A creationist museum has opened in Boise, Idaho. The facility is founded with the mission of disputing evolution and promoting "true science" in accordance with Christian teachings.
The Northwest Science Museum promotes biblical explanations for natural phenomenon, and rejects many mainstream scientific principles. Displays are aimed at explaining how our modern world was created in six days by an omnipotent being, roughly 6,000 years ago.
"We want to show a lot of science that's being censored and not presented to the public," Doug Bennett, the museum's executive director, told the Idaho Statesman.
A private group of people from around Idaho successfully launched their museum, with one employee and several volunteers.
"This museum would display similar exhibits to the well-known natural history museums... but interpreted from a Biblical world view... [t]o lead people to a better understanding of God by viewing His creation," the group wrote on the museum website.
Exhibits at the museum include displays on animals, gems and minerals, and a local section on Idaho. Displays allow visitors to view Earth since the beginning of time, which the museum believes started sometime around 4,000 years before the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. The exhibit continues through the events of Noah's Ark and a global flood, and the Tower of Babel.
Exhibits also include displays questioning the lineage of Homo sapiens and validity of carbon dating techniques.
The Northwest Science Center opened small on 14 June, with the Vision center, a cozy facility next door to a retail gaming outlet.
Many of the displays come from sponsors private collections. The facility cost around $10,000 to open, according to the founders. Bennett told the press his organization is not affiliated with any church.
"[We are] just a group of us that have kind of the same idea of promoting true science," Bennett told the press.
The group plans to one day expand their museum to 450,000 square feet. Plans are underway to build a full-sized replica of Noah's Ark. If enough financing is secured, the museum could, one day, expand to include a planetarium, lecture hall, gift shop, cafe, and chapel.
One day, the museum may charge an entrance fee. But for now, it is free, and open most afternoons, on weekdays.
This is not the first facility of its type in the country. The Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky was built seven years ago, using $27 million in private funds.
Bennett reported opening week was mostly positive for the group, apart from several emails from "atheists and naysayers."
