Evolutionists have touted many animals as human ancestors over the years. Australopithecus is a popular one, but there’s also Ida, Nebraska man, Piltdown man, and Ramapithecus, to name a few. Many, though, have turned out to be hoaxes and frauds perpetuated by experts, including Nebraska man and Piltdown man. Yet they served a purpose, convincing many to accept evolution without question.

Now Homo naledi is back in the news. Discovered in 2013 and hailed as a “New human species”, I published my take in 2015 and referred to it as an extinct ape because there was no evidence it was evolving into a human. The preponderance of evidence indicated it was clearly an ape-like animal.

Nonetheless, the researchers who discovered Homo naledi ran to the media and sensationalized their findings before their study was peer reviewed. And the affect has led to further evolutionary indoctrination. ABC News, for example, reported that H. naledi “lived about 335,000 to 236,000 years ago, buried its dead and marked the graves. It is the first non-human species in history known to do so.” Further, they said it, “erases the idea of human exceptionalism.”

As a creationist, I do believe humans are special… not simply because we have big brains, but because God created humans in his image. Humans, unlike animals, use complex language, make fire, clothing, play music, write poetry, have religion, and bury their dead. We are unique.

Casey Luskin from the Discovery Institute wrote several articles detailing the bad science behind the sensational claims, referencing multiple sources. The New York times pointed out that a “number of experts on ancient engravings and burials said that the evidence did not yet support these extraordinary conclusions about Homo naledi. The cave evidence found so far could have a range of other explanations.” Indeed. That’s important to note. For instance, they say, “The skeletons might have been merely left on the cave floor, for example. And the charcoal and engravings found in the cave might have been left by modern humans who entered long after Homo naledi became extinct.” Bingo!

Archaeologist Maxime Aubert was more-harsh with his criticism, stating, “It seems that the narrative is more important than the facts.” Sad but true.

Then came the peer review, and the criticism remained strong. According to Nature, “High-profile researchers say the small-brained Homo naledi exhibited advanced behaviours such as burials, but peer reviewers say there’s no evidence.” No evidence? How about that! Another reviewer said, “there just wasn’t any science in the paper ultimately.”

But make no mistake, much of the criticism comes from evolutionists who desperately want to believe Homo naledi is human or almost-human. In fact, some refer to the scattered bones as “human remains” but are simply skeptical about any burial, and claim further testing is needed.

Even Netflix made a documentary promoting H. naledi’s humanness prior to peer review. Unsurprisingly skeptics accused Netflix of “exaggerating the intellectual prowess of H. naledi.”

Another reviewer said, “The consequences of rushing publication with such a significant unsubstantiated find will likely result in perilous ramifications.” As it should.

H. naledi stands as yet another example of bad science in the name of evolution. Evolutionists have always touted or exaggerated the features of extinct ape-like creatures to make them appear more human. Equally deceptive is the employment of artists who make the creature appear as human-like as possible to fool viewers into believing the animal is a missing link or ape-man.

But when the evidence is closely examined and alternative interpretations considered, the evidence for evolution vanishes. Many experts in the field contend that H. naledi is not a human ancestor at all, but just an ape-like animal. And I share that sentiment.

Humans are unique. We’re made in God’s image just as the Bible says, and the evidence, if viewed without bias, agrees.

God created mankind in his own image,
    in the image of God he created them;
    male and female he created them (Genesis 1:27).