The grounds and complex could and will make a great golf course in the middle of DC, District of Chernobyl. trump said.

The explanation creationists have often floated is that, in essence, God planted phony evidence to fool nonbelievers. My retort: Who would believe in a deity who does that? Then I remember who's in the White House. (Head desk.)

Such a great museum. I love visiting them all, from Smithsonian to some ladies collection of bottled reptiles. Always something to learn.

I went there a few times as a kid. I was just filled with awe and wonder. I would really love to go back again as an adult.

Funny story... I am related to William Jennings Bryan (yes, that one!), I forget if he's my great uncle, or great-great uncle (I will figure that out someday).

Anyway, I went to the Pike's Peak Zoo with my mom, aunt, and brother, where there was an evolution exhibit in the primate house; I will never forget my mother's revulsion to the thought of evolution and my aunt's response in agreement, meanwhile, I was thinking to myself "why not?"

I don't remember details, we lived in Colorado Springs for two years; we left AZ when I was five (1969), then moved to WA in 1971, so somewhere in that window.

A couple decades ago, I was at the Sonoran Desert Museum [desertmuseum.org] when I was looking at fossilized giant shrimp/lobsters and crabs from when AZ used to be under water, and thought to myself "does anyone not see how similar these are to scorpions and spiders!?" Rumor has it from tribes in South America that turantula even tastes like crab - why would that be? Are crabs actually underwater spiders? Shrimp & lobsters underwater scorpions?

That is very cool. When I ask my Muslim friend about fossil evidence, he tells me that god has put them there (each and every one) to test us. Why god would do this is unclear. This guy is really intelligent by the way but if you're told lies from birth, by your parents as well as your community, it's hard to escape them.

Jennifer, I am jealous. I want to visit that museum so bad. Perhaps next year, we shall see.

The 'just a theory' trope is very tired and needs to be put to rest. The claim reflects a complete lack of understanding on the part of the religionist of what a scientific theory actually is. In this case, the contributors to Wikipedia appear to have summarized the topic very well.

"A scientific theory is an explanation of an aspect of the natural world that can be repeatedly tested, in accordance with the scientific method, using a predefined protocol of observation and experiment. Established scientific theories have withstood rigorous scrutiny and embody scientific knowledge.

The definition of a scientific theory (often contracted to theory for the sake of brevity) as used in the disciplines of science is significantly different from the common vernacular usage of the word theory. In everyday speech, theory can imply that something is an unsubstantiated and speculative guess, the opposite of its meaning in science. These different usages are comparable to the opposing usages of prediction in science versus common speech, where it denotes a mere hope."

I would love to get to go see that! I have been reading "The Greatest Show on Earth" by Richard Dawkins. I love learning about evolution and since I live in the"buybull" belt I often need good facts to combat the ignorance.