Cosmos & Neil Degrasse Tyson state that Great Flood occurred in Sumeria & retold as Noah's Ark

[Moonwalk]

69. The aim of all those fundie laws to get creationism into the classroom is two-fold. First...

...is to get evolution out, and second is to get the bible in. ONLY the bible.

The reason this Cosmos is so "head exploding" to such fundies is because it gently, yet persuasively puts them between a rock and a hard place. By presenting this myth, the show lets them know that if they DO argue for alternatives to evolution to be put in science classes, they might get a dozen flood myths presented to kids, which would have kids questioning the bible as the one and ONLY story they ought to believe. Although these other myths might give some credibility to a world flood being true, they also imply that the Noah is plagiarized (the taking on of all animals, the releasing of birds to find land in the alternative story, etc). And I suspect that they don't want that taught in class.

The use of this earlier flood myth by Cosmos also appropriates the ark myth for science, showing that the ark myth is (thematically speaking) actually a "reality" if one goes for science and evolution. The Earth WAS destroyed, again and again. And rocks that flew up into space with elemental earth life likely preserved that life so that it could be returned to the world, as on an ark. Thus, the show very cleverly appropriates the ark story for science, showing how science teachers might take that bible myth they must present in class and use it for evolutionary purposes...once again, undermining the aim of such fundies.

And, finally, the show is very careful to always state which of these ideas science can or can't prove (Neil presents several thoughts about life on Earth, saying that any or none might have happened given the facts we have about life surviving in space). Which again hammers home the point that if people want bible stories in the classrooms, such stories will have to be questioned, just as such theories in science are. And, again, most who want the bible in the classroom don't want that.

So. Yes, I'd say that many in the group that want the bible taught in science classes were upset by this episode. It took their ball from them and ran with it.