The Creation Museum, in Kentucky

I’ve never been to Kentucky. Well, 2 hours in the airport doesn’t really count. But now it seems that I may have a good reason to go back.

The Creation Museum is not a joke. It has existed for a little less than a year and is for the first time being considered by museum peers in this month Museum News magazine (Science of Faith, article by Leah Arroyo).

A scary huge amount of money was invested to bring the alternative paradigm to life. In fact, while more academic museums struggle for years before they can finally reach a satisfactory operating budget, the Kentucky institution shows up with an extraordinary looking website, a tasteful animated commercial, and an incredible facility created by the designer of “Jaws” and “King Kong”. (I mean…if there’s a god, he must be a friend of the trustees)

Critics (mainly scientists) are concerned about the misrepresentation of science as exhibited in the rooms of the museum… because everything tends to convey that evolution is wrong and science is evil (and this includes a movie illustrating the days of the creation to a representation of a miniature model of Noah’s Ark with dinosaurs).

On the other side of the spectrum, some museologists argue that the organization doesn’t deserve the title Museum. Why not? Doesn’t it curate a collection of fossil remains? Doesn’t it hold a mandate? (no matter what the core is). If one considers that a museum has the exclusive duty to share facts rather than myths, then that’s a different story. But again even this is very debatable, because even the most main stream museums are filled with myths and interpreted stories.