Repackaging Darwin: avoiding the “e”-word
Answers in Genesis posts,
As evolution activists are proclaiming molecules-to-man evolution with even greater intensity and are correspondingly increasing their attacks on creationist groups, Answers in Genesis has noticed that many of these secularists seem to have employed a new, subtle tactic. In their attempt to more deeply entrench an evolutionary mindset in society, marketing-savvy evolutionists have apparently noticed that the word evolution has become such a loaded term today that it is turning off a large segment of the U.S. population who dismiss evolution outright (or have grave doubts about its scientific merits). Accordingly, it appears that shrewd evolutionists have been sneaking in their worldview through the back door.
The avoidance of the “e word” is even seen with Christian colleges that teach evolution as fact. If you are a Christian parent looking to send your son or daughter to a Christian college and are reading a catalog from a prospective institution, it is unlikely you will see a summary of its science curricula that will include the word evolution. The most prominent Christian colleges today either teach evolution as fact or have professors who present the handmaid of evolution—millions and billions of years of history. Those teachings in the classroom are intentionally not shared openly by most Christian colleges, for fear of turning off prospective parents or students with the use of the “e word.” Furthermore, when some of these colleges are asked if they believe in creation, the staff will answer in the affirmative and say they believe in a Creator, all the while hiding the fact that theistic evolution reigns in their classrooms.
With this article, we will present another example of how the “e word” can be assiduously avoided so that a potential market (Bible-believing Christians and others), will not be put off when considering a product or service.
It was on TV that we were first alerted to what seemed to be a major traveling exhibition on dinosaurs. In the first two seconds of the TV commercial, the words “65 million years” appeared. We knew right away that with the figure of 65 million years, which is so often associated with the end of the dinosaur period, signaled a promotion of something related to dinosaurs and the evolutionary timeline of history. Indeed, the TV ad was advertising a traveling exhibition on dinosaurs—“Discover the Dinosaurs”—that was being held about 20 miles from AiG’s Creation Museum. Our museum happens to contain several dinosaur exhibits, including some animatronic dinosaur models.
A few AiG staff members toured the exhibition last month. We estimate that perhaps two-thirds of the expo hall was actually taken up by children’s activities (offered at an extra cost to the general admission fee), not for educational exhibits on dinosaurs. It was clear that the exhibition was primarily designed to draw children, and more importantly, their parents’ dollars. The “educational” value of the dinosaur models was of secondary importance to the expensive fun things to do.
As staff members read the exhibit signs (though sometimes difficult to read given the darkened hall), they were struck by the observation that the word evolution was largely absent. At the same time, particular euphemisms were used in the place of evolution, and these replacement words were found throughout the display of 50-plus dinosaur models (with only a handful of them being animatronic). “Discover the Dinosaurs” was evolution-filled yet was presented largely without using the “e word.”
Read the full article for further info, pics, and video from the tour.