Science Museums Adapt in Struggle against Creationist Revisionism

Scientific American ^ | July 12, 2007 | Elizabeth Landau

[GodGunsGuts]

Madonna and Bon Jovi are no match for Hawaiian flies when it comes to karaoke hits at the University of Nebraska State Museum in Lincoln. In a popular exhibit activity, visitors attempt to mimic the unique courtship calls of different species of Hawaiian Drosophila, a group of 800 different flies that may have evolved from a single species.

Fly karaoke is part of "Explore Evolution," a permanent exhibit currently at Nebraska and five other museums in the Midwest and Southwest...that explores evolutionary concepts in new ways. Such an activity is a far cry from the traditional way science museums have presented evolution, which usually included charts called phylogenies depicting ancestral relationships or a static set of fossils arranged chronologically. "Explore Evolution'' has those, too—and then some, because museum curators came to realize that they needed better ways to counter growing attacks on their integrity.

...

Under pressure from these kinds of groups, the Kansas State Board of Education in 2005 approved a curriculum that allowed the public schools to include completely unfounded challenges to the theory of evolution.

In an effort to make their case to the public, creationists raised $26 million in private donations to build the 50,000-square-foot Creation Museum in Petersburg, Ky., which opened in late May. The institution presents the biblical history of the universe. Visitors learn that biblically, dinosaurs are best explained as creatures that roamed Earth with humans. In its first month of existence, the museum drew over 49,000 visitors, according to its Web site.

"Explore Evolution," funded by a $2.8 million grant from the National Science Foundation, is one of many recent efforts by science museums to counter such resistance to evolution...

[Coyoteman]

Your long list of areas where science and the bible are in conflict is interesting, but I don't see your purpose.

Are you trying to say that the bible is right in all of these cases, or are you admitting that it is often wrong?

[pacelvi]

“The theory of evolution has nothing to do with life’s origins, only how genomes have changed since life began.”

LOL.. So evolutionists believe God created life on earth?

Why? The Bible says death entered this world through Adam’s sin... meaning before Adam,no death. No death, no fossils.

[ndt]

Sorry, I had to get the joke in first :)

"I’m a computer programmer... can you please tell me how my view of life’s origins contributes to my computing skills?"

First, the origin of life is not the ToE. Second. I'm also a computer programmer and due to the nature of some of my past projects (bioinfomatics) an understanding of the ToE was critical. So it depends on what you do specifically.

"In fact , because I’m a programmer and I know if i type one single character wrong, my software won’t function."

Would that be the case if you wrote in a language that only had 4 characters and 64 words all of which only contained 3 letters? Almost any error you could make would end up producing a valid word.

"yet i’m expected to believe that something as complicated as the biochemical software that is DNA sprang up spontaneously from nowhere"

Nobody says spontaneously, it "sprang up" from previous versions of similar "software". WARNING: we am in danger of using a poor analogy to the point of just being wrong.

[aliquando]

Way too much time and energy has been spent on this argument.
The two schools of thought are not as incompatible as many on both sides think.

[aliquando]

thermodynamics applies to physical systems not biological ones. Life defies thermodynamics, as you pointed out.

[Coyoteman]

LOL.. So evolutionists believe God created life on earth?

Many do. Its called theistic evolution.

Why? The Bible says death entered this world through Adam’s sin... meaning before Adam,no death. No death, no fossils.

Many believe that the bible is wrong and that science is correct in these areas.

[pacelvi]

I didn’t know science involved itself in matters of sins and salvation. interesting. so it is a priesthood after all.

[Porterville]

Why are people so against science? These folks afraid of science make all conservatives look bad. Bunch of zealots.

[Eternal_Bear]

The Earth is not a closed system as we constantly receive energy from the Sun. It is something the creationists always forget.

[Porterville]

“Why? The Bible says death entered this world through Adam’s sin... meaning before Adam,no death. No death, no fossils.”

Read one book and your mental midget.... you should take up not reading.

[Coyoteman]

I didn’t know science involved itself in matters of sins and salvation. interesting. so it is a priesthood after all.

Nice try at being a troll.

Do you want to have a serious conversation or not?

Go back to my comment and try again.

[ndt]

"Well I dont see any fish fins on me or wings.. so what are you talking about?"

You do have an organ for digesting cellulose despite the fact you don't have the bacteria to utilize it. You most likely have more teeth then jaw to put them. You have a tail, a really tiny one but a tail none the less, you even have the muscles to wag it. You have a third eyelid that just sits in the corner of your eye and does nothing. You have nipples even if you are a guy. You have hair that stands on end even though you (hopefully) don't have enough hair to matter. You have a little tiny uterus hanging off the end of your prostrate (if your a man). You even have the genes to produce vitamin C but they are broken.

[GodGunsGuts]

Then let’s fast-forward through time...How’s this for starting with the conclusion?:

“In 2005 online magazine ‘Edge The World Question Centre’ posed the following question to a number of scientific intellectuals: ‘What do you believe is true even though you cannot prove it?’ Dawkins revealingly answered: ‘I believe that all life, all intelligence, all creativity and all ‘design’ anywhere in the universe, is the direct or indirect product of Darwinian natural selection.’”

—Richard Dawkins, Chair for the Public Understanding of Science (read: Minister of Darwinist Propoganda) at Oxford University

http://www.iscid.org/papers/Williams_GodDelusionReview_02012007.pdf

[pacelvi]

wow. you’re an arrogant ass.

I’ve also read these books. Which books have you read, sanctimonious one?

http://home.comcast.net/~vincep312/books.html

The War of Ideas: Jihadism against Democracy

Power, Faith, and Fantasy: America in the Middle East 1776 to Present

While Europe Slept: How Radical Islam is Destroying the West from Within

Because They Hate: A Survivor of Islamic Terror Warns America

Infidel

Knowing the Enemy: Jihadist Ideology and the War on Terror

The West’s Last Chance: Will We Win the Clash of Civilizations?

The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order

Londonistan

Inside the Jihad: My Life With Al Qaeda: A Spy’s Story

The Politically Incorrect Guide(tm) to Islam (and the Crusades)

Why I am Not a Muslim

America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It

The Truth About Muhammad: Founder of the World’s Most Intolerant Religion

[pacelvi]

“Do you want to have a serious conversation or not?”

You’re asking me that in between yours and others’ slings and arrows? What hypocrites.

[Porterville]

Not just the title Barbara... acturally read the book.... the dust jacket can only teach you so much.

[ndt]

"Dawkins revealingly answered: ‘I believe that all life, all intelligence, all creativity and all ‘design’ anywhere in the universe, is the direct or indirect product of Darwinian natural selection"

1) Dawkins quote is not the ToE

2) Science does not deal in proof in the first place. This is not a scientific statement nor was it intended to be a scientific statement. It was a question of peoples opinions.

[Coyoteman]

“Do you want to have a serious conversation or not?”

You’re asking me that in between yours and others’ slings and arrows? What hypocrites.

I'm responsible only for what I post.

Catch you later.

[pacelvi]

lol

you “science” guys sure are spiteful angry liliputians.

[ROTB]

The purpose is to illustrate that evolution and the Bible are in conflict, to the dismay of confused Christians or well-meaning atheists.