By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History unveiled a new exhibit on Wednesday depicting the evolution of man, and makes no mention of God or creationism.
CNSNews.com is reporting that the new exhibit, entitled “What Does it Mean to be Human?” claims that man originated in Africa some six million years ago. It also depicts the evolution of several now-extinct human ancestors and chronicles the effects of climate change on human survival and evolution.
During a press preview on Wednesday, Richard Potts, curator and director of the Smithsonian’s Human Origins Program, said the Smithsonian Institute has a “deep commitment to the study of evolution” and that the new permanent exhibit will answer “profound questions” about human origins.
When asked by CNSNews why the exhibit does not include any reference to God or address the continuing debate about Darwinian evolution, Potts replied that the Natural History Museum “is a science museum, and all the objects that a museum can possibly display about the origins of humans have been uncovered in the context of doing the science of evolution.”
Nothing in the exhibit has “come about as the result of reflection and commitment to a particular religious belief,” he added. “The Smithsonian cannot really be involved in picking which aspect of which religion to represent to the American public or the international public.”
He went on to say that they have tried to make the exhibit a “welcoming place” for people of all beliefs. “What we want is to make sure that there is a respectful and welcoming place in the Smithsonian for people to come,” he told CNSNews, “including people who may be averse to the topic of evolution, and let them see what science has uncovered.”
On the “Frequently Asked Questions” page of the exhibit’s website, the issue of religion is also addressed and makes a distinction between religious “stories” and scientific fact.
“Societies worldwide express their beliefs through a wide diversity of stories about how humans came into being. These stories reflect the universal curiosity people have about our origins. For millennia, they have played a vital role in helping people develop an identity and an understanding of themselves as well as of their community. This exhibit presents research and findings based on scientific methods that are distinct from these stories.”
The exhibit was funded mostly by the $15 million gift of David H. Koch, billionaire and one-time vice presidential candidate for the Libertarian party. It is located in a hall named after Koch and includes almost 300 objects, including 75 skulls, a “time tunnel,” and realistic busts of seven ancestors of Homo sapiens by artist John Gurche.
