The Creation Debate between Ken Ham & Bill Nye in Sane Wailings

Last night, I was one of half a million people who went to you tube to watch a debate between Creationist Ken Ham and Bill Nye, the Science Guy. It was over two and half hours and I was actually impressed with how civil it went.

One man was arguing that the Earth is only six thousand years old, that Noah's flood (which wiped out all life, occurred only four thousand years ago. Ken Ham's attempt to prove that creationism deserves to be taught in the classroom was absolutely ridiculous. It was something that Bill Nye had little trouble tearing down, showing us fossils, tree lines and other 'facts' accepting by the scientific community that proves the earth is in fact billions of years old.

There were a few parts of Ken Ham's 'presentation' I found quite disturbing. He used the first several minutes of his time to introduce scientists who happen to also be creationists, as if that made a difference in what they were talking about. It got to the point where it felt like Ken Ham introducing scientists who believes in creationism was like listening to someone say "I have a black friend so therefore I am not a racist."

Then there was the debate over carbon testing. Really? Ham tried to debunk all carbon testing as fake because obviously a fossil that's over 100,000 years old would debunk your bible and it's claim that the world is only 6000 years old. He tried to debunk Bill Nye by saying since we were not there to see humans evolve, we can't prove it. You weren't there so it's all an assumption. Well Ken, you weren't there when Moses parted the red sea, or when Mary was knocked up by an angel or when the big flood occurred. Doesn't that make what the bible says nothing more than assumptions as well? You weren't there when the bible was written so we have no idea if it really is the word of an almighty entity. That sword cuts both ways Ken...

Bill was right on target, which was that creationism doesn't meet the standard to be taught in public science classes and he's right. We have evidence, actual evidence, that debunks the bible. The world isn't flat, it's round. The Earth orbits the sun, not the other way around which is what the bible says! It's evident that the bible is flawed and incorrect in many places so it doesn't require a leap to say that all of it is unproven, man made fiction.

Nye was quite articulate in his answers, using ice, trees and even the stars as evidence that debunked the young Earth nonsense. Ham replied by trying to tell everyone that the bible was/is infallible, but doesn't have a single shred of evidence to back that up. I love how Nye responded by saying the bible was translated too much to be taken a face value, that it comes from a long game of telephone. Brilliant come back. Then Nye challenged Ham for being a cherry picker Christian.... stating that he only takes 'some parts' of the bible literally, not all of it, pointing out Ham's hypocrisy.

In the end, it wasn't even close. Ham looked like a fool that had no clue what he was talking about, attempting to debunk anything that disagreed with him and evade real questions when asked by Nye and audience members. Nye on the other hand took on every question he was asked, stayed on topic and came across as a genuine person who truly is passionate about real science. Nye even had the courage to say "I don't know" when asked about something he really didn't know. He went on to state that it's those mysteries, those unknowns that motivate scientists to keep looking for the answers. It's what inspires people. Never be afraid to say "I don't know" cause that is the beginning of a great journey towards discovery. Great response by Nye.

Another problem I had listening to Ken Ham's argument: reading the Bible isn't observational science. It's just reading. There is no actual evidence that proves any of it ever happened. Combine that with the fact that Nye was presenting evidence that is backed up by millions of scientists (many who are also Christian) debunked Ham and made him look like a raving fool.

The part of the debate that really stuck out for me was when both men were asked this viewer question: what would it take to change your mind?

Ken Ham's response: Nothing.

Bill Nye's answer: Evidence.

That tells us all we really need to know about this debate. Here's a great cartoon that perfectly captures what happened last night:

Just like last weekend's Superbowl, it wasn't even close. Bill Nye crushed him...

Peter