Creationist Organization Posts Rebuttal to Bill Nye Video
A prominent creationist organization has posted an online video response to a viral YouTube video by Bill Nye where "the Science Guy" promotes evolution and rejects creationism.
The Creation Museum, an organization overseen by Answers in Genesis, posted a YouTube rebuttal video on Wednesday. Gaining nearly 40,000 views in two days, the three and a half minute response features Dr. David Menton and Dr. Georgia Purdom of the Creation Museum answering the claims made by Nye.
In an interview with The Christian Post, Purdom explained that Answers in Genesis wanted to post a response as soon as possible given the large number of views the Bill Nye video received.
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"AiG had noticed that by Monday evening, more than one million people had already viewed the Nye video, so we quickly produced our own video rebuttal, featuring Dr. David Menton of our staff, who holds a PhD in biology from an Ivy League school, and me," said Purdom.
"We are making our president Ken Ham and our science faculty available to speak to the media about Mr. Nye's ill-informed video."
On Thursday, Aug. 23, the online website Big Think posted a video on YouTube featuring Bill Nye, a scientist famous for his 1990s "Bill Nye the Science Guy" television program on PBS. The video, titled "Creationism Is Not Appropriate for Children," has gained over 3 million views since then.
"Evolution is the fundamental idea in all of life science, in all of biology. It's like, it's very much analogous to trying to do geology without believing in tectonic plates," said Nye in the two and a half minute video.
"And I say to the grownups, if you want to deny evolution and live in your world, in your world that's completely inconsistent with everything we observe in the universe, that's fine, but don't make your kids do it because we need them."
Menton and Purdom responded to these and other remarks by Nye in their video. Menton quoted an evolutionary scientist named Adam Wilkins who argued that "most can conduct their work quite happily without particular reference to evolutionary ideas."
Regarding the teaching of evolution, Purdom stated that as a mother and molecular geneticist, she teaches her daughter about evolution and creation, adding that she knows of many Christian parents who do likewise.
According to its website, Big Think is "a knowledge forum" that hopes to help readers know "the ideas that allow you to manage and master this universe of information."
"Every idea on Big Think comes from our ever-growing network of 2,000 Big Think fellows and guest speakers, who comprise the top thinkers and doers from around the globe," reads their "About Us" section.
Other arguments refuting Nye's statements have been published by Answers in Genesis. AiG researcher and writer Dr. Elizabeth Mitchell argued in an article Thursday that Nye erroneously stated that "evolution is the fundamental idea in all of life science, in all of biology."
"The most fundamental law that is observable in biology, the law of biogenesis, indicates that life only arises from living things. Yet evolutionists like Nye claim life randomly created itself from non-living elements," she stated. "Despite this blatant contradiction between Nye's statement and this incontrovertible law of observational biological science and the fact that scientists have never observed life coming from non-life, Nye considers evolution the most fundamental of biological laws."
Purdom told CP that any of the scientists on staff would be happy to debate Bill Nye in a public forum.
"One possible venue would be the PBS TV network that has been broadcasting the 'Bill Nye the Science Guy' programs. Or such an evolution-creation debate could be held at a public university, using an impartial moderator," said Purdom.
"I would think that someone as polished and charismatic as Mr. Nye would relish the opportunity to debate a creationist."
