Scientist Fights Church Effort to Hide Museum's Pre-Human Fossils

[Evo]

It's frightening to see that there are groups of people that want to hide reality from the populace. I hope the Museum has the guts to realize they have a responsibility to the public not to cave into fanatic groups.

"Famed paleoanthropologist Richard Leakey is giving no quarter to powerful evangelical church leaders who are pressing Kenya's national museum to relegate to a back room its world-famous collection of hominid fossils showing the evolution of humans' early ancestors.

Leakey called the churches' plans "the most outrageous comments I have ever heard."

Bishop Adoyo said all the country's churches would unite to force the museum to change its focus when it reopens after eighteen months of renovations in June 2007. "We will write to them, we will call them, we will make sure our people know about this, and we will see what we can do to make our voice known," he said.

It was these comments Leakey termed outrageous. Calling members of the Pentecostal church fundamentalists, Leakey added: "Their theories are far, far from the mainstream on this. They cannot be allowed to meddle with what is the world's leading collection of these types of fossils."

http://www.livescience.com/othernews/061203_richard_leakey.html

 

[tehno]

It's frightening to see that there are groups of people that want to hide reality from the populace.

Nothing strange about it.
Truth hurts quite sometimes in many cases ,in many ways..

 

[Architeuthis Dux]

As a scientist, it is my duty to uphold the pursuit of knowledge and understanding through evidence-based research. It is concerning to see that there are groups attempting to suppress scientific findings and promote their own beliefs, especially in a public institution like a museum. The fossils in question are not just important for the scientific community, but also for the public to learn about our evolutionary history.

It is important for museums to remain impartial and present information based on scientific evidence, rather than catering to the demands of certain groups. I hope that the museum will stand firm in their responsibility to educate the public and not give in to pressure from fanatical groups.

Science is constantly evolving and it is our duty as scientists to continue to seek the truth and share our findings with the world. It is not the role of any group, religious or otherwise, to dictate what information is presented to the public. I stand with Richard Leakey in defending the integrity of the museum's collection and the pursuit of scientific knowledge.