Life Began In A Garden About Six Thousand Years Ago...

Every group has its Mecca, its special place that is most important to the group. Jews have the Holy Land. Elvis fans have Graceland. Muslims have, well, Mecca. Baseball fans have Cooperstown. I might say that mine have been Mt. Fuji and Liverpool.

But now, I find myself with a new mission: The Creation Museum.

That's right, the Creationists - more specifically, an apparently well-funded group called the Ministers of Genesis - have built a huge museum in Kentucky that "illuminates" history in that way that is oh-so-special (i.e. ignoring the entire fossil record and all forms of scientific reasoning). As fate would have it, the annual conference for my company will be held in Cincinnati in November, a short hop over the border from the museum (Cincinnati's airport is actually in Kentucky). I fully intend on taking advantage of this opportunity - when else will I be in Kentucky? - and spending some time exploring the wonders of Creationism.

Seriously, how can I resist? The following description of one exhibit is taken verbatim from the museum's website:

Walk through the Cave of Sorrows and see the horrific effects of the Fall of Man. Sounds of a sin-ravaged world echo through the room. Finally, see the sacrificial Lamb on the cross, and the hope of redemption.

and another:

Adam and Eve live in the Garden of Eden. Children play while dinosaurs roam near Eden's rivers. The Serpent coils cunningly in the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

How fucking awesome does this sound?? These are actual descriptions of exhibits!! These people actually believe that dinosaurs and humans co-existed!! This is the kind of stuff that fascinates me to no end in its inanity. I seriously can't wait to go. Ideally, I'd like to go with a shirt that reads "Darwin was Jesus; Get Over It" or "Adam & Eve & Steve" or simply "Atheism Rocks!" But we'll see. I promise to take lots of pictures and grab as many brochures as possible.