Ota Benga: Man or Monkey?

John 12:26
“If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.”

In his review of Dennis Sewell’s book The Political Gene, creation scientist and author Dr. Jerry Bergman mentions one of the most deplorable events in evolutionary history – the story of Ota Benga. A pygmy from the Congo, Benga attracted a great deal of attention when he was put on display at the Bronx Zoo. He eventually ended his life by firing a bullet into his heart in 1916.

Ota Benga and an orangutan of similar height were placed inside a locked cage. Quite naturally, the display had people asking if Ota Benga was a monkey or a man. The zookeeper answered that he was a transitional form between man and monkey – the missing link. Sewell’s book points out that evolutionists defended the display by noting that evolution is taught in the school textbooks and is, quote, “no more debatable than the multiplication table.”

African American clergymen complained to zoo officials about the exhibit, saying, “The Darwinian theory is absolutely opposed to Christianity, and a public demonstration in its favor should not be permitted.” But the New York Times disagreed, saying: “We do not quite understand all the emotion which others are expressing in the matter. It is absurd to … moan over the imagined humiliation and degradation Benga is suffering. The pygmies … are very low in the human scale…”

The tragic story of Ota Benga clearly reveals the stark contrast between those who follow Christ and those who follow Darwin. Whose side are you on?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I pray that You will open the eyes of many so they will turn away from Darwin’s false teachings and turn to You for eternal life. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Author: Steven J. Schwartz
Ref: Dr. Jerry Bergman, “Darwin is the universal acid that affects everything,” Journal of Creation, Vol. 25(1), 2011, pp. 19-21. Photo: Promotional photo of Ota Benga on display at the Bronx Zoo in 1906.

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