Creationism controversy at Giant’s Causeway
Petition calls on National Trust to remove references to creationism in new visitors' centre
The National Trust’s inclusion of creationism in the new visitors’ centre at the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland has been called a "grave error of judgement".
The centre opened last week and quickly attracted attention for the inclusion of references to creationist theory in its interpretation. At the heart of the controversy is an audio-based interactive re-enacting early debates between Victorian geologists about the origins of the 40,000 basaltic columns.
The exhibit says that "creationists today have an understanding of the formation of the earth which is different from that of current mainstream science".
It continues: “Young earth creationists believe that the earth was created some 6,000 years ago. This is based on a specific interpretation of the Bible and in particular the account of creation in the book of Genesis… Young earth creationists continue to debate questions about the age of the earth.”
A full transcript of the exhibit can be found on the National Trust’s press office blog.
Rebecca Williams, an academic from Leicester University’s department of geology, called the inclusion “a grave error of judgement” in a blog post about the issue.
“The approach of the National Trust here is unfortunate. For the Young Earth Creationists’ belief that the Earth was created less than 6,000 years ago is simply wrong – as wrong as to say that the Earth is flat, or that the Moon is made out of green cheese,” she wrote. “It does not form part of any rational debate – and for many, it is not even a theological debate.”
Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, Richard Dawkins said it was regrettable that the trust had “paid lip service to the ignorant bigotry”.
And TV science personality Brian Cox tweeted: “I don't mind creation stories presented as mythology, but to suggest there is any debate that earth is 4.54 billion years old is pure sh*t.”
At the time of writing more than 3,000 people had signed a petition urging the National Trust to remove the creationist exhibit from the Giant’s Causeway visitors’ centre.
But the National Trust has defended the exhibit.
It said in a statement: “The interpretation in the visitor centre showcases the science of how the stones were formed, the history of this special place and the stories of local characters.
"We reflect, in a small part of the exhibition, that the causeway played a role in the historic debate about the formation of the earth, and that for some people this debate continues today. The National Trust fully supports the scientific explanation for the creation of the stones 60 million years ago.”
The £18.5m visitors’ centre has been designed as a gateway to the site for the 600,000 people who visit each year. Funded by the European Regional Development Fund, the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, the Heritage Lottery Fund and the National Trust, it is hoped the centre will increase capacity by about 30%.
The centre opened last week and quickly attracted attention for the inclusion of references to creationist theory in its interpretation. At the heart of the controversy is an audio-based interactive re-enacting early debates between Victorian geologists about the origins of the 40,000 basaltic columns.
The exhibit says that "creationists today have an understanding of the formation of the earth which is different from that of current mainstream science".
It continues: “Young earth creationists believe that the earth was created some 6,000 years ago. This is based on a specific interpretation of the Bible and in particular the account of creation in the book of Genesis… Young earth creationists continue to debate questions about the age of the earth.”
A full transcript of the exhibit can be found on the National Trust’s press office blog.
Rebecca Williams, an academic from Leicester University’s department of geology, called the inclusion “a grave error of judgement” in a blog post about the issue.
“The approach of the National Trust here is unfortunate. For the Young Earth Creationists’ belief that the Earth was created less than 6,000 years ago is simply wrong – as wrong as to say that the Earth is flat, or that the Moon is made out of green cheese,” she wrote. “It does not form part of any rational debate – and for many, it is not even a theological debate.”
Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, Richard Dawkins said it was regrettable that the trust had “paid lip service to the ignorant bigotry”.
And TV science personality Brian Cox tweeted: “I don't mind creation stories presented as mythology, but to suggest there is any debate that earth is 4.54 billion years old is pure sh*t.”
At the time of writing more than 3,000 people had signed a petition urging the National Trust to remove the creationist exhibit from the Giant’s Causeway visitors’ centre.
But the National Trust has defended the exhibit.
It said in a statement: “The interpretation in the visitor centre showcases the science of how the stones were formed, the history of this special place and the stories of local characters.
"We reflect, in a small part of the exhibition, that the causeway played a role in the historic debate about the formation of the earth, and that for some people this debate continues today. The National Trust fully supports the scientific explanation for the creation of the stones 60 million years ago.”
The £18.5m visitors’ centre has been designed as a gateway to the site for the 600,000 people who visit each year. Funded by the European Regional Development Fund, the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, the Heritage Lottery Fund and the National Trust, it is hoped the centre will increase capacity by about 30%.