Despicable! Creationist Ken Ham Seeks To Profit From Humanist’s Death

HAM, above, has slithered from the cesspit of his Christianity to seek donations to “undo” the work of internationally known freethought champion Tom Flynn, inset, of the Center for Inquiry, who died suddenly in August aged 66.

Today, in a press release, CFI revealed that Ham had used his Answers in Genesis site last week to solicit $17,000.

At the time of his death, CFI described Flynn’s death a “a tragedy.” Ham wrote:

I certainly agree that this man’s death was a ‘tragedy of epic proportions.’ As a member of the human family, he is (yes ‘is,’ because he will live for eternity) our relative.

And as far as we know from his own actions and all that’s been said about him, he will be separated from God for eternity. Yes, that is a tragedy. And this atheist group is applauding another tragedy by praising Tom Flynn for ‘helping to cause the Rise of the Nones,’ sadly putting more on the broad way, and we want to do our best to put them on the narrow way that leads to life.

Robyn E Blumner, President and CEO of the Center for Inquiry, responded thus:

Were he still with us, Tom Flynn would not have been able to contain his amusement over Ken Ham’s tasteless invocation of Tom’s name in a fundraising email for Ham’s alternative-reality factory.

Tom would have cracked jokes about it at every meeting and probably would have had Ham’s letter framed and hung in his office.

But for those of us still heartsick over the sudden loss of our friend, Ham’s attempt to wring money out of his gullible followers using Tom’s name is just crass opportunism.

Blumner added:

Through his life and works, Tom Flynn enriched countless lives – not by peddling Dark Age myths but by challenging dogmas, advancing atheist equality, and championing humanist values.

He delighted in sharing his encyclopedic knowledge of freethought culture and history and pulled no punches for charlatans and false prophets.

So the idea that Ken Ham, who trafficks in falsehoods based on laughable antiscience assertions, could ever hope to ‘undo the work of Tom Flynn’ is absurd.

That Ham would use Tom’s death as an excuse to extract millions of dollars from followers is sadly predictable. Tom Flynn’s legacy is one of progress and enlightenment. Whereas Ken Ham, with his ahistorical Creation Museum and Ark Encounter, is building a legacy of ignorance through Elmer Gantry–type ploys.

Referring to a child who had allegedly praised one of his creationist sermons, Ham wrote, ‘If only Tom Flynn would have had the faith of this child.’

In fact, Tom was a man of faith. The real kind, grounded in life’s experiences and evidence. He had faith in his family, his friends, his colleagues, and in the potential for human civilization to abandon fairy tales and reject provably ridiculous notions such as Ham’s young Earth creationism. No wonder Ham wants to ‘undo’ Tom’s legacy.

Ham may be able to soak his followers of money, but what he cannot do is make our world better, smarter, or more enlightened. That job falls to those of us who embrace reason, science, and compassion – in other words, it falls to those following the example of Tom Flynn.

You can help preserve Tom’s true legacy by donating to the Tom Flynn Memorial Fund. Every gift will go to carrying on the projects and programs closest to Tom’s heart.