Difference between revisions of "Creationism"

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== Creationism - Grassroots activism ==
 
== Creationism - Grassroots activism ==
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''For more information please see:'' [[Question evolution! campaign]]
  
 
The [[Question evolution! campaign]], launched by the [[Bible|biblical]] [[creation]] organization [[Creation Ministries International]], is a worldwide "[[grassroots|grass-roots]] movement to challenge the anti-[[Christianity|Christian]] [[dogma]] of [[evolution]]".<ref>[http://creation.com/question-evolution Question evolution! campaign]</ref> The focus of the Question evolution! campaign is on 15 questions that evolutionists cannot answer.<ref>[http://creation.com/question-evolution Question evolution! campaign]</ref> The campaign will be primarily conducted in the [[United States]], the [[United Kingdom]], [[Canada]], [[Europe]], [[Australia]], [[New Zealand]], [[Singapore]] and [[South Africa]].<ref>http://creation.com/question-evolution</ref>
 
The [[Question evolution! campaign]], launched by the [[Bible|biblical]] [[creation]] organization [[Creation Ministries International]], is a worldwide "[[grassroots|grass-roots]] movement to challenge the anti-[[Christianity|Christian]] [[dogma]] of [[evolution]]".<ref>[http://creation.com/question-evolution Question evolution! campaign]</ref> The focus of the Question evolution! campaign is on 15 questions that evolutionists cannot answer.<ref>[http://creation.com/question-evolution Question evolution! campaign]</ref> The campaign will be primarily conducted in the [[United States]], the [[United Kingdom]], [[Canada]], [[Europe]], [[Australia]], [[New Zealand]], [[Singapore]] and [[South Africa]].<ref>http://creation.com/question-evolution</ref>

Revision as of 12:23, June 9, 2011

creationism
Michelangelo's painting of the creation of the Sun and Moon.

Creationism is the belief that the earth and universe and the various kinds of animals and plants was created by God or some other supreme being. Those that hold the views of Creationism are referred to as Creationists.[1] Biblical creationism is primarily based on: the compelling testimony provided by God's wondrous creation; the historical and prophetic evidence supporting the Bible; religious belief and on the scientific evidence provided through creation science.

Creation Ministries International, a leading biblical creation organization, declared:

“ Creationist research is having a global effect that is worrying the atheists and secularists of this world. They have had it all their own way for over a century but things are slowly changing. For almost twenty five years now, Journal of Creation has been publishing cutting-edge creationist research that has been fueling the war against evolution, creating little fires all around the world, including Great Britain.

Atheist evangelist, Prof Richard Dawkins, speaking at the 20th anniversary of the Edinburgh International Science Festival in April 2008, said the rise of creationism in British schools raised a serious problem for science teachers.

It is a very worrying trend,’ he said, ‘and I think a lot of it has come over from America and Australia.’[2]

”

Within creationism in the Abrahamic religions, there are various ideas. In regards to those religions, one form of creationism holds that the earth is approximately 6,000 years old and is referred to as Young Earth Creationism. The other form of creationism is called Old Earth Creationism and holds that the earth and universe are billions of years old. Creationist scientists believe that the first law of thermodynamics and second law of thermodynamics argue against an eternal universe and they also claim that these laws point to the universe being supernaturally created. [3][4][5] Dr. Norman Geisler stated that "Both young- and old-earthers believe that God supernaturally, directly and immediately produced every kind of animal and human as separate and genetically distinct forms of life." [6] Dr. Norman Geisler also wrote that "both young- and old-earthers who are evangelical hold to the historicity of the Genesis account: They believe that Adam and Eve were literal people, the progenitors of the entire human race." [7] Creation scientists assert that the theory of evolution is in conflict with the evidence provided by the physical sciences and often cite secular scientific sources which agree with them on various points (for further details please see: theory of evolution).[8]

Those who hold to young earth creationism point out that nearly every culture in the world has a creation story and a flood story. [9][10][11][12][13] Many of these creation accounts and flood accounts have commonalities with the account given in the book of Genesis although gross differences exist also. [14][15][16] The Institute for Creation Research has taken the position that the similarities in regards to creation accounts to the Genesis account demonstrates that the main points of the Genesis account has been preserved. [17] In regards to the assertion that the similarities in flood stories around the world show common origin, young earth creationist particularly assert that there are strong similarities between the Genesis flood account and other world flood accounts. [18][19] Also, there are remarkable similarities between Native American creation myths and the biblical account given in Genesis concerning creation.[20]

Creationism - Grassroots activism

For more information please see: Question evolution! campaign

The Question evolution! campaign, launched by the biblical creation organization Creation Ministries International, is a worldwide "grass-roots movement to challenge the anti-Christian dogma of evolution".[21] The focus of the Question evolution! campaign is on 15 questions that evolutionists cannot answer.[22] The campaign will be primarily conducted in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and South Africa.[23]

In May of 2011, Creation Ministries International and the Traditional Values Coalition decided to jointly initiate a question evolution campaign which encourages to students and others to "question the evolutionary pseudoscience peddled to them" and to wear anti-evolution clothing and pass out Question evolution! tracts within their schools and community. The Traditional Values Coalition is a church lobbying organization that lobbies for over 43,000 American churches.

Question evolution! campaign and Texas

Texas is a very influential state in the United States when it comes to biology textbooks.[24] A supporter of Creation Ministries International with a large Christian YouTube audience has declared he is going to aggressively promote the Question evolution! campaign in Texas.[25]

(graphic obtained from Wikimedia commons, username:Huebi , Title of picture:Map of USA with Texas highlighted, see: license agreement)

The popular Christian YouTube producer, Shockofgod, has vowed to promote the Question evolution! campaign "full throttle" in the state of Texas due to its large influence on textbooks throughout the United States.[26] Shockofgod is an ex-atheist and his channel features many anti-atheism videos and has received millions of channel views since its inception.

In 2010, the Utne Reader declared concerning Texas's influence on national textbooks:

“ The politicized textbooks would be a problem just inside Texas, but economic factors have given the state a huge influence over textbooks throughout the country. Unlike many other states, Texas makes the decisions on a state level on what books local school districts can buy. So when the state makes a decision on what books to purchase for its 4.7 million high schoolers, publishers take notice. The only bigger market for textbooks in the country is California, a state whose budget is in such disarray, it announced that it won’t be buying new books until 2014. In the meantime, an anonymous industry executive told Washington Monthly, “publishers will do whatever it takes to get on the Texas list,” even if that means caving in to right-wing activists.[27] ”

Texas is expected to purchase $1 billion in textbooks in 2012-13.[28]

In addition, Shockofgod has challenged Texas YouTube atheists Matt Dillahunty and AronRa to answer the 15 questions for evolutionists which are featured in Creation Ministries International's Question Evolution campaign.[29]

Creationism and Controversy

Creationism and Intelligent Design

Believers in the Abrahamic faiths who hold to creationism believe that the natural world has been designed by God. Recently, there have been articles which were favorable to the intelligent design position in scientific journals which traditionally have favored the macroevolutionary position.[30] Believers in the Abrahamic faiths have points of agreement and disagreement with the intelligent design movement. They agree that the natural world has an intelligent cause and was designed as mentioned previously. However, some advocates of creationism believe that the intelligent design movement divorces the Creator from creation by not explicitly stating that the cause of creation is a supernatural being and also failing to state explicitly who that supernatural being is.[31]

There is considerable disagreement on whether or not intelligent design amounts to a form of creationism and if so, where to place it in comparison to the other forms of creationism. This is due to the concept having many different definitions and proponents espousing different ideas.

For example, one major proponent of Intelligent Design is Young Earth Creationist Paul Nelson, while Michael Behe, another major proponent, accepts common descent. William Dembski has stated unequivocally that Intelligent Design is not theistic evolution and they should not be considered the same[32]. Dembski has also asserted that Intelligent Design is the Logos in terms of information theory[33], while Dembski and others have given other definitions that do not include any specific theological references. Arguably, intelligent design can be summarized as the notion that at some point in the past, in some way, some entity (possibly God) created life, or altered life at some point, or created the universe to be compatible with life.

Behe and others have stated that Intelligent Design is not religious in nature but in the Dover trial, Judge John E. Jones III, a Republican and a US Federal District Judge, ruled as a one of his findings that Intelligent Design was essentially religious in nature. The opinion borrowed heavily from the ACLU's briefs. [34] The Kitzmiller vs. Dover case did not take into account that atheistic evolution is religious in nature.[35][36][37]

Creationists video evangelism

see also: Internet evangelism

Campus Crusade for Christ International (CCCI) is one of the world's largest evangelism organizations within Christendom and has over 25,000 full time missionaries. In 2006, Alan Beeber of CCCI predicted that internet evangelism will result in more conversion that all other forms of evangelism for CCCI combined.[38]

YouTube is a popular online video sharing site that provides a method distributing Christian/creationist videos across the world. The YouTube search engine is the second largest search engine in the world.[39] There is a widespread problem with atheist cyberbullying on YouTube toward Christian and creationist YouTube channels. CreationWiki has developed a web page entitled Creationist YouTube video designed to show creationists how to thwart atheist/evolutionist cyberbullies. Also, one popular Christian YouTube channel, shockofgod, was shut down several times by atheist cyberbullying through false reports but he was able to thwart their cyberbullying using some effective tactics.[40] These false reports are not isolated incidents, many atheists will try this deceitful tactic to block out Christianity and creation science.

Adherents and Opponents of Creationism

Traditionally, Judaism supported young earth creationism.[41] In addition, a majority of the early church fathers supported the young earth creationist view.[42] While Young Earth Creationism is prominent in many conservative Protestant denominations, theologically liberal Protestant and Jewish denominations generally reject it.[43][44][45] The Roman Catholic Church has a cautiously positive view of the theory of evolution. [46][47] Orthodox Judaism currently has diverse opinions regarding young earth creationism.[48] Ultra-Orthodox Judaism accepts young earth creationism.[49] Islam has a variety of opinions regarding creationism and the theory of evolution. [50]Atheists do not believe in young earth creationism and a vast majority of the most prominent and vocal defenders of the evolutionary position since World War II have been atheists.[51][52] Charles Darwin in his private diaries stated he was a materialist which a type of atheist. While agnostics do not believe in young earth creationism there have been some notable statements of skepticism regarding the theory of evolution from agnostics.[53][54] On the other hand, Thomas Huxley was a staunch proponent of the theory of evolution and he stated he was an agnostic. [55][56]

Recommended books

  • J.D. Mitchell, The Creation Dialogues - A Response to the Position of the American Association for the Advancement of Science on Evolution, Christianity and the Bible, Pleasant Word (Winepress Pub), 2010 ISBN 1414118007[57][58]
  • Dr. Grady S. McMurtry, Creation: Our Worldview, TEC Publications, Columbus, GA 2010 ISBN 0-9674006-1-9
  • Jonathan Sarfati, Refuting Evolution, Master Books, 1999 (Free on-line version) ISBN 0890512582
  • Jonathan Sarfati, Refuting Evolution 2, Master Books, 2002,(Free on-line version) ISBN 0890513872
v • d • e
Creation vs. evolution
Evolution
Hoaxes, Controversies, and Debates
Creation science and Creationism

See also

External links

Young Earth Creationist Organizations

Young earth articles and other resources:

Old Earth Creationists

Reasons To Believe, an Old Earth Creationist Ministry

References

  1. ↑ "creationist." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 21 Mar. 2007. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/creationist>.
  2. ↑ http://creation.com/growth-of-creation-science-in-uk-worries-prof-dawkins
  3. ↑ Evidences for God From Space—Laws of Science
  4. ↑ Thompson, Bert, So Long, Eternal Universe; Hello Beginning, Hello End!, 2001 (Apologetics Press)
  5. ↑ http://www.creationscience.com/onlinebook/AstroPhysicalSciences14.html
  6. ↑ http://www.johnankerberg.org/Articles/science/SC0305W3.htm
  7. ↑ http://www.johnankerberg.org/Articles/science/SC0305W3.htm
  8. ↑ http://www.creation.com/content/view/21
  9. ↑ http://www.katapi.org.uk/BAndS/ChII.htm
  10. ↑ http://www.icr.org/article/108/
  11. ↑ http://www.icr.org/article/570/
  12. ↑ http://library.thinkquest.org/18757/creation.htm
  13. ↑ http://www.grisda.org/origins/17051.htm
  14. ↑ http://www.katapi.org.uk/BAndS/ChII.htm
  15. ↑ http://www.icr.org/article/108/
  16. ↑ http://www.icr.org/article/570/
  17. ↑ http://www.icr.org/article/108/
  18. ↑ http://www.icr.org/article/570/
  19. ↑ http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/am/v2/n2/flood-legends
  20. ↑ Indian creation myths - CMI
  21. ↑ Question evolution! campaign
  22. ↑ Question evolution! campaign
  23. ↑ http://creation.com/question-evolution
  24. ↑ http://www.utne.com/Politics/Right-Wing-Activists-Rewrite-US-Textbooks-6418.aspx
  25. ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbmAn3M8r0I
  26. ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbmAn3M8r0I
  27. ↑ http://www.utne.com/Politics/Right-Wing-Activists-Rewrite-US-Textbooks-6418.aspx
  28. ↑ http://www.statesman.com/news/texas-politics/texas-influence-on-textbooks-could-wane-336909.html
  29. ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbmAn3M8r0I
  30. ↑ http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=2640
  31. ↑ http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/am/v1/n1/intelligent-design-movement
  32. ↑ What every theologian should know about creation, evolution, and design Center for Interdisciplinary Studies Transactions 3(2), William Demsbki
  33. ↑ [1] Signs of Intelligence: A Primer on the Discernment of Intelligent Design Touchstone Magazine, Volume 12, Issue 4 July-August 1999
  34. ↑ [2]
  35. ↑ http://creation.com/atheism-a-religion
  36. ↑ http://www.intelligentdesignnetwork.org/Kitzmiller%27s_error_summary.pdf
  37. ↑ http://www.intelligentdesignnetwork.org/Kitzmiller%27s_Error.pdf
  38. ↑ http://www.lausanneworldpulse.com/pdf/issues/LWP0206.pdf
  39. ↑ http://www.tgdaily.com/trendwatch-features/39777-youtube-surpasses-yahoo-as-world%E2%80%99s-2-search-engine
  40. ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kax-zAJxi-U
  41. ↑ James-Griffiths, James,Creation days and Orthodox Jewish tradition Creation 26(2):53–55, March 2004.
  42. ↑ Bradshaw, Robert I., Creationism & the Early Church, chapter 3, The Days of Genesis 1.
  43. ↑ Morris, Henry, Old-Earth Creationism Back to Genesis April 1997.
  44. ↑ What Conservative Protestants Believe (beliefnet).
  45. ↑ Jarvik, Elaine, Beliefs on Darwin's evolution vary from religion to religion Deseret Morning News 19 January 2006.
  46. ↑ http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2007-04-11-pope-evolution-creation_N.htm
  47. ↑ Heneghan, Tom, Catholics and Evolution: Interview with Cardinal Christoph Schönborn (beliefnet).
  48. ↑ Rabbinical Council of America, Creation, Evolution, and Intelligent Design.
  49. ↑ Winnick, Pamela R.,Evolutionary War Toledo City Paper, March 7 2002.
  50. ↑ http://www.irfi.org/articles/articles_151_200/muslim_responses_to_evolution.htm
  51. ↑ Batten, Don, A Who’s Who of evolutionists Creation 20(1):32 December 1997.
  52. ↑ http://www.creationists.org/nas.html
  53. ↑ Woodward, Thomas E., Doubts About Darwin (Apologetics Press).
  54. ↑ Agnostic Philosopher Caught in Conspiracy to Question Darwinism Evolution News & Views, (Discovery Institute).
  55. ↑ http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/1025
  56. ↑ http://www.arn.org/docs/odesign/od171/desmond171.htm
  57. ↑ http://www.creationengineeringconcepts.org/index.php?p=1_35_THE-CREATION-DIALOGUES
  58. ↑ http://www.christianbook.com/dialogues-american-association-advancement-evolution-christianity/j-d-mitchell/9781414118000/pd/118002
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