DR. JIM'S THINKING SHOP & TEA ROOM

Here is a new feature on Dr. Jim’s!

Know Yer Nuts

This is a when-ever-I-get-around-to-it series of posts on Canadian based creationists, general purveyors of silliness, pseudo-academia, right wing anti-social commentary, and fundamental dipwittery.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The observant among you may also note that I have a new link category to the right,

“Danger! Head may explode”.  If you know of any other “interesting” Canadian and especially Albertan sites that might fit there, please let me know!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, our Number One Nuts are the good folks at:

Creation Truth Ministry

&

Alberta Dinosaur Museum

Korelei and Vance Nelson

CTM is to be found in Red Deer, Alberta and elsewhere. According to Creationwiki (yup, it exists) Vance and his Mrs. have the largest traveling creation museum in Canada.

Note the complete absence of atheist adverts.

Needless to say, these are young earth creationists. Here is what they say about their museum. A few things I’ve highlighted, just for fun.

Creation Museum Traveling Exhibits

CTM also makes available a wide selection of displays. These displays include around fifty authentic museum quality fossils. Among other things, two different dinosaur eggs from China will be on display (Hadrosaur, Segnosaur/Therizinosaur). Many museum quality fossil replicas will also be displayed.

We will bring such things as two eight foot long fossil cabinets filled with museum quality genuine fossils.  We also have a 1:87 scale model of Noah’s ark, a full size Coelophysis dinosaur cast, a T. rex footprint replica, and a full size Mosasaurus sp. skull cast.  We will also bring Three realistic dinosaur models – a Triceratops (9 1/2 feet long), a Raptor (about 4 1/2 feet tall), and a T. rex (8 feet long). Included in our displays is a wonderful ten-foot wide display of many pictures of evidence that provide powerful positive support of Biblical creation. More displays are in the plans. These displays are assembled neatly and professionally. They are wonderful education tools.

1/87 scale? That’s pathetic! The Dutch contractor Johan Huibers’ model is a little bigger than 1/2. And Holland is such a little place. Can Canada live down the shame?

Well, that’s fair enough. One shouldn’t expect anything else, should one? But here is interesting thing. Their site has a couple pictures of a model coelacanth. A “living fossil” fish that didn’t evolve so nothing did. The caption, however, claims that the model is on loan from the Alberta Dinosaur Museum.

Coelacanth. It does not evolve because…

Before anyone gets their boxers in a bunch (there will be an opportunity for that, later) and howls about a legitimate science museum loaning genuine imitation coelacanths to creationist institutions.

Ceiling Cat creates.

Don’t worry. Alberta Dinosaur Museum is NOT the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller.

The Royal Tyrell Museum does not have the Creation Truth™

Oh no. Alberta Dinosaur Museum is completely different. And guess who is its director and curator? Yup, you guessed it, Mr. Nelson. Who really gives a hoot if Nelson has two fossil displays easily confused? I don’t. Can’t people have two jobs? Of course, but when we look at Nelson’s credentials and how he markets the two exhibits, we may start bunching our boxers.

I say, indeed!

Here is what the CTM website says about Vance Nelson.

Vance Nelson is the director of CTM. He holds two earned degrees. He earned a theology degree from Taylor University College in 1997 (Bachelor of Religion with a specialization in Christian ministry). Vance then went on to earn a Biology degree in 2002.  Since 2002 Vance has been researching, speaking and writing full-time. Vance spends much of his time doing original research in areas such as paleontology, geology and archaeology.

CreationWiki adds,

Vance also earned a science degree in 2002 (Bachelor of Science in biology). Vance has also studied concepts relating to creation and evolution at the college level (10 credit-hours directly relating to origin science).

Holy Jebus B. Gobley™ Education Man! TEN credit hours! That is one for every freaking commandment! Well, that makes him an expert on biology, doesn’t it? Ah, but he does “original research in paleontology, geology and achaeology” so that makes him a scientismist, doesn’t it. Without even having actually studied any of it. He rocks.

Indeed, he must be flushed with pride.

But wait, there’s more!

CTM’s director has been privileged to work with one of the world’s leading creation researchers, John Mackay.  Both John and Vance love rocks and fossils and the tremendous evidence they exhibit for creation and the flood and ultimately the historicity of the Bible.  John and Vance have worked together in the United States, Canada and the U.K.

If you would like to support original creation research and speaking with an evangelistic emphasis, please go to our Donate/Payments page… (CTM site).

Here is what Alberta Dinosaur Museum says about him.

Vance Nelson is the director and curator of The Alberta Dinosaur Museum. He was inspired to create a traveling dinosaur museum through the influence of one of his friends who had been doing the same for ten years. After graduating with his second degree in 2002, He began to put the traveling museum together. Three years later the museum continues to grow. Vance received a B. Sc. in Biology while in Florida in 2002. Vance is well educated in the biological sciences by training, but is also a paleontologist by passion.

Vance also has an incredible passion for dinosaur and fossils. He is well aquainted [sic] with multitudes of Genus and Species names for many many fossils. The Alberta Dinosaur Museum is an overflow from the passion Vance has everyday of his life about this subject. The children and adults alike will be amazaed [sic] at the fossils, the casts, the models, and the fantastic illustrated talks.

It seems that ADM’s site is about 5 years out of date. Hopefully it is out of business. But here is my real point:

Jumpin’ Jolly Jehovah Biscuits! A BSc is “well educated”?  But hey, he knows the names of a bunch of fossils! But this is what really gets me. There seems to be NO MENTION of creationism on the ADM site (or evolution for that matter). Here is part of the sales pitch:

Vance Nelson (a.k.a. Dr. Fossil) is the director of this unique museum. Vance has training in the biological sciences and has had a long-term passion for fossils and dinosaurs. The museum is designed to work with either a guided tour or as a stand-alone museum. Vance can also give exciting and educational talks to children and adults alike about dinosaurs and fossils.

Educational. With 10 course credits (from where?) in “life origins” and no paleontology. And he calls himself DOCTOR FREAKING FOSSIL? MY SHATTERED NERVES!

But wait, there’s more!

The Alberta Dinosaur Museum offers a wide range of programs. We can do birthday parties, malls, schools – just about any venue

...

Package #1 (Schools):

This package would be perfect for schools. This package includes the entire Traveling Dinosaur Museum. Two eight-foot tables of additional real dinosaur bones, dinosaur casts, and dinosaur models are also included. Special informative & exciting dinosaur talks are also available for Kindergarten through grade 12 (one day’s worth). Vance Nelson, the director, will also be available for guided tours as is required by the school.

SCHOOLS? The audacity of this guy is unbelievable. On the one hand he peddles his wares to schools as “educational”, without specifiy much about his own point of viewand then, through CTM, advertises three day “Creation Truth Seminars” listing topics that include:

Dinosaurs, The Bible & The 21st Century: The Most Asked Questions Answered

Dragons: The Missing Link in Dinosaur History

Biology: The Fingerprints of God

Geologic Processes & The Age of the Earth

Digging up the Fossils: Evidence for Creation & The Flood

The Brief History of Mankind (Evidence for the Tower of Babel Dispersion)

I might be wrong, but is this guy trying to sneak creationism into schools? Sure kids will have fun looking at the displays and messing around digging up planted fossils (sort of like cleaning a cat’s box), and they might learn a little here and there, but the real issue for education is evolution. I think people should be wary of such crypto religious businesses, and don’t just assume that all traveling dinosaur show are created equal.

Know yer nuts, I always say.

Oh well. If you can’t trust the nomadic museums to tell you about the ancient world, there are always the cinematic arts.

No coelacanths were harmed in the making of this movie.

DON’T MISS THE POST DEALING WITH ONE OF THE COMMENTS.

Technorati Tags: Alberta, Creationism, Evolution, Bible, Noah, Alberta+Dinosaur+Museum, Royal+Tyrrell+Museum, paleontology, Christianity, education