Popular US science presenter Bill Nye has condemned the Answers in Genesis creationist organisation for teaching young people humans were not responsible for climate change.
Nye toured the Ark Encounter theme park in Kentucky with its founder Ken Ham.
Ham had invited Nye to the park, which depicts the young-earth creationist view of human origins, after an earlier debate between them in 2014. Nye, an atheist, is a strident critic of creationism, the view that the earth is only around 6,000 years old and that dinosaurs and humans existed at the same time.
Nye said in a statement yesterday: "I chose to visit the Ark Encounter to see for myself the extent of its influence on young people."
He continued: "The influence is strong. I spoke with a lot of kids (and took a great many selfies). Almost all of them do not accept that humans are causing climate change — and that is the Answers In Genesis ministry's fault. Through its dioramas and signage, the organization promotes ideas that are absolutely wrong scientifically, while suppressing critical thinking in our students — which is in no one's best interest, conservative or progressive."
The Ark Encounter park includes a ful-scale replica of Noah's Ark, built to what Ham believes were the original specifications. Ham described his meeting with Nye in a Facebook post in which he said it "turned into an almost 2 hour debate as we walked through all three decks of the Ark".
The encounter, which took place in the presence of visitors, was filmed with the consent of both participants. Ham said: "It was a clash of world views. At one point I asked Bill: what would happen to you when you die? He said when you die 'you're done'. I then asked him why he was concerned about what we were teaching at the Ark if when we die we're 'done'. He also stated that it's 'not crazy to believe we descended from Martians'. I then asked Nye if it was 'crazy to believe we descended from Adam and Eve!'"
Ham said he had asked Nye if he could pray for him. "He said I could do whatever I want as he couldn't stop me. So while a large group of people were gathered around, I publicly prayed for Bill. I did ask him if we could be friends, but he said we could be acquaintances with mutual respect, but not friends."
Ham said the encounter ended with a "friendly handshake".
The park has drawn more than 30,000 visitors since it opened on July 7. However, Nye said in his statement: "On a hopeful note, the parking lots were largely empty, and the ark building is unfinished. We can hope it will close soon."
