We Believe in Dinosaurs

A balanced look into a movement in which I grew up and which I no longer accept. The documentary favors the mainstream scientific view and discusses some of the what and why around creationism. My only criticism is a tiny and maybe a silly one: the background music felt a bit leading in a few places. Overall in spite of that, I like that the film respects your space by letting you form your own conclusions about the conversations it presents. I would like more of this content.

Fair, balanced look at a disturbing trend in conservative America. With unprecedented access to the inner workings of young-earth creationism, the filmmakers explore the construction of an evangelistic "theme park" built with taxpayer money in violation of the separation of church and state.

"How can anyone believe this?" will be one of the most popular responses to this film, similar to critical exposés of the flat-earth movement and other cult-like communities at the fringe of society. It's a valid question to ask, so long as it's done sincerely. But what will you do with the answer? One of the monumental achievements by the filmmakers was to provide an insider's look at the construction of the Ark Encounter, along with genuine testimony from its creators, without coming off as unfairly mocking or derogatory. I applaud the director for letting so many key players at Answers in Genesis speak their mind and explain their positions. The goal of this film, as I understood it, was never to ridicule. Rather, it should help the viewer understand *why* the creationist movement can be so persuasive and become pervasive in modern society. Yes, the film does its job to provide critical commentary from active scientists and exposes the deceptive political and economic strategies utilized to build the attraction. But please don't forget: Ken Ham, Answers in Genesis, and those who collectively donated tens of millions of dollars are not a fringe cult that might be swept under the rug. Any group who can raise this level of support—including the swaying of government offices at local, state, and national levels—is part and parcel of your society, like it or not. They vote with you on policy, deciding *with you* how to elect leaders, how to prioritize and fund education and research, and how to advance technology. If you care about these things as I do (I'm an Earth science researcher/educator), then you have no choice but to understand this paradigm and engage it. Anyone can stand back and poke fun, but where does that get us? This film excellently demonstrates the challenge of those who would dare get involved. Yes, it's difficult to call the proposed scientific framework behind Ken Ham's museums anything but 'ridiculous'. The flaws are so rampant and obvious that most will struggle to take it seriously enough to engage. But if that's your position, you're probably looking on as an outsider, right? ;) Ken Ham continues to build on the early success of folks like Henry Morris, who published 'scientific sounding' explanations of geological phenomena, using Noah's flood as the principal mechanism. It matters little that their work will never impact disciplines in the Earth and life sciences. Ham doesn't need to convince researchers that Noah's flood deposited the strata of the Grand Canyon; he only needs to persuade non-scientists in the church that it's *plausible*. He thrives on appeal to authority, of which all of us are guilty at times. We have a proclivity to trust experts who reinforce our core beliefs (whether political, religious, or otherwise). Fortunately for Ham, he has found representatives in biology, geology, astronomy, and so forth, who would testify that the scientific evidence better supports his proposed timeline of Earth history. Upon hearing that "if they compromise the stories of Genesis, then all their faith is without a foundation", Ham's audience will rush to hear from Dr. Georgia Purdom on how to interpret the Human Genome Project, regardless of what others have to say. It's an extremely effective strategy, applied not only to creationism but to advance skepticism in medicine, food science, and environmental issues (especially climate change). Please, watch this film and share it. This issue will not simply fade, if we remain ignorant and insensitive of its inner workings.