Creationist Museum Director Sued by Australian Group

Last week, Kenneth Ham launched a $27 million museum designed to highlight the views of creationists. Now, he's being sued in Australia by the evangelical organization he helped set up and that helped him enter the U.S. evangelical movement two decades ago.

The Australian reports that the conflict revolves around a three-year power struggle between the Brisbane-based Creation Ministries International and Ham's U.S.-based group, Answers in Genesis -- in particular, over the Aussie organization's production of a creationist magazine that has 35,000 U.S. subscribers.

A report prepared for the Australian group by former New South Wales chief magistrate Clarrie Briese accuses the American organization of "unbiblical/unethical/unlawful behaviour" toward the Australian ministry, which Briese says was intended to force the Australian organization into bankruptcy.

Bartholomew's Notes on Religion blog offers some notes on the conflict. Ham and his organization have made no public comments on the lawsuit.

(Tom Update from Friday: Sometimes bad luck takes on a life of its own. Ken Ham's creationist museum has removed a short-film exhibit about Adam and Eve because the guy playing Adam has a rather risque past. The Associated Press reports that Eric Linden said he only playing a role.

"For the Creation Museum, I did what I did as an actor. It doesn't necessarily mean I believe in evolution or a believe in creation," Linden said. "I'm hired to get a point across. On the flip side, if I was hired to play a murderer, that doesn't mean I'd go out and kill somebody. It's make-believe."

Ironically enough, many of Ham's critics have made the same remark about his entire museum.)

12:17 PM ET | 06- 7-2007 | permalink