Last week I had the opportunity to tour the Creation Museum, a $30 million spectacular near Cincinnati. The brainchild of well-known creationist Ken Ham, the museum bears no resemblance to the backwoods, knuckle-dragging reputation that Bible believers “enjoy” in today’s culture.

The compelling displays and no-expense-spared quality of the museum is somewhat stunning, even for thoroughgoing evolutionists. Some have said as much.

One of the most compelling exhibits deals with the outcomes of Social Darwinism. Although many proponents of evolution seem almost desperate to simply dismiss the harmful societal effects of pure Darwinian philosophy (what Herbert Spencer referred to as “survival of the fittest”), the evidence is everywhere.

And don’t take Ken Ham’s word for it.

Paul Johnson’s recent book about Darwin and his personal life make it quite clear that there were indeed direct consequences for mankind—all arising from the theory Darwin hurriedly rushed into print in 1859—lest he lose credit for mainstreaming the philosophy of naturalism.

Johnson maintains that the Butchers of the 20th Century (Stalin, Hitler, Mao, Pol Pot) were all steeped in Darwinian philosophy. Try this quote on for size:

“Pol Pot, introduced by his professor Jean-Paul Sartre to the idea of evolution to higher forms, translated the theory in terms of Cambodia into an urban-rural struggle in which one fourth of the population died.”

Chilling.

And this isn’t any marginalized creationist speaking, let me remind you. Paul Johnson is a renowned historian.

The exhibits and overall scope of the Creation Museum give one much to think about, even those who are on opposite ends of the worldview spectrum.

Which is the hallmark of a free society.