Huffington Magazine Issue 86 | Page 36

TODD WILLIAMSON/INVISION FOR THE HUB NETWORK/AP IMAGES Voices dence I systematically ignored or explained away, just because it didn’t match creation science. Bill Nye may not understand just how difficult it is for people who were raised like me to abandon creationism. Creationism isn’t just one belief; it’s a system of beliefs and theories that all support each other. We believed that unless we could maintain confidence in special creation, a young planet, a global flood, and the Tower of Babel, we’d be left without any basis for maintain- DAVID MACMILLAN ing our faith. This false dichotomy makes creationism strong. As long as people think the foundation of their religious faith depends on denial of science, it takes incredible energy to make them question the simple explanations given by the creationist movement. Ken Ham claims creation science keeps people from abandoning Christianity, but it usually works in the opposite direction. Learning the history of creationism freed me to examine the evidence for evolution. I wouldn’t claim to know everything about the Bible, but I do HUFFINGTON 02.02.14 Bill Nye speaks on stage at “Hub Network’s First Annual Halloween Bash” on Oct. 20, 2013, at the Barker Hanger in Santa Monica, Calif.