If you think private, multi-million dollar monuments to Creationist-themed education are the sole property of First-World nations with Third-World levels of religiosity (IE: the United States), well, think again. The Noah's Ark Zoo Farm is located in the lush countryside of Merrye Olde England, just 7 miles from the city of Bristol... and it has outraged the British Humanist Association who are urging British tourism boards to stop promoting it and asking the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums to take action against it. The BHA's news release states that "The zoo, which advances creationism, seeks to discredit a wide variety of established scientific facts that challenge their religious views, such as radio carbon dating, the fossil record and the speed of light."According to New Humanist news editor Paul Sims, who visited Noah's Ark Zoo Farm, the differences between it and other tourist attractions don't strike the eye immediately. It's only when you start to read some of the signs on exhibits that you notice that, insinuated alongside normal, scientifically correct information, there are religious statements. One example Sims gives is from a poster explaining birdsong. "I learned," he says, "that while birds sing to 'sound warning' and 'mark their territory', they also do so in order to 'praise their Maker'. In fact, so wonderful is the ability of birds to sing that the necessary features clearly 'go far beyond what is biologically an advantage, and point to a musically minded Creator.'” The evidence of the Creationist perspective is more overt though in the Noah's Ark exhibit, where a scale model of the biblical Ark is displayed complete with tiny models of animals (and dinosaurs) marching into it.
Zoo owner Anthony Bush explained to Church Times why he's mixed his version of the supernatural in with the natural. “From the outside, our farm is not overtly Christian,” he said. “But, from the inside, we are very strongly Christian. I am a Creationist, and we see the farm as a mission station to give people scientific permission to believe in God.”The same initial impression of a normal tourist attraction can be found at the Noah's Ark Zoo Farm website. There's nothing in the sections on visitor information, new acquisitions, the adopt-an-animal programs, etc., that you might not find in any other small zoo site. It's not until you look at the "Creation Research" section that anything out of the ordinary appears. Here they go into great detail in laying out the "scientific" case for Creationism. They even have a biographical section on Charles Darwin where, though they sum up his life as being "in sad rebellion against his Maker," they attempt to show sympathy in their description of him:
"Darwin is universally described as a gentle person, with a deep sense of concern for his fellow men. His family were well known supporters of the abolition of the slave trade. Perhaps this is why the theory he supported was named after him - and still bears his name. He was a man of integrity and humility, unlike many of his admirers and followers. It was much less honourable people who latched onto the idea of the "survival of the fittest" and "natural selection" and developed their own evil schemes."
Then, under the heading of "THE GRIM AND VIOLENT HARVEST OF HUMANISM," they talk about Adolf Hitler, Stalin, Mao Tse Tung and Pol Pot, whom they describe as being among the foremost followers and admirers of Charles Darwin.
After reading that, it's hard to understand why it's only the distortion of science that bothers the British Humanist Association...
Photo Credits:
1) model animals entering the Ark (both photos are from the Noah's Ark Zoo Farm website)
2) Child examining model of the Ark at the zoo
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Comments
So are you saying they weren't admires of Darwin? Or that they shouldn't be put forth as representatives of humanism?
Both. This revisionist history garbage is promoted by and generally found linked to, Christian websites.
stating Hitler, Stalin, Mao Tse Tung and Pol Pot, are all followers and admirers of Charles Darwin. Is a cheap association trick which would only work on the poorly informed and children. Children probably being their target audience, being a zoo and all.
It's like me making a list of every terrible religious person to commit atrocities, for example Osama Bin Laden and saying they are all followers and admirers of God. Even then my association would be better, those people did the terrible things they did because of God. They same cannot be said about Hitler, Stalin, Mao Tse Tung and Pol Pot.
Christians have a very short memory too. They don't even recall that Humanism, which helped start the Renaissance, was originally a religious movement whose rejection of authoritarian dogmatism helped bring about the Protestant Reformation... and there are still plenty of religious humanists today.
Nor do they remember that the key modern figures of humanism have never been authoritarian dictators like Hitler, Stalin, etc., but people like Thomas Paine, George Elliot, Thomas Mann, Albert Einstein, Isaac Asimov and Kurt Vonnegut.
I really despise the willful ignorance and low regard for truth that allows them to so slander and mischaracterize a movement they obviously don't even want to have any real understanding of.
Hugh - Which Humanist Manifesto do you hold as your guiding light, I, II, III or perhpas Secular Humanism is more your cup of tea? Just curious. EWHL
Hello EWHL. I make my own judgements but "secular humanist" most accurately represents my viewpoint. Anyone curious about what that means might want to check out Wikipedia's entry on the subject.
im so gangstar i like to pop a cap in ur ***
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