The great clash between evolution and creation has begun and poking each other's beliefs are Bill Nye, also known as "The Science Guy," and Creation Museum and Answers in Genesis ministry founder Ken Ham.
Where did humans come from will be the fundamental question that both sides will try to answer. The debate is being broadcasted live over the Internet and is being seen by over a million people.
Nye is standing for the theory of evolution as proposed by Charles Darwin. The Science Guy has been known to believe that creationism is detrimental to the advancement of science. While not seen by all as a real scientist but as an entertainer, Nye is still expected to use the evidence approach to push the truth about evolution.
"Nye believes that creationism should not be taught in public or government schools, because it is not a valid scientific theory. He then asserts that since creationism, according to his analysis, is solely based on religious faith, which requires the acceptance of certain teachings without his definition of evidence, it should not be taught," reported Catholic Online.
Nye studied under the guidance of renowned cosmologist and American writer Carl Sagan. He believes that without evolution, the world will be like studying geology without believing in tectonic plates.
"I say to the grown-ups, 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," said Nye in a feature video for Big Think.
On the opposite end is Ham, who established a museum in Kentucky that is firm on its belief that earth is a 6,000-year-old planet and that humans interacted with dinosaurs. He is expected to argue about earth creationism and will present his own evidences. The foundation of his belief is that evolution cannot be the truth since it does not fit well with his faith.
"The way I work, I can do my best in convincing people because I don't have to do the convincing. God does the convincing," Ham said in an interview.
Ham's museum and ministry have also been marred with controversy for its belief and for its money matters. The ministry's 2012 tax return declares Ham's earnings at around $180,000 and the group spending over a million for advertisement. Ham is also leading a move to build Ark Encounter, a theme park-like venture that has so far garnered $14 million in the form of donations and around $2 million in terms of memberships. Ham said that profits from the debate will not be used for the Ark.
As host, the Creation Museum will cover the expenses of Nye and most likely a speaking engagement fee of at least $50,000.
Ham and Nye's sponsored debate plus creation versus evolution has a good chance of becoming a grand circus.
