Kent Hovind is an American Young Earth Creationist who is considered by many to be one of the most influential authorities on science and the Bible. He frequently speaks at schools, churches, and on radio and television. In his sermons, he calls for abandoning the teaching of the theory of evolution in favor of a literal reading of the Bible. Kent Hovind's amazing ability to present complex scientific concepts in an easy-to-understand format makes this information accessible to both young people and ordinary people, as well as professors.
Years of youth
Hovind was born on January 15, 1953. His conversion to Christ took place on February 9, 1969. In 1971, Kent graduated from high school, and in 1974 received a bachelor's degree in religious education from the Midwestern Baptist College (Midwestern Baptist College) - an unaccredited religious educational institution. Hovind is married with three children and five grandchildren.
From 1975 to 1988 he worked at a high school as a pastor andnatural science teacher. Since 1989, Kent Hovind has devoted himself to creationism and its promotion.
What is Young Earth Creationism?
One of the most important fundamental beliefs of contemporary evangelism is the "inerrancy of Scripture." According to young earth creationists, including Kent Hovind, the creation of the world took place only about 6,000 years ago. This is too little for any significant evolutionary changes to appear in the planet's biosphere. Geologists can also tell about the inconsistencies in the theory of young earth creationism. Therefore, many Protestant theologians are trying to reconcile the assertion of the "inerrancy of Scripture" with the theory that the earth appeared many billions of years ago. For example, as preacher William Thornton says:
"There are many conservative Christians who believe that the Bible is infallible and inspired by God, and who do not accept evolution, but who believe that the Earth is very old. I admit that there is a lot of evidence in favor of the antiquity of our planet."
Growth in popularity
When the rapid development of the Internet began, Hovind Kent created the site www.drdino.com, where you could find videos, books about fossil animals, as well as their layouts. Initially, his video content was not copy-protected. The success of this site has caused the preacher's popularity to grow, and attendance at his public lectures has grown from several dozenviewers to thousands of people. According to his own statements, he continued to speak annually at hundreds of churches, schools, and other venues. His son Eric recently also started organizing similar events where he talks, like Kent Hovind himself, about dinosaurs, evolution and the Bible.
November 2, 2006, Federal Court in Pensacola, Florida found Hovind guilty of 58 counts of tax evasion and social security contributions. The preacher was sentenced to ten years in prison. In July 2015, he was released from custody. On October 21, 2014, the same court tried to indict Hovind on two counts of fraud. Hovind pleads not guilty. The trial was originally supposed to take place on December 1, 2014, but was later rescheduled for February 9.
Kent Hovind: evolution is just another religious belief
Hovind is offering a large sum of money to anyone who can prove that the theory of evolution is correct: "I'm offering $250,000 to anyone who can give me scientific proof of evolution. This offer is to demonstrate that the theory of evolution is no better than any other religious belief."
However, not all supporters of creationism share Hovind's arguments. The organization Answers in Genesis considers his reasoning largely outdated, and the action, where $ 250,000 is offered for proving the theory of evolution, is counterproductive.
In the terms of the assignment, Hovind clarifies that the scientific evidencethe theory of evolution must be presented in such a way that "without any reasonable doubt" (without any reasonable doubt).
Kent Hovind explains his understanding of evolution in the following words:
By using the word 'evolution', I don't mean the small changes that can be found within a single genus (microevolution). I mean the general theory of evolution, which holds that the next five major events occurred without a divine intervention:
1. Time, space and matter appeared on their own.
2. Planets and stars formed from space dust.
3 From matter, life spontaneously appeared.
4 Early life forms reproduced themselves.
5. Major transformations took place between different life forms (i.e., fish became amphibians, amphibians became reptiles, and reptiles transformed into birds or mammals).
Hovind understands the theory of evolution in a much broader sense than is generally accepted. Charles Darwin himself described the theory as follows: "the change in the forms of life as an effect of mutation and natural selection." Hovind's inclusion of the appearance of the cosmos, planets, and life in the same place often leads to misunderstandings about the very subject that needs to be proven.
Since Hovind demands to prove that God could not intervene in these processes, and that the mentioned theory of the appearance of the universe is the only possible one, it is impossible to fulfill all the requirements.
Criticism
John Piret, one of the critics of Kent Hovinds, is sure that the lastkeep his $250,000 - the very requirement of proof shows a very superficial understanding of the methodology of scientific research, because a scientific theory can be falsified, but not proven (the problem of induction). Therefore, his proposal should be regarded only as a PR move.
The prize offered by Hovind for proving the theory of evolution even got a parody from the Boing Boing website. Comedians have promised one million dollars to anyone who proves that "Jesus is not the son of a flying spaghetti monster."
Doctoral degree
Kent Hovind is the author of a PhD thesis on Christian parenting called The Effects of Teaching Evolution on the Students in our Public School System. He defended this dissertation at the non-state university Patriot Bible University, it took four weeks to complete the training. The work has not been properly published, so it cannot be viewed through university libraries or ordered. This is contrary to the norm, since scientific research should be accessible to both other scientists and students. Critics repeatedly asked to send them a dissertation, but Hovind refused them. Its supporters claim that the work, which was allegedly enlarged by 250 pages, will undergo additional processing, after which it will appear in book form. This is in principle contrary to academic tradition, which forbids subsequent changeaccepted scientific papers.
Chemist Karen Bartelt did receive Hovind's original 101-page dissertation from the university that accepted the paper. She came to the conclusion that Hovind's dissertation by no means deserves the title of doctoral, since it did not meet almost all the requirements that apply to scientific papers. Instead of writing about teaching the theory of evolution in schools, Hovind filled his work with critiques of established theories and even drew parallels between Darwinism and Nazi ideology. The wording and spelling do not even correspond to the level of a college graduate, and the main point of criticism is the assertion that labor did not create any new knowledge. The conclusion suggests itself that Patriot Bible University is just a diploma mill service.
Dinosaur Adventure Land
From 2001 to 2009, an amusement park called Dinosaur Adventure Land operated in Pensacola, Florida. The park, founded and directed by Hovind, told visitors that humans and dinosaurs lived together in 4000-2000 BC. e. In 2009, when Hovind was convicted of tax offenses, the park was closed until further notice.
After Jail
Hovind Kent is now free again. It was released in the summer of 2015. He is currently building a new, expanded and improved Dinosaur Adventure Land in Alabama. "Doctor Dino" createdsuccessful YouTube channel and is looking for investors for a new venture. In his sermons, Kent Hovind also speaks of the end times, predicting severe trials for believing Christians around the world.
