Hey! Did you ever want to go to the Creationist Museum but couldnt find the time?

[Pico and ME]

Well now you can.

IU Atheist Make Online Stir with Creation Science Museum Video

Bloomington, IN, December 12, 2008 - Indiana University students made a noticeable splash in the blogosphere when atheist and science blogs linked to their video account of a field trip to a creation science museum. Popular blogs Pharyngula and Friendly Atheist began the tide of attention that resulted in the video being watched over 12,000 times in less than two days since its December 10th release.

The full video can be found at http://saiu.org/2008/12/10/creation-museum-trip-video/.

The video was edited by club treasurer Eoban Binder and features members and friends of SAIU reacting to the Petersberg, Kentucky museum during their November visit. The video opens with the group excitedly sharing their expectations while gathering on the Bloomington campus. One member states that she expects the museum will seem hilarious until she realizes that people actually believe its message. The group includes a high number students in the sciences, and throughout the video, they point out flaws and inconsistencies in the exhibits while other members supply sarcastic interpretations in the museum's defense. In the final scene, one member summarizes his experience when he calls the museum a "nexus of all the misinformation and propaganda against science and progressive education."

Reactions to the group video have been both positive and negative. PZ Myers is a noted biologist and atheist blogger who appeared in "Expelled", Ben Stein's 2008 documentary film on the creationism/evolution debate. When posting the video, Myers stated that SAIU's willingness to pay the museum and make the video meant nobody else needed to go. Similar remarks were made by Hehmant Mehta, chair of the national Secular Student Alliance board of directors. "Save your money," he wrote. "Don't go visit (in case you were tempted). Just watch Eoban Binder's video." Mehta will be visiting Purdue and IU campuses in March of 2009.

The Creation Museum was founded by the creationist organization Answers in Genesis, which promotes a literal interpretation of the Bible including the six day creation. SAIU registered as a group using its real name and openly discussed its plans on the group's forum. As a result, they came to the attention of the Answers in Genesis US CEO Ken Ham, who wrote about SAIU on his own blog the day the group visited. He suggested that the group is evangelistic in its atheism and that its members must "hate the creation/gospel message being presented so powerfully in the culture." He nonetheless welcomed SAIU. The museum's website is creationmuseum.org.

The Secular Alliance of IU joins together atheists, agnostics, freethinkers, skeptics and humanists on IU's campus to promote a naturalistic way of thinking over one which is based on belief in the supernatural. The group's goal is to unite people with a common trust in science, reason, and logic. The SAIU hosts events to discuss and promote a scientific view of the world, to help others gain a better understanding of secular beliefs, and to call into question common superstitions of our time.

This is from an email.