A Giant Thing for BT3 (and a rant against Creationism)

If you are a regular reader of "Bill of the Birds," the birding (and miscellaneous) blog of Bill Thompson, III, you know of his penchant for Giant Things. A while ago, I saw a human interest story on the local news that featured a Giant Thing, and knew that I would have to track it down and photograph it for him. So, Bill, this Giant Horseshoe Crab's for you!

"World's Largest Horseshoe Crab
and Scripture Garden"

The back story of this roadside attraction is a bit odd. Originally, it was commissioned for the Columbus Center Maritime Museum on the harbor in Baltimore, Maryland. The museum closed before it opened (financial reasons) and the crab was cut into 9 pieces and dismantled. It was then purchased for display at the "Creation Museum" in Kentucky, but turned out to be too big for the facility. It eventually was donated to the Freedom Worship Baptist Church for their use in a Creation-themed exhibit at their Freedom Hall in Blanchester, OH.

side view of "the Crab"

You can walk into the crab from the rear end.

You could even be married here,
if you are so inclined.

Now, maybe you, like me, are asking yourself, "What does a giant horseshoe crab have to do with God and creation?" Luckily, that question is answered in the brochure kindly supplied to me by an elderly gentleman working at the Freedom Hall when I stopped by on Saturday afternoon. (Yes, they have a hall, a Giant Crab, a brochure, and a scripture garden, but they are still holding their Sunday services in the Blanchester High School. Great use of resources.)

Quoting now from the brochure:

"As science still attempts to disprove the Bible and the foundational basis of God's creation, the evidence still stands that the heaven and earth were created in just 6 literal days. ... The horseshoe crab crushes all evolutionary beliefs as it has not changed since it's creation on day five."

What the heck? Because the horseshoe crab hasn't evolved, then nothing else has? What kind of logic is that? What about the Peppered Moth, Biston betularia,which has mutated twice in the last two hundred years? This moth, a native of England, was originally light in color, to camouflage itself against light-colored lichens and tree bark. When the Industrial Revolution killed off the lichens and stained the tree trunks dark with soot, the Peppered Moth adapted. The lighter colored typia variety began dying out, and Nature selected for the darker form, carbonaria. Thus, in response to environmental pollution, the Peppered Moth evolved to a different form.

Lest you think this was mere coincidence, it should be noted that with improved environmental protection standards, the typia variation has become more common again. Now that trees are less sooty, the darker variety is less well camouflaged and experiences more predation, thus the lighter forms are returning to previous levels.

Take that, you "Intelligent" Design fanatics.