The Heads of the evangelical churches in Kenya, led by the Bishop Boniface Adoyo, who is the leader of the Christ is The Answer Ministries of the Nairobi Pentecostal Church, want the world acclaimed hominid fossils of the “origin of man” – undoubtedly among Kenya’s few true claims to fame, hidden away in a back room of the museum, for fear that they will influence christian children away from Christianity to belief in the darwinian theory of evolution.
According to the churches, with a following of 6 million, a concerted effort will be made to ensure that the musuem does exactly as they have asked.
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Dr. Richard Leakey: “The Most ridiculous comments I have ever heard”
Let us be clear. The churches must be ignored and short thrift be given to their particular brand of heckling. The most complete skeleton of Homo Erectus was found by Dr. Richard Leakey in 1984 near Lake Turkana. The bones of several specimens of the Australopithecus anamensis, were found much earlier.
Is it only now that the churches have known of their existence? Did we, the 8-4-4 crowd not grow up studying the theory of evolution in school as well as the creation theory? Did we not make our minds up as to what is truth in our midst? Those of us that chose to be christians, saved christians – did so with full knowledge of the Darwinian theory.
Why now .does the church seem to panic?
This latest outburst from the Pentecostals is reminiscent of the church’s needless upheaval over the best selling book by Dan Brown, the Da Vinci Code and more specifically its movie. Roundly dismissing the book and the subsequent movie, the church dismissed the book as “shameful and unfounded lies”, the Vatican urged people to boycott it and in Kenya, churches went all out to roundly dismiss that “evil book and movie”.
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Bishop Boniface Adoyo: “We will write to them, we will call them, we will make sure our people know about this, and we will see what we can do to make our voice known.”
What the church actually did, was to manage a huge marketing campaign for the Da Vinci Code and make it a must see. If Dan Brown wins an award for the book, I can see him acknowledging the church of the world for popularizing his book so.
With their current shenanigans, the evangelical churches are doing the same – not only for the Darwinian theory but more importantly for the museum which is due to be re-opened in June, after a huge European Union funded face-lift.
But a more pertinent question is this: has the church lost grip of its faithful? Is it now that much easier to de-doctrinate a person from his or her socialization? Are there cracks in the façade?
Also, anyone who has read the legendary futurist Alvin Toffler and World History is aware of the rise and imminent fall of civilizations and empires. Are we in the transition of the decline of religion of Christianity to be specific as we know it?
Certainly less people are going to church than before, and more children are being brought up on more liberal spiritual grounds. Is the church – as it seems – clutching at straws, hanging on for its existence?
Regardless of the issues at hand, the hominid fossils must not be hidden away. Let the church find better ways of retaining its faithful… but if they are already inclined to leave, they will leave regardless of the excuse, don’t you think?