We have all heard the stories of fundamentalist Christians protesting against the teaching of scientific theories like evolution and the big bang in schools and museums. Natural history museums are typically institutions of scientific learning, but such systems are not always popular amongst segments of the population such as that. Though on some unfortunate occasions these fundamentalist groups are successful in their petitions against legitimate scientific institutions, this is not typically the case. One supposes that it was this struggle that prompted the development of the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky; being unable to change every natural history museum to conform to fundamentalist beliefs, they might as well have a “legitimate” museum outlet of their own which can be used to teach the “truth.”
According to the front page of the Creation Museum’s website (http://creationmuseum.org/),
"The state-of-the-art [their emphasis] 70,000 square foot museum brings the pages of the Bible to life, casting its characters and animals in dynamic form and placing them in familiar settings. Adam and Eve live in the Garden of Eden. Children play and dinosaurs roam near Eden’s Rivers. The serpent coils cunningly in the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Majestic murals, great masterpieces brimming with pulsating colors and details, provide a backdrop for many of the settings."
Judging by the website, the museum certainly appears to live up to its “state-of-the-art” claims. The website is aesthetically pleasing and easy to navigate. The subtle rhetoric present on the site is particularly fascinating to me. It would be easy for an individual who is merely glancing at the site’s contents to completely miss the fact that the museum is dedicated to the promotion of conservative Christian ideology. Even the name “Creation Museum” could be misconstrued, perhaps why it was chosen over the arguably more precise “Creationism Museum” or “Creationist Museum.” Once one interrogates the website a little deeper, however, the Creationist agenda the institution is pushing becomes very clear.
Like any good modern museum website, the Creation Museum’s includes many multimedia elements, such as scrolling Flash banners, video segments, and an interactive calendar of events. Particularly engaging is the virtual tour, which provides 360-degree views of many of the galleries including, but not limited to: the Garden of Eden, Noah’s Ark, and the “Dinosaur Den.” (I don’t think I even want to attempt to speculate on what their “truth” about dinosaurs may be, given the advertisement “Don’t miss the chance to explore dinosaurs and dragons in this richly themed medieval environment.”)
I should conclude this review by saying that I have never been to the Creation Museum and will likely never go, not because I wouldn’t be fascinated to see what it has to say, but because I will never ever give them any of my money under any circumstances (in case it’s still unclear, I disagree profoundly with creationist ideology of the kind apparently expressed at this museum). However, the most surprising thing about this museum website overall is how rational it appears to be at first glance. I can certainly understand how this museum—and by extension its website—would appeal to conservative Creationists who are seeking an institution that will reaffirm their beliefs while still maintaining something of a façade of scholarly integrity.
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I actually thought this was a really interesting website; it's interesting that this is a museum that combines elements of proven science with fundamentalist Christian beliefs. While I can't say whether or not the museum itself does an effective job at this, the website definitely sparks interest. I also noticed the language they used when talking about the museum. With the exception of a couple small parts, many people may not even realize they are dealing with a Christian fundamentalist rhetoric. I wonder if this was intentional in order to attract a wider audience that may be hesitant to accept fundamentalist values. As far as effectiveness goes though, this site was great at sparking an interest in its visitors. Awesome review!
ReplyDeleteI REALLY enjoyed reading your website review of the Creation Museum’s website. Actually, my husband maintains a subscription to their Answers magazine (yes, unfortunately that means funding their agenda). It is quite interesting to notice how their magazine’s style mimics the popular science magazine format and that their museum mimics the approaches that have been demonstrated effective by natural history museums. With more than half of adult Americans holding attitudes that reject evolution, mostly on religious grounds, the Creation Museum’s alternative message certainly finds a ready and, more importantly, willing-to-pay audience. Their massive 70,000 square foot museum required nearly $30 million to build. The number of visitors has been higher than they originally anticipated since they opened in 2007. Certainly, some of those visitors (like some of the magazine subscribers) have treated the experience as if it were a trip to Disneyland, but that revenue contributes to their agenda’s financial base just like the true believer’s genuine donation.
ReplyDelete(This response was co-authored with my husband)