Creationists Angry About Carnival Cruise Super Bowl Ad

The Carnival Corporation released a Super Bowl ad featuring a speech by President John F. Kennedy voicing over images of the sea, igniting an evolution debate when creationists criticized the commercial.

“I really don’t know why it is that all of us are so committed to the sea, except I think it’s because in addition to the fact that the sea changes, and the light changes, and ships change, it’s because we all came from the sea,” said Kennedy in the 1962 speech. “And it is an interesting biological fact that all of us have, in our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and, therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea — whether it is to sail or to watch it — we are going back from whence we came.”

Creationist leader Ken Ham was furious with the ad, expressing his rage on a his Around the World blog. He accused Carnival of “blatantly” using evolution in its advertising and noted how upset he was that our culture is abandoning “the truth of God’s word.”

“Don’t you just want to go on one of their cruises so you can stand on the deck of a big cruise ship, look at the sea, and contemplate your accidental beginnings — and perhaps worship the sea, because it gave birth to you!” wrote Ham.

He concluded his post by lamenting, “Except for the fact that it’s a spiritual issue because of our sin, it’s mind-boggling to think that intelligent people can actually believe life (and the whole universe) came about by accident! Ludicrous!”

Friendly Atheist writer Hermant Mehta did not agree with Ham’s critique. “It is indeed mind-blowing … but it makes sense after you read up on it. Ken Ham should try it sometime. Turns out you can learn a lot when your library consists of more than just a single book.”

The conversation also played out on Twitter as users responded to the commercial:

#carnival cruise has enough problems without throwing evolution into the ads. Didn’t come “from the sea” #JFK We came from #Adam.

— Janet Parshall (@parshalltalk) February 2, 2015

So the theory of evolution is now “scientific fact,” according to Carnival Cruise Lines. #WeCameFromTheSea

— Jesse ? Petersen (@jpetersen) February 2, 2015

Did Carnival just endorse evolution using JFK’s voice?

— Marty Kady (@mkady) February 2, 2015

Carnival Cruise Lines endorses evolution. See what happens when you get rid of Kathie Lee Gifford? #SuperBowl

— Dennis Perrin (@DennisThePerrin) February 2, 2015

So Carnival Cruise Lines just ran an ad during the Super Bowl quoting Kennedy on evolution. Apparently their atheist. Nice to know.

— Steven Miller (@slmiller222) February 2, 2015

This Carnival cruise line commercial pushing its evolution agenda must not be going over well in the South.

— Emerson Collins (@ActuallyEmerson) February 2, 2015

“We came from the sea…” What kind of evolution crap is THAT, #Carnival?

— Mush?MushRyerson? (@MushKat) February 1, 2015

Ugh, I don’t believe in evolution, Carnival Cruises.

— John-Frazier ? (@jstrickland1451) February 1, 2015

HAHAHAHA YES CARNIVAL CRUISE PULLING THE EVOLUTION CARD

— Christian (@cagdavies) February 1, 2015

JFK BELIEVED IN EVOLUTION? THIS COMMERCIAL IS OFFENSIVE. TEACH THE CONTROVERSY, CARNIVAL.

— Clutchy McGritterson (@rpa44) February 1, 2015

Is there any possibility that Ken Ham is really some sort of a performance artist?

— Eve Siebert (@EveSkeptic) February 2, 2015

@jCdaniels I was surprised Carnival would alienate 175 million Americans who correctly believe in God as the Creator.

— Tony (@NotTheFakeTMH) February 2, 2015

Memo to Carnival Cruise Line: Not all of us believe we came from the sea. Some of us believe in God. #SuperBowlXLIX #NFL

— NFL Czar (@nfl_czar) February 2, 2015

Oh boy, I can already hear the creationist outrage over that Carnival Cruises commercial. #WeCameFromTheSea

— Jackson Cheese (@JacksonCheese) February 2, 2015

Cue the creationist outrage at Carnival Cruises running a JFK speech where he implies we evolved from sea life. #superbowlcommercials

— Daniel Lee Perea (@TheSuicide_King) February 2, 2015

Carnival cruises just lost a lot of creationist customers.

— Ryan Omizo (@OmizoRM) February 1, 2015