Creation Museum Selling (really old) Mastodon Skull

[01101001]

AP: Creation Museum Selling Mastodon Skull (http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5htlFS6c4po-hqinVoOyLenT776pQD8U7V0QG0)

A Texas museum that teaches creationism is counting on the auction of a prehistoric mastodon skull to stave off extinction. The founder and curator of the Mt. Blanco Fossil Museum, which rejects evolution and claims that man and dinosaurs coexisted, said it will close unless the Volkswagen-sized skull finds a generous bidder.

"If it sells, well, then we can come another day," Joe Taylor said. "This is very important to our continuing."

Heritage Auction Galleries says the skull is estimated to be 40,000 years old, and projects it will fetch upward of $160,000. The artifact discovered in La Grange in 2004 is believed to be the largest of its kind, Heritage spokesman David Herskowitz said.

Wait. Aren't they claiming the skull is 40,000 years old just to inflate its auction value?

Mt. Blanco Museum (http://www.mtblanco.com/MtBlancoTour.htm)

This mastodon is the one that was found with living bacteria still in its intestines. Our museum maintains that this is evidence that this animal couldn’t be 11,000 years old.

Edit: Oops. Those are different mastodons. I can't find a young-age claim for the one they are selling. But, it appears they blame Noah's flood for most fossils.

[Occam]

I don't understand, why don't they just pray for more money, instead of trying to sell a worthless old elephant skull that didn't make it onto the ark? If God didn't want it, why should anyone else?

Ironic, isn't it, that a "museum" that preaches - sorry, teaches - creationism, should be facing extinction? Does that mean that God doesn't like them either?

[Moose]

You know, I'm of two minds on this. That mastodon skull deserves a home with folks who will appreciate it for what it is. On the other hand, failing to sell it...

Ah heck, the folks who would go there are already pretty much doomed anyway. Rescue the poor mastodon skull. Let it serve to educate the masses somewhere nice.

The creationist museum will run out of cash again soon enough. It's not like people are actually paying the admission price, right?

[Noclevername]

I'm of just one mind. Let the skull go back in the ground, where it's been for 40,000 years. After the "museum" goes bust, you can get it a lot cheaper.

Ignorance and delusion should not be encouraged or supported. They should be stamped out like the blight on humanity they are.

[novaderrik]

but i thought the earth was only 10,000 years old?
i'm confused...

[Occam]

but i thought the earth was only 10,000 years old?
i'm confused...
Lies! It's 4,500 years and the flood didn't happen until after a whole lot of down home begatting.

[Doodler]

Lies! It's 4,500 years and the flood didn't happen until after a whole lot of down home begatting.
5,400, depending on your sources.

[Maksutov]

Per the renowned James Ussher (http://www.lhup.edu/%7Edsimanek/ussher.htm) (1581-1656), Archbishop of Armagh, Primate of All Ireland, and Vice-Chancellor of Trinity College in Dublin, the universe was created on Sunday, October 23, 4004 BCE. That makes it (let's see, carry the one...) about 6011 years and nine months old. BTW, kind of ironic that a 15th century creationist would also be a primate. http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/566/iconwink6tn.gif

The creationists at the museum are probably following an old fundamentalist axiom, i.e., "It's OK to lie to the heathens." They are most likely telling the unwashed potential buyers the age the sellers think they want to hear, while telling the believers visiting the museum the "true" age of the fossil.

[Frog march]

If you go to a creationist museum, just remember, if they say the sandwiches, in the cafe, are 30minutes old..........

[montebianco]

You know, I'm of two minds on this. That mastodon skull deserves a home with folks who will appreciate it for what it is. On the other hand, failing to sell it...

Well, there's a potential outcome that should keep you happy then. The museum goes broke, the mastodon skull is auctioned off during the bankruptcy to some non-creationist museum that puts it on display, but the auction price is too low to provide sufficient funding for the creationist museum to reopen.

How's that?

[montebianco]

If you go to a creationist museum, just remember, if they say the sandwiches, in the cafe, are 30minutes old..........

I saw someone a few weeks ago wearing a sweatshirt from the creationist museum, that said something along the lines of "I visited - I believe" (quote from memory - perhaps faulty). I did not speak or otherwise communicate (apart from reading her sweatshirt) with this person.

[Michael Noonan]

Originally Posted by Occam
Lies! It's 4,500 years and the flood didn't happen until after a whole lot of down home begatting.
5,400, depending on your sources.

Both right, maybe. The point is they could auction it off to some creationist who would be willing to pay a lot of money to destroy a work of the devil.

[NEOWatcher]

5,400, depending on your sources.
6000 according to thier website (http://www.creationevidence.org/cemframes.html).

According to my search, this story is all over the internet. A lot of the articles even bold the statement about it being 40000 years old.

It's good to know so many people caught this.

[Noclevername]

Here in the Bible Belt, they actually have TV ads for the Creationist Museum. Bleah. I'm so glad I have a TV remote to quick-switch or quick-mute such things! Otherwise I might just have to go all Elvis Presley on my TV!

[closetgeek]

I was going to point out; the only way you can have a well rounded argument is by fully understanding the view of your opponent. It dawned on me that, as I just might visit a creationist museum out of pure curiosity, I would not advertise that fact.

I saw someone a few weeks ago wearing a sweatshirt from the creationist museum, that said something along the lines of "I visited - I believe" (quote from memory - perhaps faulty). I did not speak or otherwise communicate (apart from reading her sweatshirt) with this person.

[mike alexander]

How about a T-shirt saying "Veni, Vidi, Credo"? That might be cool.

[Noclevername]

How about a T-shirt saying "Veni, Vidi, Credo"? That might be cool.

They don't want no funny furriner words! They only want their shirts wrote in reg'lar Amurrican!

[Maksutov]

6000 according to thier website (http://www.creationevidence.org/cemframes.html).

According to my search, this story is all over the internet. A lot of the articles even bold the statement about it being 40000 years old.

It's good to know so many people caught this.That's a different creationist museum from the Mt. Blanco Fossil Museum.

The one in your link (Creation Evidence Museum) is run by "Dr." Carl Baugh (http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/paluxy/degrees.html), who still hangs on to his long-debunked "'man tracks' along side dinosaurs footprints" claim. His TV show appears nightly on the local channel that spews various TBN (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity_Broadcasting_Network) offal. I've unblocked the channel temporarily to see if our self-proclaimed doctor of something or other mentions the mastodon skull.

[montebianco]

How about a T-shirt saying "Veni, Vidi, Credo"? That might be cool.

Veni, Vidi, Non Credo.

[Noclevername]

Veni, Vidi, proved it wrong-i.

[Doodler]

Meh, more like "Veni, Vidi, Vomit".

[NEOWatcher]

That's a different creationist museum from the Mt. Blanco Fossil Museum.
Thanks for the correction. It was hard to determine from the articles.

The skull sold for $191,200 on Jan 20 (http://mtblanco.com/ForSale/2006/FourTuskMastodon.html)
Pending Bankruptcy court approval.

No claims of age, and no claims of when the flood occured. Although; I am very disappointed that the media did not try to ask the question and report on what was said.