Ken Ham Says 15 Million People Have Seen Creationist Debate With Bill Nye, but Secularists Don't Want 'Round Two'
Creation Museum CEO and President Ken Ham revealed that around 15 million people have seen his 2014 debate with Bill Nye over creationism, but said that secularists do not want to see another such debate take place.
"Around 15 million people have seen the debate since then, and it's still impacting lives and starting conversations," Ham commented in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
He then linked to an interview with WDN from March, in which he was asked about the prospects of "round two" in terms of another debate with Nye, who is the CEO of science-advocacy group The Planetary Society.
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"Many of the secularists were really upset with Bill Nye for debating me," Ham said, adding that it's unlikely such a debate will happen again.
"The secularists do not want to hear the information that we have," he stated, accusing them of seeking to censor information about creationism in schools and other areas of society.
Ham noted, however, that the Feb. 4, 2014, debate was beneficial because it helped open up conversations.
"There were many people who said that their atheist friends wouldn't even talk about issues on the Bible, or creation-evolution, but because of the Bill Nye debate, it opened up a conversation for them to be able to do that."
Ham and Nye have reflected on the much-discussed debate on a number of occasions since it took place.
In April 2014, Nye said that he agreed to to do the debate because he felt it was an opportunity to express why he finds the views of Ham and his supporters to be "bad for humankind."
"I held strongly to the view that it was an opportunity to expose the well-intending Ken Ham and the support he receives from his followers as being bad for Kentucky, bad for science education, bad for the U.S., and thereby bad for humankind — I do not feel I'm exaggerating when I express it this strongly," Nye wrote in the May/June 2014 volume for The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry.
The debate challenge topic was chosen as "Is creation a viable model of origins in the modern scientific era?" While Ham argued in favor of creationism, Nye defended the evolution standpoint.
The two even exchanged Christmas gifts that reflected their opposing viewpoints on the topic.
Nye sent a copy of his book, Undeniable, where he wrote: "For Ken, Here's hoping you find your way someday. You would be welcomed in the world of reason — We could celebrate the science together!"
Ham responded by sending Nye a book of his own, Inside the Nye Ham Debate, along with the message: "For Bill, Here's earnestly hoping you find THE WAY someday. You would be welcomed in the world of the redeemed. We could celebrate the salvation together. John 14:6 — Jesus said, 'I am the way, the truth and the life.'"
