Chicago, IL
The Field Museum of Natural History

by Chante
(IN)

Jim Orme - Creation Science Field Museum of Natural History Tour
Wheaton, IL
(630) 702-9061
fieldalternative@hotmail.com


Going to the Field Museum is a wonderful homeschooling field trip.

I recently talked with a Creation Science speaker named Jim Orme who gives tours through the museum. I interviewed him about his tours and this is what he has to say:
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Q: What do you do at the Field Museum?

A: I lead tours through the Evolving Planet exhibit of the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. This exhibit portrays the development of all life beginning from a simple life form which changed over hundreds of millions of years to produce the diverse and complex life forms we see today.

Q: How did you first come up with the idea to give the tours?

A: I have gone through the evolution exhibit many times. The exhibit has a strong, well presented evolutionary orientation; I decided that people need to be able to:

1. see the excellent material found in the museum from a creationist perspective



2. see how little substance is in the exhibit to support biological evolution

Q: What was your understanding of world history when growing up?

A: I was taught by my mother that God created all things including people, but I was taught at school that people evolved over long periods of time. So, I decided that probably God created all things using evolution. I assumed that people originally were ignorant and over time developed the tools and processes for improved farming, hunting and manufacturing.

Q: What do you think is missing from the history teaching of most children today?

A: Regarding early human history, I think children need to be taught that the Bible provides eye-witness records of the origins of people, families and nations. The events described in the Bible are literally true, e.g., creation, sin, the Flood and the confusion of languages at Babel. The first people were intelligent since they were created by God in his own image. When we look at the world with these assumptions we can better understand history and science.

Q: What do you hope your tours accomplish?

A: I believe the participants in my tours will:

• See that evolution has little basis in fact




• See that the museum uses unfounded assumptions, leaps of faith and storytelling to convince people that evolution is true




• See how the Bible helps us to understand the exhibits in the museum




• See that the Bible is trustworthy and should be obeyed




• Worship God because of the wonderful diversity of life he has created

Q: What is a tour like?

A: The tours are either from 10AM to 12PM or from 1:00 to 3:00 PM. I usually offer them on free days to minimize the cost to the participants, although tours could be conducted on other days if requested.



During the tour we teach participants how to think critically. We examine the claims of the various exhibits to see if they are telling a story (with no evidence) or giving off smog (using words like “might have” or “could have”) or providing substantive evidence that their assertions are true. We also discuss how a Biblical view of history and science provides a different, better way of understanding what we see.

Q: What age children can attend this tour?

A: From feedback I’ve gotten, the tour is appropriate for fifth grader and up. If a fourth grader is particularly interested in science, it would likely be good for him or her.

Q: How long will you be giving tours?

A: I plan to do these as long as my body, mind and spirit hold together because I believe it is important to students and adults alike to be able to resist the onslaught of evolutionary materialism and to stand firmly on the truthfulness of the Word of God.

Q: How much do you charge to lead a tour?

A: I do not charge a fixed fee but one may give a love offering if he/she chooses.

Q: What have previous participants said about the tour?

A: “Jim was succinct, eloquent and at times humerous! Excellent overall!”

“Jim’s handouts helped us follow along and connect our observations to the Bible and science.”

“Jim did a fabulous job of explaining things and helping us to be more vigilant of museum displays and the way verbiage is presented. What a great day!”

Q: Do you speak in churches and to youth groups?

A: Yes, you may contact me for information on the talks I give.

Q: How can interested parties contact you?

A: I can be reached at (630) 702-9061 or via email at Fieldalternative@hotmail.com.



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Jim is retired after 34 years as a systems analyst and developer for Bell Labs, AT&T and Tellabs. His responsibilities included satellite simulations, analysis of telecommunications traffic, and development of domestic and international telecommunication standards.
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