Cosmic Whodunit: Dinosaurs are Dead but the Debate Rages On

Ken Ham, the president and founder of the Ark Encounter theme park in Kentucky, says The Washington Post has misrepresented the park's views on dinosaurs.

In a recent article, the Post reported the "version of history on display at the Ark Encounter" includes an "extinction theory" that dinosaurs "were wiped out 4,000 years ago in the worldwide flood described in Genesis."

Ham fired back on Facebook, writing, "Hey Washington Post, we at the Ark Encounter have NEVER said dinosaurs were wiped out during the Flood -- get your facts right!"

He told CBN News "we don't believe they were wiped out during the flood--that's not what's represented at the Ark.  We believe they became extinct like alot of other animals after the flood."

"I challenge The Washington Post to show us ONE instance where the Ark Encounter supposedly says dinosaurs died out during the Flood! Will they then correct this false claim attributed to the Ark?" he continued on Facebook.

The Post says the Ark Encounter's "version of history" is also the focus of an upcoming documentary, "We Believe in Dinosaurs," and the newspaper reports that a "secular team" which "believes in evolution" is producing the film. According to the Post, the goal of the documentary is to present "the story of the unsettling and uniquely American conflict between science and religion."

The newspaper goes on to say that "We Believe in Dinosaurs" features interviews with people on both sides of the topic.

CBN News reached out to The Post for comment. The newspaper responded by saying it added a correction to the story.

The new version contains a new headline, "Now there’s a theory that Noah saved dinosaurs from the flood," and the following correction reference:

"Correction: This article has been updated to clarify that the Ark Encounter says dinosaurs were saved by Noah's ark from the flood described in Genesis. In fact, dinosaurs died out 66 million years ago."

The new article also reads, "Their (creation scientists) theory is that most of the dinos were wiped out 4,000 years ago in the worldwide flood described in Genesis – except for a few that hitched a ride on Noah’s Ark. This is the version of history on display at the Ark Encounter..."

Ham said that dinosaurs are a big talking point for those who believe in evolution. "They really don't like creationists talking about dinosaurs at all because kids love dinosaurs, and dinosaurs are being used to indoctrinate kids in evolutionary ideas, and we're telling them 'no--we can explain dinosaurs from a biblical perspective,'" he said.

Ham says he believes the clash with the Post is indicative of a bigger conflict.  "It's a spiritual battle," he told CBN News, "it's a worldview clash."

CBN News reached out to Ham again for comment on the new Post article. He said in a statement, "After 5 days, the Washington Post finally modified the article that first appeared on its website December 30, where the writer had not researched what the organization that owns the Ark Encounter (Answers in Genesis:  AiG) believes regarding dinosaur extinction... On January 4, we note that the Washington Post (probably after their misinformation gained traction on many websites, Twitter, Facebook, etc.) did modify the original article. However, the Washington Post has still not accurately represented what creationists teach."