Today at my lab at Ohio State University, my boss (as well as several other professors in my building) received a most interesting book, labeled "Complimentary Gift", and "Scientific Atlas". We weren't too suspicious at first, since we receive these sorts of things all the time. But this turned out to be very different.
It turned out to be the Atlas of Creation, an innocuous-sounding title that, within the first sentence of the introduction, gave away its agenda...
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A special chapter is assigned to the collapse of the theory of evolution because this theory constitutes the basis for all anti-spiritual philosophies.
Whoa. My boss identified it instantly as creationist literature. But who was the author -- Harun Yahya -- and why was this book being shipped to every professor in the building?
Turns out his real name is Adnan Oktar, a well known figure in Turkish Creationism. Pretty complete (and very unflattering) information can be found here. It details the cult that he leads, which has been linked to everything from blackmail to sex with minors.
The real mystery is who paid to have this enormously expensive book (I refuse to link to his website) shipped to every professor in this building. The return address, SBS Worldwide, is simply a freight re-shipper. And other then the "Complimentary Gift" stamp on the box, there is no clue to its origin.
Could it be an attack by one of the local fundie megachurches? Or is Adnan Oktar's cult trying to legitimize itself by shipping its tome to scientists at universities?
Professional inquiring minds want to know.