August 19, 2010
Does the Answers in Genesis Creation Museum, located in Kentucky, alienate rather than reach out to those who share a differing opinion on the origins of life? Sociologist Bernadette Barton of Morehead State University in Kentucky thinks so. In a paper presented Sunday at an American Sociological Association meeting held in Atlanta (and summarized today on LiveScience.com), Barton argues that, despite the museums stated desire for outreach, it can be an uncomfortable place for non-fundamentalist visitors, citing exhibits like “Graffiti Alley” – which depicts the consequences of rejecting Scripture – and signs warning that visitors may be expelled from the premise if they lie about the “purpose of [their] visit” as ways to force “compulsory Christianity” on visitors who may hold differing views.
Answers in Genesis has already responded to the article on their site, calling the piece “an especially egregious example of bad reporting.” Says Mark Looy of AiG:
This claim is preposterous, of course. We have hosted atheist/agnostic groups as large as 285 people in one day; some of the atheists were disruptive, but only one person was asked to leave. We sincerely want skeptics to visit; it’s only those who are continually disruptive for our other museum guests who are asked to leave. (We can go many months without having to ask a disruptive skeptic to leave.) The Creation Museum genuinely seeks to have non-Christians to take a tour, and especially have them view the powerful Last Adam film towards the end of the museum tour and hear the gospel presented. At its heart, the museum is evangelistic, and thus the last thing we want to see is atheists and other skeptics leaving the museum.
AiG promises a “more detailed rebuttal” of the LiveScience article in the coming days.