Ken Ham Irked by 'Hypocrisy' of Secularists Over 'Loch Ness' Story
Young earth creationist Ken Ham is peeved that news outlets have made a big deal out of the discovery that one Christian textbook labels the "Loch Ness Monster" as proof against evolution.
While Ham, president of Answers in Genesis, doesn't agree with that teaching per se, he finds it hypocritical for the secular public to mock and reject the teaching while letting other "outlandish" things slide.
"There is no textbook, whether Christian or secular, that is perfect! But what's more is that the secular world has often put forth numerous scientifically untenable theories," Ham said in a post Tuesday.
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Some of those theories, he listed, include:
• Aliens seeded life on earth (known as directed panspermia). Francis Crick, a codiscoverer of the structure of DNA, promoted this idea.
• Life arose from non-life. (This goes against what biologists call the Law of Biogenesis, which says that living things can only come from other living things.)
• Humans evolved from an ape-like ancestor (which really means humans are just apes).
• Aliens from outer space built the pyramids.
"Many secular science textbooks still teach outdated and debunked ideas like the supposed "horse evolution" series or the idea that archaeopteryx is a transitional form between birds and reptiles," Ham stated.
"But instead of examining these issues, the news outlets make a big news item of one particular statement in a Christian school textbook about the supposed Loch Ness monster."
Blogs and news media outlets have been commenting on a textbook from the Accelerated Christian Education program. The book, Biology 1099, states: "Are dinosaurs alive today? Scientists are becoming more convinced of their existence. Have you heard of the 'Loch Ness Monster' in Scotland? 'Nessie' for short has been recorded on sonar from a small submarine, described by eyewitnesses, and photographed by others. Nessie appears to be a plesiosaur."
Alexandra Petri wrote in The Washington Post: "I have never seen magic cited in a science text before."
The Herald Sun had a headline that read: "Home fooled: 'The Loch Ness monster is real.'"
Ham acknowledged that "the existence of modern-day plesiosaurs, presumably hiding in such places as the ocean deep and even Loch Ness, is sometimes discussed in creationist circles." But he added that he advises against creationists using stories such as that of the "Loch Ness Monster" as evidence for extant plesiosaurs.
"There are times one can speculate on possibilities, but such speculation of course should not be used as confirming evidence – it is just that, speculation," he said.
Nevertheless, Ham accuses the media of being hypocritical in that they view the "Loch Ness" teaching as a devastating blow to students' education while letting secularists "get away with" saying "outlandish" things themselves.
"For instance, noted evolutionist Richard Dawkins admitted in an interview with Ben Stein that life could have been 'seeded' on earth by aliens. And yet Christians are highly scrutinized in this very secular world," he noted.
"Regardless of the way we are treated by secularists," he added, "we always should do our best to maintain the highest of standards in regard to what we communicate to people."
Ham is the founder of the Creation Museum, which depicts a literal six-day creation model of the earth and shows dinosaurs and humans having co-existed.
