Refreshing News from Northern Ireland: But Would Secularists in the USA Be This Tolerant?

A news item from Northern Ireland will, I'm sure, create a lot of buzz among the intolerant secularists in the UK and America—the same people who frequently blast AiG and the Creation Museum with nasty name calling and false allegations because of their hatred of any organization that disseminates a creationist viewpoint to the public.

The news headline and article from Northern Ireland begins this way:

Causeway centre gives creationist view

An exhibit in the new Giants' Causeway Visitors' Centre acknowledges the creationist view of how the world-famous stones were formed.

The National Trust said it wanted to "reflect and respect" the fact that some people contest the views of mainstream science.

Its state-of-the-art new complex, which opened on Tuesday, features an interactive audio exhibition showcasing the stories and the science behind the Giants' Causeway.

It looks at the origins of the basaltic columns on the Co Antrim coastline.

The trust said that the exhibit gives recognition to the fact that, for creationists, the debate about the age of the Earth is still ongoing.

A statement read: "The Giants' Causeway has always prompted debate about how it was formed and how old it is.

"One of the exhibits in the Giants' Causeway Visitors' Centre interpretation tells the story of the part the Giants' Causeway played in the debate about how the Earth's rocks were formed and the age of the Earth.

"This is an interactive audio exhibition in which visitors can hear some of the different debates from historical characters.

"In this exhibition we also acknowledge that for some people, this debate continues today and we reflect and respect the fact that creationists today have a different perspective on the age of the Earth from that of mainstream science."

Now while the phrase “mainstream science” is misleading, which implies that the creationist view is not “science” and the secularist one is (both are accounts about the past when no human observer was there—so both are different accounts of historical science), it is refreshing to see an exhibit at a major tourist attraction acknowledging the creationist view. I doubt anyone would ever see that happen in the USA!

In fact, a few years ago, there was a major furor over the fact that the Grand Canyon park bookstore sold one creationist book titled Grand Canyon: A different view. In fact, the secularists were so upset, the issue ascended to very high places in the government concerning the National Parks. However, when you visit our Creation Museum, you will find we do discuss the evolutionist view (particularly in the Starting Points room) and even document evolutionary papers (e.g., in the new Lucy exhibit).

You can read the entire news item about the Giant’s Causeway and the inclusion of the creationist view at this link.

A Free Offer Regarding the Giant’s Causeway

AiG has a number of special creationist brochures on some well-known tourist areas, including one on the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland. We would like to offer you a download of that brochure free. Go to the link below where you will see a number of brochures available as a PDF download. Scroll down to the one on the Giant's Causeway and click on that. You can then order it and use the code I will give you in a moment. The only way currently to do this on our website is that you will have to create an account if you don’t already have one, and you will have to put in your credit card number even though you will not be charged for the Giant’s Causeway brochure. You type in this word (where it asks for a code) to receive the Giant’s Causeway brochure free: CAUSEWAY.

If you order other brochures, DVDs, books, etc., you will be charged for them, but the Giant’s Causeway brochure is free with the code CAUSEWAY. The free offer expires July 31, 2012. Here is the link to the brochures.

Secularists Up in Arms

Not surprisingly, secularists are up in arms about what the National Trust included at the Giant’s Causeway exhibit. For instance, from the UK’s National Secular Society site you can read the following:

Stephen Evans at the National Secular Society said: "It's extremely disappointing to see the National Trust giving credence to bogus creationist explanations for this world famous heritage site. Visitors, many of whom will be children on school trips, expect to be informed at the new Centre, not presented with religious propaganda.

But what is actually said at the site really doesn’t give the “creationist explanations”—it just acknowledges there is a debate. This is the actual wording from the exhibit:

Like many natural phenomena around the world, the Giant’s Causeway has raised questions and prompted debate about how it was formed.

This debate has ebbed and flowed since the discovery of the Causeway to science and, historically, the Causeway became part of a global debate about how the earth’s rocks were formed.

This debate continues today for some people, who have an understanding of the formation of the earth which is different from that of current mainstream science.

Young Earth Creationists believe that the earth was created some 6000 years ago. This is based on a specific interpretation of the Bible and in particular the account of creation in the book of Genesis.

Some people around the world, and specifically here in Northern Ireland, share this perspective.

Young Earth Creationists continue to debate questions about the age of the earth. As we have seen from the past, and understand today, perhaps the Giant’s Causeway will continue to prompt awe and wonder, and arouse debate and challenging questions for as long as visitors come to see it.

Secularists, of course, claim there is no debate, as the millions of years of earth history is fact in their minds—no discussion and no debate! The ironic thing is that on the National Secular Society site, the group actually gives more details about creationist beliefs than the National Trust does in its exhibit! We read the following on the secularist site:

Creationists believe the stones, which emerged from the sea-bed following intense volcanic and geological activity 60 million years ago, were formed around just 4,500 years ago as a result of Noah's Flood.

So if you do want the details of what creationists believe and how observational (operational) science confirms the creationist view, then you do need the booklet we are offering free!

I Will Be Speaking in Northern Ireland Soon

Here is my itinerary for my speaking engagements in England and Northern Ireland in August:

• Creation Fest in Wadebridge, Cornwall—August 5, 2012
• St. John the Baptist Church in Ipswich, Suffolk—August 8, 2012
• 2nd Broughshane Presbyterian church in Ballymena, Co. Antrim—August 10, 2012
• Martyrs Memorial Free Presbyterian Church in Belfast, Ulster—August 11, 2012
• Ballygowand Free Presbyterian Church in Ballygowan, Co. Down—August 12, 2012
• Newtownbreda Baptist Church in Belfast, Co. Antrim—August 12, 2012
• Whitewell Metropolitan Tabernacle in Belfast, Co. Antrim—August 13, 2012

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken