Creationist speaker: ‘Stop lying to students’

Pat Jarrett

Kent State students are studying lies. The lies are published in biology text books.

Creationist Kent Hovind argued against evolution last night in the Auditorium to a crowd of about 225.

Hovind said he believes the Bible is scientific fact. He said evolution is a religion, and it is “the dumbest, most dangerous lie on Planet Earth.”

This comment, and many others, were met with rounds of applause and shouts of “Amen.”

A few boos also were mixed with the cheers.

Hovind was invited to Kent State by the Truth in Love Ministry, part of the First Freedom Baptist Church in Brimfield.

The importance of coming to Kent State was to dispel the lies in the textbooks, Hovind said in an interview before the presentation.

“You should have another rebellion here at Kent State and do it for the right reason,” Hovind said about protesting evolution. “This time, don’t get shot.

“Evolution is the foundation for communism, nazism, socialism, Marxism and those who want a one-world government.”

Michelle Winton, senior biology major, asked the fourth question of the night about pharyngeal arches on fetuses. She was unsatisfied with Hovind’s 20-minute answer.

“When I asked my question, it felt like he was throwing new information at me, so I was trying to digest new information while trying to keep my mind on the question,” Winton said.

Hovind intended the presentation to be a debate, but no Kent State professor accepted the invite.

Philosophy Chairman David Odell-Scott was one of the professors invited. He declined for a multitude of reasons, Odell-Scott said in an interview yesterday, among them being he felt it would be an unfair debate.

He said he thought the debate would be one-sided because of the heavy publicity in creationist circles and not in the mainstream media.

“If this is a rah-rah session, I can expect padded questions,” Odell-Scott said.

The invitation also set time restraints for the debate. In an e-mail Odell-Scott received from Joe Echmeyer at the Truth in Love Ministry that was later forwarded to the Daily Kent Stater, the time restraints were spelled out.

“The debate will have 10 minute opening statements, 45 minutes of audience questions (with each side getting to respond to each question) and 10 minute closing remarks each,” read the e-mail from Echmeyer.

Odell-Scott explained his problem with the time element.

“There is no way I can address this in 20 minutes. Give me three hours, and maybe I can make a solid argument,” Odell-Scott said.

Hovind said he has invited 4,000 professors across the country to debate him, but only 100 have accepted his challenge.

Contact religion reporter Pat Jarrett at [email protected].