Friday, May 25, 2007

All Aboard Now...

... sayeth Noah to the animals. This coming Monday, y'all can see it in all its not-quite-real-glory at the opening of Petersburg, Kentucky's newest tourist attraction -- the Creationism Museum. Luckily I'll be on my way out of town as the faithful flock to the multi-million $ production of the Answers in Genesis cult.

(sidebar -- in case you're wondering, this is TC, not Rita. she's letting me vent:)

This 'museum' sits about mid-way between our respective houses. So I've watched its evolution (ha ha). Once a non-descript metal storage type building plopped beside a busy highway loop around Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, it's now downright snazzy. I can only imagine how proud the donors who paid for all that gorgeous river rock covering the sheet metal must be.

Whoever those donors are, I'm pretty sure they have some connection to the publishers of our local Gannet paper -- The Cincinnati Enquirer. There have been in-depth front page stories covering the museum's opening the past few Sundays (how appropriate) and it's one of the most-talked about op ed topics on the paper's Web site.

In case it's not clear; I'm not a fan of this effort.

Raised Southern Baptist, creationism isn't a completely foreign concept. They tried. I just couldn't believe. Years later, I actually find myself remembering some of the elementary science that led me to question it all. I vividly recall sitting in Sunday school classes each week, unable to contain the questions/challenges that came pouring out of me. By age 12 I'd escaped.

Then I moved to Cincinnati.

As you read in Rita's description of our local Pride efforts, this isn't the most, um, progressive community. But we're trying. Most of us.

Petersburg is about 20 miles from Cincinnati's riverfront. That means, if a family plans its time well, it could fit in a visit to the local museum that's telling the real story we should be learning from --The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. www.freedomcenter.org

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's been a while since I visited your blog (work work work!) It 's great that both of you are collaborating on this!
I got a chance to drive by the Creation Museum on opening day. Either this will be one of those museums that will die off in a couple of years (evolution at its finest!) or the beautiful countryside will be speckled with cheap hotels!

crys said...

This reminds me of my partner's uber-Christian grade school, where they taught her that men have one fewer rib than women because, you know, god had to take that one rib out of Adam to make Eve, and all. Teehee.

Me, I was raised Catholic -- uniforms, nuns, and transubstantiation, oh my! It seems I missed out on most of the truly jaw-dropping stuff. Sigh!

Rita said...

I was raised Catholic too - the whole nine yards - school uniforms, a few nuns etc etc etc. I could dedicate a whole blog topic on those years alone! Egads!