Evangelicals try to keep ancient skeleton in closet
Well, yeah, if you just ignore science it may go away.
Deep in the dusty, unlit corridors of Kenya’s national museum, locked away in a plain looking cabinet, is one of mankind’s oldest secrets.
Turkana Boy, as he is known, is the most complete skeleton of a prehistoric human ever found, hailed by scientists as one of the world’s most famous fossil finds.
But his first public display later this year is at the heart of a growing storm - one pitting scientists against Kenya’s powerful and popular evangelical Christian movement.
The debate over evolution – once largely confined to the United States – has arrived in a country known as the cradle of mankind.
“I did not evolve from Turkana Boy or anything like it,” says Bishop Boniface Adoyo, head of the country’s 35 evangelical denominations, which he claims has around 10 million followers.
“These sorts of silly views are killing our faith.”
He’s calling on his flock to boycott the exhibition and has demanded the museum relegate the fossil collection to a back room – carrying some kind of warning that evolution is not a fact.
Can you say geocentric? Yeah, I thought you could.
(read more)
Labels: evangelical, evolution, Kenya, Turkana Boy
posted by SPIIDERWEB™ at 2/06/2007 08:53:00 PM
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4 Comments:
point of order: Evangelical does not always equal fundamentalist, particularly outside the US.
That said, this would appear to be a case where they have indeed converged. Throw in some massive denial and spice it up with disdainful hubris -- mmm mmm, that's a tasty pile of crap.
Silly views may in fact be killing your faith, Mr. Bishop, sir. Your own silly views that is.
You are absolutely right about evangelicals and fundamentalists.
In this case, the headline read it was evangelicals although the headline writer was possibly thinking fundamentalists.
In either case, they're ignoring science because they believe it doesn't fit their beliefs.
As a Christian and as a Kenyan I feel that the whole evolution vs. creationism debate is a complete waste of time .For hundred of years Kenyans have worshipped and believed in the one true God and studied Evolution. Some of the people involved in the evolution discoveries in Kenya, infact a majority of them are bible believing Christians. Evolution in Kenya is taught in schools from as early as elementary school .I even remember trips to the national museum to see "Lucy”. Christian religious education-CRE is also a compulsory subject in elementary school just like science .Meaning that Evolution is also taught as a compulsory subject.
As a Kenyan I have never had an issue with the Evolution theory! It’s just a theory .My only worry today is the importation of "western values" to Kenya that have nothing to do with Christianity .Faith in God is exactly that! Faith, it can not be hammered into someone .It is a gift from God. A good Christian church should not have an issue with evolution theory. If sound teaching of Christianity is taught the people will know were the truth lies .You can never hide the truth .Church leaders should stop being influenced by American evangelicals who want to Americanize Christianity.(Creation vs. Evolution is an American debate not a Christian debate) Faith can not be gained by locking up scientific theories in back rooms. If your faith in God is so fragile that it can not stand the challenge of an old theory then maybe you need to be reading the bible more and fighting the theory less. it is activities that call for artifacts to be stored /hidden that give Evolutionist a voice .Christian have nothing to fear .We have lived with evolution’s 'evidence' but Kenyans have always known that God created the world including Adam.
The bible is very clear that to the world our faith is foolishness .But none the less it is the truth .We can not and should not hide fossils. Our faith can withstand and indeed it has withstood any challenge thrown against it .Let Creationists and Evolutionist fight it out in America. We know what is true .God created everything .We don’t need to argue about it
the truth,
Very fine comment. I agree with you and so do thousands of Christians in the US who have no problem with evolution. Creationism vs evolution is an argument primarily in the US only, although I believe its creeping into Europe, but it isn't something most American Christians feel the need to debate.
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