Creation Museum launches 'most powerful pro-life exhibit in the world'
The Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky, has launched a groundbreaking new pro-life exhibit addressing the question: “When does human life begin?”
The $1.2 million exhibit, titled “Fearfully and Wonderfully Made,” opened Sept. 25 and features life-like models depicting a baby’s development in the womb, 4D ultrasound videos, and biblical and scientific evidence that human life begins at fertilization.
Creation Museum CEO Ken Ham told The Christian Post that he, along with the staff at Answers in Genesis, the ministry behind the museum, wanted to build a pro-life exhibit that would impact people from all walks of life.
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“As a ministry, we're all about biblical authority and a Christian worldview,” he said. “Abortion is one of the key social issues of today, and we knew it would be an even bigger political issue this year because of the election. We wanted to make something that was powerful and stunning and would help people be more informed about this issue.”
The name of the exhibit, “Fearfully and Wonderfully Made,” comes from a phrase in Psalm 139:14: “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.”
“The Bible is clear that all humans are made in the image of God and have inherent value and worth,” Ham said. “We go through the biblical relevance of all of that.”
The exhibit not only focuses on what the Bible says about life, but also examines the science behind genetics, human reproduction, and sperm and egg fertilization. It offers evidence that an unborn baby is not merely an extension of a woman's body, but a unique individual.
“We explain that scientifically at fertilization you have a unique combination of information for both mother and father,” Ham said. “In other words, you are not just a part of a woman’s body. You are scientifically a unique individual at fertilization.”
The research and text for the exhibit was overseen by AiG’s anatomist, David Menton, Ph.D., who served as an award-winning professor at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis for 34 years.
Visually, the exhibit is “exquisite,” Ham said. With the models on display, guests can see how the baby develops over the nine-month period, along with 4D footage of babies growing in the womb. Associated signs present the biblical and scientific evidence that life begins at fertilization. The models, Ham said, are “breathtaking.”
“Our artists and designers couldn't find models that were anywhere near the quality that we wanted, so they used computer programs to design models from a fertilized egg all the way through to a baby,” Ham said. “Each stage corresponds with certain aspects of human development such as when the heartbeat starts, when the fingerprints appear, and so on, all the way through to a baby just before birth.”
The exhibit also deals with difficult issues like miscarriage and abortion, reminding attendees that God’s love covers pain, sorrow, and guilt. As part of the exhibit, the Creation Museum provides resources to pregnancy and counseling centers and adoption.
“We explain that abortion is killing a human being made in the image of God, and that it certainly is against God's Word,” Ham said. “We explain the reality of what a child is, scientifically and biblically.”
Yet, the exhibit stresses “hope,” he said, adding: “We focus on God’s love and forgiveness, and that’s important. We give viewers an understanding that God is a God who forgives, and He's a God of love so that they can be assured of that. It's a very positive exhibit.”
“Fearfully and Wonderfully Made,” he stressed, is “not an anti-abortion exhibit.”
“We do take a stand against abortion, but the exhibit really focuses on the biblical relevance that we’re fearfully and wonderfully made and details from the Bible, what God's Word says about humanity, and how humans are made in God's image,” he explained. “It’s not attacking anyone, but we do deal with the reality of what abortion is.”
“Fearfully and Wonderfully Made” is phase one of a two-part exhibit, Ham said. Currently, designers are building a “much bigger exhibit” with “a lot more information,” including the “incredible design of the placenta” and other aspects many people aren’t aware of.
“There’s going to be a lot more information coming when we get phase two done,” he said. “But I believe personally, 'Fearfully and Wonderfully Made' is the most powerful pro-life exhibit in the world.”
Ham added that in an election season — and with President Trump's nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court — the issue of abortion has become “pretty emotional” for many people.
“I would like to see this exhibit have an impact in regard to that,” he said. “I hope people will see it and become more informed and educated and know how to talk about this issue. It’s a very timely exhibit. I hope it will be used to speak into this issue in our culture.”
