are taken to their logical conclusions.
There were several videos shown throughout the museum. One of the video presentations, “Men in White,” involved several of your senses. In addition to what we saw and heard, we also felt our seats vibrate as dinosaur’s walked across the screen, and were splashed with a few drops of water during the global Flood (my son was amazed and felt he had to know where the water had come from).
We also watched a couple presentations in the planetarium. While both were good, I was particularly struck by the video which took you through the solar system, out of it, and millions of light-years across space where our galaxy was so far away–farther even than Destiny in “Stargate Universe”–it became invisible…then brought you zooming back at fantastic speeds, until you were looking down on the Creation Museum on earth. Being an astronomy and sci-fi fan, I liked this one so well I bought the DVD of the presentation.
Even one of the restaurants inside the museum was a fantastic display of creation science. Noah’s Cafe had a natural look with wood furnishings, flowery vines strung everywhere and a roof of branches and reeds woven together. I was particularly fascinated by the stunning mural of Noah’s Ark painted on one wall of the Cafe.
The botanical gardens out back are also a nice feature. Though it had lost most of its luster in early November when we were there, it was still a beautiful place. There was a nice lake, a gazebo, rope and pontoon bridges, and lots of other interesting touches.
Alongside the garden was a petting zoo with wallabies, llamas, a couple of zorses (cross between a zebra and a horse), and more. Children can pet and feed the animals, and staff are on hand to answer questions about the animals.
Below are some pictures I took at the Creation Museum, representing only a very small portion of the incredible things you’ll see there. Hopefully they whet your appetite to learn more and to visit the museum.
In the end, none of us were there when the fossils we’ve discovered were deposited, and there is no written record attached to those fossils to testify about them. None of us were there when most of the rocks on earth were formed or when the geology we see was laid down, and there is no video or written record attached to them to explain them. Therefore, we must make assumptions and guesses about how these objects came to be in the state in which we find them.
We make assumptions based on our worldview, or the set of presuppositions we hold about the universe and truth. If we begin by assuming an intelligent designer (e.g. God), we interpret the evidence through the lens of assumption that it was intelligently designed. If we begin by assuming there was no intelligent designer and that all things came about through materialistic and naturalistic processes alone, we interpret the evidence through the lens of assumption that all things had to come about through random chance.
Either way, we are making assumptions about facts. The question then becomes: which set of assumptions best fit the evidence, and which set of assumptions are the most logically consistent with themselves.
When I came to understand that scientific theories from a Biblical perspective existed that were consistent with science and consistent with the facts, I was amazed, having only previously heard “The Bible says…” with no scientific explanation. When I came to understand the limitations, the shortcomings, the errors, the flaws, the unproved assumptions, and the illogical inviability of the theory of evolution, I realized that a theory comprised of incompatible assumptions could not possibly be true. Subsequently, I found that creation’s assumptions not only fit the evidence, but are also compatible and harmonious with one another. I reached the conclusion that I had misplaced my faith in an untenable theory, and consequently shifted my faith to one that makes far more sense.
Having once believed in evolution, I understand how prevalent and pervasive the theory is in our culture. Also, having dialogued with numerous evolutionists since I came to understand the theory’s inviability and the strengths of creation science, I also understand that many people are ideologically and spiritually invested in this theory, and will find it extremely difficult to open their minds enough to give a fair hearing to even a spectacular presentation like the Creation Museum. That investment is so deep that some people seem genuinely incapable of intellectually separating assumption from fact.
We’re all entitled to be wrong, and we’re all entitled to close our mind to facts we find uncomfortable. But is that really an enlightened way to live? Is that how you want to live? Are you willing to bet the quality of your life (and your eternal destiny) that you’ve “heard enough” and that there’s no possibility at all that you might be putting your faith in a flawed theory?
When I realized I had been wrong to put my faith in evolution theory, I admitted I was wrong and accepted a far more coherent, logical and sustainable explanation.
Are you willing to risk an honest, objective look at the evidence on both sides? If you find a strong case for creation, and that evolution theory is a house of cards, what will you do?
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