Most of today's monotheistic religions, especially Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, hold the belief that the universe was created by a Supreme Being.

Creationism or creation theology generally encompasses the belief that human beings, the world, and the universe were created by the actions of a supreme being, or deity. The creation itself may be seen as either ex nihilo or the creation of order from preexisting chaos (see demiurge). Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Monotheism (in Greek monon = single and Theos = God) is the belief in a single, universal, all-encompassing deity. ... Christianity is an Abrahamic religion based on the life, teachings, death by crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth as described in the New Testament. ... Islam (Arabic al-islām الإسلام,  listen) the submission to God is a monotheistic faith and the worlds second-largest religion. ... The Star of David, a common symbol of Jews and Judaism Judaism is the religion and culture of the Jewish people and one of the first recorded monotheistic faiths. ... The deepest visible-light image of the cosmos. ... This article focuses on the concept of singular, monotheistic God. ... Binomial name Homo sapiens Linnaeus, 1758 Subspecies Homo sapiens idaltu (extinct) Homo sapiens sapiens Human beings define themselves in biological, social, and spiritual terms. ... The World in Plate Carrée Projection The World (XXI) is a Major Arcana card in Tarot In English, world is rooted in a compound of the obsolete words were, man, and eld, age; thus, its oldest meaning is Age of Man. ... The deepest visible-light image of the cosmos. ... This article focuses on the concept of singular, monotheistic God. ... A deity or a god, is a postulated preternatural being, usually, but not always, of significant power, worshipped, thought holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, or respected by human beings. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... The term Demiurge (or Yaldabaoth, Yao and several other variants, such as Ptahil used in Mandaeanism) refers in some belief systems to a deity responsible for the creation of the physical universe and the physical aspect of humanity. ...

While most creationism doctrines are commonly interpreted to be metaphors for a spiritual nature and origin of peoples, some assert a literal interpretation, and claim this literal interpretation to be factual as in Young Earth Creationism or otherwise superceding the importance of science. Others try to reconcile faith and science in various ways. Some see no conflict with science and consider evolution to simply a tool that the Creator used. Spirituality, in a broad sense a concern with matters of the spirit, is a wide term with many available readings. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Fact is the following: Generally a fact is an event that has happened, or a statement that is generally regarded as true — whether one accepts it as real (true) or not. ... Young Earth creationism is the belief that the Earth and life on Earth were created by a direct action of God a relatively short time ago. ... What is science? There are different theories of what science is. ... Evolutionary creationism, or Theistic evolution, is the general belief that some or all classical religious teachings about God and creation are compatible with some or all of the scientific theory of evolution. ...

Context

Although the Hebrew Bible does not provide an account of creatio ex nihilo and does suggest different accounts of creation, some Jews and Christians use Genesis 1 to support their beliefs about creation. 11th century manuscript of the Hebrew Bible with Targum Hebrew Bible refers to the common portions of the Jewish and Christian canons. ...

The term creationism is most often used to describe the belief that creation occurred literally as described in the book of Genesis (for Jews and Christians) or literally as described in the Qur'an (for Muslims.) Refer to creation according to Genesis. Genesis (Greek: Γένεσις, having the meanings of birth, creation, cause, beginning, source and origin) is the first book of the Torah (five books of Moses) and hence the first book of the Tanakh, part of the Hebrew Bible; it is also the first book of the Christian Old Testament. ... The term Christian means belonging to Christ and is derived from the Greek noun Χριστός Khristós which means anointed one, which is itself a translation of the Hebrew word Moshiach (Hebrew: משיח, also written Messiah), (and in Arabic it is pronounced Maseeh مسيح). ... The Quran (Arabic al-qurʾān أَلْقُرآن; its literal meaning is the recitation and is often called Al Quran Al Karim: The Noble Quran, also transliterated as Quran, Koran, and less commonly Alcoran) is the holy book of Islam. ... A Muslim is a believer in or follower of Islam. ... Creation according to Genesis refers to the description of the creation of the heavens and the earth by God, as described in Genesis, the first book of the Bible. ...

In the secular sense, "creationism" refers to a political doctrine which asserts the validity and superiority of a particular religiously-based origin belief over those of other belief systems, including those in particular espoused through secular or scientific rationale—i.e. "creationism versus evolution." The meaning of the term "creationism" depends upon the context wherein it is used, as it refers to a particular origin belief within a particular political culture. Politics is the process and method of making decisions for groups. ... Religion—sometimes used interchangeably with faith or belief system—is commonly defined as belief concerning the supernatural, sacred, or divine, and the moral codes, practices and institutions associated with such belief. ... ...

Theists believe that the universe and life was created by God. The idea could equally be applied by Deists, who believe that there was a God who originally created the universe, and that God then either ceased to actively interfere with its operation, or simply ceased to exist. Similarly, proponents of an alternative type of creationism might rely on a belief that the universe was created by many deities, in accordance with a polytheistic faith, or by Vishnu, the Titans of Greek mythology or any of the host of other such beings. Theism is the belief in one or more gods or goddesses. ... The term God is used to designate a Supreme Being, however, there are countless definitions of God. ... Deism is belief in a God or first cause based on reason, rather than on faith or revelation, and thus a form of theism in opposition to fideism. ... Polytheism is belief in, or worship of, multiple gods or divinities. ... For other uses of the name Vishnu, see Vishnu (disambiguation). ... In Greek mythology, the Titans (Greek Τιτάν, plural Τιτᾶνες) are among a series of gods who oppose Zeus and the Olympian gods in their ascent to power. ... Greek mythology comprises the collected legends of Greek gods and goddesses and ancient heroes and heroines, originally created and spread within an oral-poetic tradition. ...

The terms creationism and creationist have become particularly associated with beliefs conflicting with the theory of evolution by natural selection. This conflict is most prevalent in the United States, where there has been sustained creation-evolution controversy in the public arena. On the other hand, many faiths which believe in divine creation accept evolution by natural selection as well as, to a greater or lesser extent, scientific explanations of the origins and development of the universe, the Earth, and life – such beliefs have been given the name evolutionary creationism, though others call them "theistic evolution". This article is about biological evolution. ... Natural selection is the primary mechanism within the scientific theory of evolution, in that it alters the frequency of alleles within a population. ... The creation-evolution controversy (also called the creation vs. ... The deepest visible-light image of the cosmos. ... Earth, also known as the Earth or Terra, is the third planet outward from the Sun. ... Life is a multi-faceted concept. ...

Types of creationism

Creationism covers a spectrum of beliefs which have been categorised into the broad types listed below. Not all creationists are in dispute with scientific theories. Some are opposed to the theory of evolution and some are not. This article is about biological evolution. ...

• Flat Earth creationism — God created the world with a flat surface 6,000 years ago. All that modern science says about shape, size, and age of the Earth is wrong, and evolution does not occur. Very few people today maintain such a belief.

• Modern geocentrism — God recently created a spherical world, and placed it in the center of the universe. The Sun, planets and everything else in the universe revolve around it. All scientific claims about the age of the Earth are lies; evolution does not occur. Very few people today maintain such a belief. See, for example, the Creation Science Association for Mid-America (http://www.csama.org/), in Cleveland, MO, USA.

• Young-Earth Creationism — The belief that the Earth was created by God a few thousand years ago, literally as described in Creation according to Genesis, within the approximate timeframe of the Ussher-Lightfoot Calendar or somewhat more according to the interpretation of biblical genealogies. As such, it rejects not only radiometric and isochron dating of the age of the Earth, arguing that they are based on debatable assumptions, but also approaches such as ice core dating and dendrochronology, which make the barest of assumptions of uniformitarianism, and which hint that the Earth is far older than the Ussher-Lightfoot Calendar suggests. Instead, it interprets the geologic record largely as a result of a global flood. This view is held by many Protestant Christians in the USA, and by many Haredi Jews. For Christian groups promoting this view, see the Institute for Creation Research (ICR), El Cajon, California, USA, and the Creation Research Society (CRS), St. Joseph, MO, USA.

• God created the Earth only recently, but made it appear much older. This is the belief of a subgroup of Young Earth creationists, which is sometimes termed the Omphalos argument. This argument was first made by Philip Henry Gosse in 1857. He held that the universe is only about 6,000 years old, but that God faked the appearance of the world, and planted fake fossils, to fool humans into believing that the world is really much older. This, in his view, was done as a test of faith. This view is popular among some Ultra-Orthodox Jewish and Protestant Christian young earth creationists.

• Old-Earth Creationism — which maintains that the physical universe was created by God, but that the creation event of Genesis is not to be taken strictly literally. This group generally believes that the Universe and the Earth are as described by astronomers and geologists, but that details of the evolutionary theory are questionable.

Old-Earth creationism itself comes in at least three types:

• Gap creationism, also called Restitution creationism — the view that life was immediately created on a pre-existing old Earth. This group generally translates Genesis 1:2 as "The earth became without form and void," indicating a destruction of the original creation by some unspecified cataclysm. This was popularized in the Scofield Reference Bible, but has little support from Hebrew scholars.

• Day-age creationism — the view that the "six days" of Genesis are not ordinary twenty-four-hour days, but rather much longer periods (for instance, each "day" could be the equivalent of millions of years of modern time). Another theory states that the Hebrew word was mistranslated, and it's supposed to be seven ages. Some adherents claim we are still living in the seventh age ("seventh day"), while opponents say that the seventh day of creation must be the same type of day as the Sabbath for the Sabbath command to make sense.

• Progressive creationism — the view that species have changed or evolved in a process continuously guided by God, with various ideas as to how the process operates. This accepts most of modern physical science including the age of the earth, but rejects much of modern biology or looks to it for evidence that evolution by natural selection is incorrect.

• Evolutionary creationism/Theistic evolutionism — the general belief that some or all classical religious teachings about God and creation are compatible with some or all of the scientific theory of evolution, It views evolution as a tool used by God and can synthesize with gap or day-age creationism, although most adherents deny that Genesis was meant to be interpreted as history at all. It can still be described as "creationism" in holding that divine intervention brought about the origin of life or that divine Laws govern formation of species, but in the creation-evolution controversy its proponents generally take the "evolutionist" side while disputing that some scientists' methodological assumption of materialism can be taken as ontological as well. Many creationists would deny that this is creationism at all, and should rather be called "theistic evolution", just as many scientists allow voice to their spiritual side.

• Intelligent Design movement — The main proponents of Intelligent Design have intentionally distanced themselves from other forms of creationism, preferring to be known as wholly separate from creationism as a philosophy. One of the chief websites of the movement defines it thus: "The theory of intelligent design holds that certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as [Darwinian] natural selection." Intellegent Design is a philsophical and/or scientific approach to the origin of information and complexity within nature, and, its adherents claim, is not concerned with religion, or the identity or nature, whether natural or supernatural, of any possible designer(s). In and of itself, Intelligent Design does not oppose the theory of evolution. However, many proponents of Intelligent Design are Christian theists who do oppose evolution leading critics to charge that the movement, depsite the protestations of its adherents, is simply creationism in new clothing (see Wedge strategy).

The Flat Earth Society was an organization based in Lancaster, California which advocated the belief that the Earth is not a sphere but is flat (see flat Earth). ... Modern Geocentrism is the advocation of a geocentric (Earth-centered) model of the universe. ... Young Earth creationism is the scientific theory that the Earth and life on Earth were created by a direct action of God a relatively short time ago. ... The term God is used to designate a Supreme Being, however, there are countless definitions of God. ... Creation according to Genesis refers to the description of the creation of the heavens and the earth by God, as described in Genesis, the first book of the Bible. ... The Ussher-Lightfoot Calendar is misnamed, being comprised solely of the chronology published in 1650 by James Ussher, Archbishop of Armagh (in what is now Northern Ireland), not the 1642–1644 chronology by John Lightfoot, later the Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University. ... Radiometric dating is a technique used to date materials based on a knowledge of the decay rates of naturally occurring isotopes, and the current abundances. ... Iscochron dating is a type of radiometric dating. ... The age of the Earth is estimated to be 4. ... An ice core is a tube of ice removed from an ice sheet. ... Pinus taeda Cross section showing annual rings Cheraw, South Carolina Dendrochronology or tree-ring dating is the method of scientific dating based on the analysis of tree ring patterns. ... Within scientific philosophy, uniformitarianism is the principle in which one assumes that the same processes that shaped the Universe occurred then as they do now, unless there is good evidence otherwise. ... The Ussher-Lightfoot Calendar is misnamed, being comprised solely of the chronology published in 1650 by James Ussher, Archbishop of Armagh (in what is now Northern Ireland), not the 1642–1644 chronology by John Lightfoot, later the Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University. ... In the Hebrew Bibles account (Gen. ... Haredi Judaism, or Charedi Judaism, also called ultra-Orthodox Judaism, is the most theologically conservative form of Orthodox Judaism. ... The Institute for Creation Research (ICR) is a young Earth creationist (YEC) Christ-Focused Creation Ministry that funds creation science. It is based in San Diego, California. ... The Omphalos in Delphi An omphalos is a religious stone artifact in the ancient world. ... 1857 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Old Earth creationism is a variant of the creationist view of the origin of the universe and life on Earth. ... The deepest visible-light image of the cosmos. ... The age of the Universe is defined as the largest possible value of proper time integrated along a timelike curve from the Earth at the present epoch back to the Big Bang. ... The age of the Earth is estimated to be 4. ... An astronomer or astrophysicist is a scientist whose area of research is astronomy or astrophysics. ... A geologist is a contributor to the science of geology. ... This article is about biological evolution. ... Gap Creationism, also called Restitution creationism, is a term used to describe a particular set of Christian fundamentalist beliefs about the creation of the Universe and the origin of man. ... The Scofield Reference Bible is a widely circulated annotated study Bible that was edited and annotated by Bible scholar Cyrus I. Scofield. ... Day-Age Creationism is a type of Old Earth Creationism that holds that the six days referred to in the Genesis account of creation are not ordinary 24-hour days, but rather are much longer periods (of thousands or millions of years). ... Genesis (Greek: Γένεσις, having the meanings of birth, creation, cause, beginning, source and origin) is the first book of the Torah (five books of Moses) and hence the first book of the Tanakh, part of the Hebrew Bible; it is also the first book of the Christian Old Testament. ... The Modern Hebrew language is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family. ... Progressive creationism is the belief that God created the universe through an on-going process. ... Charles Darwin, the father of modern evolutionary theory In the life sciences, evolution is a change in the traits of living organisms over generations, including the emergence of new species. ... Natural selection is the primary mechanism within the scientific theory of evolution, in that it alters the frequency of alleles within a population. ... Evolutionary creationism, or Theistic evolution, is the general belief that some or all classical religious teachings about God and creation are compatible with some or all of the scientific theory of evolution. ... The term God is used to designate a Supreme Being, however, there are countless definitions of God. ... In its widest sense, creationism (from the Latin creatio) refers to the theological doctrine that all material in the universe was created by a divine agency, such as God, out of nothingness (ex nihilo). ... For the scientific journal named Science, see Science (journal). ... In mathematics, theory is used informally to refer to a body of knowledge about mathematics. ... Charles Darwin, the father of modern evolutionary theory In the life sciences, evolution is a change in the traits of living organisms over generations, including the emergence of new species. ... Pre-Cambrian stromatolites in the Siyeh Formation, Glacier National Park. ... The creation-evolution controversy (also called the creation vs. ... This article primarily focuses on the general concepts of matter and existence. ... In philosophy, ontology (from the Greek ον = being and λόγος = word/speech) is the most fundamental branch of metaphysics. ... Intelligent design (ID) is a controversial set of arguments which assert that empirical evidence supports the conclusion that life on Earth was deliberately designed by one or more intelligent agents. ... The Wedge strategy is a political action treatise that was included in fundraising materials for the Discovery Institute, an organization that, as part of its many activities, hopes to promote Intelligent Design as an alternative to scientific naturalism, materialism and Darwinism ( macroevolution through purely materialistic mechanisms). ...

Jewish creationism

Jewish creationism includes a continuum of views about creationism, on aspects including the origin of life and the role of evolution in the formation of species as debated in the creation-evolution controversy. In general, the major Jewish denominations accept evolutionary creationism or theistic evolution, with the exception of certain Orthodox Jewish groups. The general approach of Judaism is that the creation account in the Torah is not to be taken as a literal text, but rather as a symbolic or mythical work. Jewish views on evolution includes a continuum of views about evolution, creationism, and the origin of life. ... Jewish denominations: Over time, the Jewish community has become divided into a number of religious denominations, also called branches or movements. Each denomination has a different understanding of what principles of belief a Jew should hold, and how one should live as a Jew. ...

God as absolute origin

Creationists in the tradition of the Roman Catholic Church and all denominations of Christianity assert that God is the origin, the first cause. The Church holds as an unchangeable tenet of Christian faith, that "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth". These words suggest that God created everything except himself, he did so by himself, everything exists thanks to God. The Roman Catholic Church is the largest religious denomination of Christianity with over one billion members. ... The cosmological argument is an argument for the existence of God. ...

Here, clearly, creation is described as an absolute beginning, which includes the assertion that the very existence of the universe is contingent upon a necessary higher being, a God who is not himself created. Therefore the doctrine of biblical creation places the knowledge of God central in the pursuit of the knowledge of anything, for everything comes from God. The term God is used to designate a Supreme Being, however, there are countless definitions of God. ...

Although phrased differently, this doctrine of creation is common in many branches of other religions, such as Judaism, Islam, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the many branches of Protestantism, as well as the Roman Catholic Church. The strictness to which adherents are required to accept these views, and the sense in which these definitions are official, vary widely. Doctrine, from Latin doctrina, (compare doctor), means a body of teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the body of teachings in a branch of knowledge or belief system. ... The Star of David, a common symbol of Jews and Judaism Judaism is the religion and culture of the Jewish people and one of the first recorded monotheistic faiths. ... Islam (Arabic al-islām الإسلام,  listen) the submission to God is a monotheistic faith and the worlds second-largest religion. ... ... The term Oriental Orthodoxy refers to the churches of Eastern Christian traditions that keep the faith of only the first three ecumenical councils of the undivided Church - the First Council of Nicaea, the First Council of Constantinople and the Council of Ephesus - and rejected the dogmatic definitions of the Council... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... The Roman Catholic Church is the largest religious denomination of Christianity with over one billion members. ...

Prevalence of creationism

United States

In the United States, creationism is popular among the general Christian population, and considered to be scientifically irrelevant in the academic and scientific communities. According to a 2001 Gallup evolution poll on the origins of humans, 72% of Americans believe in some form of creationism (as defined above). About 45% of Americans ascribe to the more Biblically literal creationism, believing that "God created man pretty much in his present form at one time within the last 10,000 years.". 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A Gallup Poll is an opinion poll frequently used by the mass media for representing public opinion. ... Many polls have been conducted into peoples opinion on evolution and creationism, particularly in the USA, and particularly with reference to education. ...

Among the scientific community, the Big Bang, abiogenesis, and biological evolution are overwhelmingly considered to be the correct description of the origins of the universe and life on Earth. According to a 1997 Gallup poll, 55% of scientists ascribe to a completely atheistic evolution, with a total rejection of any deistic involvement. In 1987, Newsweek reported: "By one count there are some 700 scientists with respectable academic credentials (out of a total of 480,000 U.S. earth and life scientists) who ascribed to Biblically literal creationism". According to the Big Bang theory, the universe originated in an infinitely dense and physically paradoxical singularity. ... Abiogenesis (Greek a-bio-genesis, non biological origins) is, in its most general sense, the hypothetical generation of life from non-living matter. ... This article is about biological evolution. ... 1997 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Reef. ... 1987 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Newsweek Logo Newsweek is a weekly news magazine published in New York City and distributed throughout the United States and Canada. ...

In 2000, a People for the American Way poll found that: 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... People for the American Way (PFAW) is a prominent liberal advocacy organization in the United States, founded by television producer Norman Lear in 1980. ...

20% of Americans believe public schools should teach evolution only;

17% of Americans believe that only evolution should be taught in science classes — religious explanations should be taught in another class;

29% of Americans believe that Creationism should be discussed in science class as a 'belief,' not a scientific theory;

13% of Americans believe that Creationism and evolution should be taught as 'scientific theories' in science class;

16% of Americans believe that only Creationism should be taught;

Less-direct anecdotal evidence of the popularity of creationism is reflected in the response of IMAX theaters to the availability of Volcanoes of the Deep Sea, an IMAX film which makes a connection between human DNA and microbes inside undersea volcanoes. The film's distributor reported that the only U.S. states with theaters which chose not to show the film were Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina: Anecdotal evidence is evidence stemming from a single, often unreliable source which is used in an argument as if it had been scientifically or statistically proven. ... An IMAX dome in Guayaquil, Ecuador IMAX (for Image Maximum) is a film projection system which has the capacity to display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film display systems. ... Space-filling model of a section of DNA molecule Deoxyribose nucleic acid (DNA) is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions specifying the biological development of all cellular forms of life (and many viruses). ... A microorganism or microbe is an organism that is so small that it is microscopic (invisible to the naked eye). ... A volcano is a geological landform (usually a mountain) where magma (rock of the earths interior made molten or liquid by high pressure and temperature) erupts through the surface of the planet. ... State nickname: Lone Star State Other U.S. States Capital Austin Largest city Houston Governor Rick Perry Official languages None. ... State nickname: Tar Heel State Other U.S. States Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Governor Michael Easley Official languages English Area 139,509 km² (28th)  - Land 126,256 km²  - Water 13,227 km² (9. ... State nickname: Palmetto State Other U.S. States Capital Columbia Largest city Columbia Governor Mark Sanford Official languages English Area 82,965 km² (40th)  - Land 78,051 km²  - Water 4,915 km² (6%) Population (2000)  - Population 4,012,012 (26th)  - Density 51. ...

We've got to pick a film that's going to sell in our area. If it's not going to sell, we're not going to take it," said the director of an IMAX theater in Charleston that is not showing the movie. "Many people here believe in creationism, not evolution." [1] (http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/Movies/03/23/volcano.movie.ap/index.html)

The western world outside the United States

Most vocal creationists are from the United States, and creationist views are much less common elsewhere in the Western World.

According to a PBS documentary on evolution, Australian Young Earth Creationists claimed that "five percent of the Australian population now believe that Earth is thousands, rather than billions, of years old." The documentary further states that "Australia is a particular stronghold of the creationist movement." Taking these claims at face value, Young Earth Creationism is very much a minority position in Western countries. PBS re-directs here; for alternate uses see PBS (disambiguation) PBS logo The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is a non-profit public broadcasting television service with 349 member TV stations in the United States. ...

In Europe, creationism is a less well-defined phenomenon, and regular polls are not available. However, evolution is taught as scientific fact in most schools. In countries with a Roman Catholic majority, papal acceptance of evolution as worthy of study has essentially ended debate on the matter for many people. Nevertheless, creationist groups such as the German Studiengemeinschaft Wort und Wissen (Study group 'word and knowing')[2] (http://www.wort-und-wissen.de/) are actively lobbying in Germany. In the United Kingdom the Emmanuel Schools Foundation (previously the Vardy Foundation), which owns two colleges in the north of England (out of several thousand in the country) and plans to open several more, teaches that creationism and evolution are equally valid "faith positions". In Italy, the prime minister Silvio Berlusconi wanted to retire evolution from schools in the middle level; after one week of massive protests, he reversed his opinion. [3] (http://www2.onnachrichten.t-online.de/dyn/c/19/01/33/1901336.html) World map showing location of Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... The Pope is the Catholic Bishop and patriarch of Rome, and head of the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Catholic Churches. ... The Emmanuel Schools Foundation (previously the Vardy Foundation after its founder, Sir Peter Vardy) intends to set up a total of seven specialist independent schools in the UK under the Governments City Academies Initiative. ...

Of particular note for Eastern Europe, Serbia suspended the teaching of evolution for one week in 2004, under education minister Ljiljana Colic, only allowing schools to reintroduce evolution into the curriculum if they also taught creationism. [4]  (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/09/09/wdarw09.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/09/09/ixworld.html) "After a deluge of protest from scientists, teachers and opposition parties," says the BBC report, Ms Colic's deputy made the statement, "I have come here to confirm Charles Darwin is still alive," and announced that the decision was reversed. [5] (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3642460.stm) Ms. Colic resigned after the government said that she had caused "problems that had started to reflect on the work of the entire government". [6] (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3663196.stm) Eastern Europe is, by convention, that part of Europe from the Ural and Caucasus mountains in the East to an arbitrarily chosen boundary in the West. ... Serbia and Montenegro  – Serbia    – Kosovo and Metohia        (UN administration)    – Vojvodina  – Montenegro Official language Serbian1 Capital Belgrade Area  – Total  – % water  88,361 km²  n/a Population  – Total (2002)     (without Kosovo)  – Density  7. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Ljiljana Colić (born 1956), an Orthodox Christian, is the former Minister of Education and Sport in the Government of Serbia. ...

Criticism of creationism

Scientific critique of creationism

Creationism was never based primarily upon scientific findings or upon a scientific approach to uncovering the origins of life. Many modern forms of creationism, particulary Young Earth Christian creationism, were created to defend the literal interpretation of the biblical account of creation in genesis, when evolution started to become scientific orthodoxy. Many modern creationists are widely regarded as 'anti evolutionists' rather than as people putting forward an honest alternative to explain the origins of life. Indeed, many creationist and anti-evolutionist arguments are directed in the form of attacks towards evolutionary theories. Creation according to Genesis refers to the description of the creation of the heavens and the earth by God, as described in Genesis, the first book of the Bible. ...

Creationists sometimes minimize the explanatory power and validity of evolution theory by criticizing it as being "just a theory" implying that the word "theory" is synonymous with "conjecture" or "speculation", instead of the technical, scientifically accepted use of the word "theory" to mean a model of the world (or some portion of it) from which falsifiable hypotheses can be generated and be verified through empirical observation. In this sense, evolution is a very powerful theory. A scientific method or process is considered fundamental to the scientific investigation and acquisition of new knowledge based upon physical evidence. ... This page discusses how a theory or assertion is falsifiable (disprovable opp: verifiable), rather than the non-philosophical use of falsification, meaning counterfeiting. ... A hypothesis (= assumption in ancient Greek) is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon. ...

Critics charge that Creationism is not a theory that has come about through a similar systematic accumulation of evidence. It is based on a literal interpretation of religious scripture and the emphasis of scripture over other sources of knowledge. Young Earth Creationism also fails the criteria of falsifiability and parsimony. No evidence can be brought to prove that creationism is invalid, because creationism is a belief and not a scientific theory. The belief can persist in spite of the evidence.

There is a fundamental difference between the purely scientific approach and the creationism 'scientific' approach. The scientific approach uses the Scientific Method as a means of discovering information about the natural world. Scientists use observations, hypotheses and deductions to propose explanations for natural phenomena in the form of theories. Predictions from these theories are tested by experiment. If a prediction turns out to be correct, the theory survives. This is a meritocratic form of systematic enquiry, where the best ideas supported by evidence and positive experimental results survive. Science does not seek answers that fit a certain theory. All scientific theories are falsifiable; that is, if evidence that contradicts any given theory comes to light, or if the theory is proven to no longer fit with the evidence, the theory itself is shown to be invalid. Evolution is a theory that fits in with all known biological evidence, fits in with all known genetic evidence, and is backed up by overwhelming evidence in the fossil record. Contrary to some claims, many transitional fossils that show a gradual change from one species to another exist. Becasue of this and other evidence, there is no 'debate' within scientific circles as to whether evolution is a fact or not. It is only in the public sphere, where young Earth creationists (especially in America) have fought for recognition of their world view, that the debate about creationism and evolution rages. A scientific method or process is considered fundamental to the scientific investigation and acquisition of new knowledge based upon physical evidence. ... Meritocracy is a system of government based on rule by ability (merit) rather than by wealth or social position; merit means roughly intelligence plus effort. ... The word theory has a number distinct meanings depending on the context. ... FOSSIL is a standard for allowing serial communication for telecommunications programs under DOS. FOSSIL stands for Fido Opus Seadog Standard Interface Layer and was made by a group of Fidonet sysops to make their software work on different machines. ... A transitional fossil is a fossil specimen that combines features of two taxonomical divisions. ... Young Earth creationism is the belief that the Earth and life on Earth were created by a direct action of God a relatively short time ago. ... A world view, also spelled as worldview is a term calqued from the German word Weltanschauung (look onto the world). The German word is also in wide use in English, as well as the translated form world outlook. ...

The Christian critique of creationism

Some Roman Catholics and several Protestant denominations support evolutionary creationism rather than young earth creationism. In "Intelligent Design as a Theological Problem," Episcopalian theologian George Murphy argues against the common Young Earth Creationist view that life on Earth in all its forms is direct evidence of God's act of creation (Murphy quotes Phillip Johnson's claim that he is speaking "of a God who acted openly and left his fingerprints on all the evidence."). Murphy argues that this view of God is incompatable with the Christian understanding of God as "the one revealed in the cross and resurrection of Jesus." The basis of this theology is Isaiah 45:15, "Truly, thou art a God who hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Savior." This verse inspired Pascal to write, "What meets our eyes denotes neither a total absence nor a manifest presence of the divine, but the presence of a God who conceals himself." In The Heidelberg Disputation, Martin Luther refered to the same Biblical verse to propose his "theology of the cross": "That person does not deserve to be called a theologian who looks upon the invisible things of God as though they were clearly perceptible in those things which have actually happened ... He deserves to be called a theologian, however, who comprehends the visible and manifest things of God seen through suffering and the cross." Isaiah or Yeshayáhu (יְשַׁעְיָהוּ Salvation of/is the LORD, Standard Hebrew Yəšaʿyáhu, Tiberian Hebrew Yəšaʿăyāhû) was the son of Amoz, and commonly considered the author of the Book of Isaiah. ... The pascal (symbol Pa) is the SI unit of pressure. ... Martin Luther (originally Martin Luder or Martinus Luther) (November 10, 1483 – February 18, 1546) was a German theologian and an Augustinian monk whose teachings inspired the Protestant Reformation and deeply influenced the doctrines of Lutheran, Protestant and other Christian traditions (a broad movement composed of many congregations and church bodies). ...

Luther opposes his theology of the cross to what he called the "theology of glory:

A theologian of glory does not recognize, along with the Apostle, the crucified and hidden God alone [I Cor. 2:2]. He sees and speaks of God’s glorious manifestation among the heathen, how his invisible nature can be known from the things which are visible [Cf. Rom. 1:20] and how he is present and powerful in all things everywhere.

For Murphy, Creationists are modern-day theologians of glory. Following Luther, Murphy argues that a true Christian cannot discover God from clues in creation, but only from the crucified Christ.

Murphy observes that the execution of a Jewish carpenter by Roman authorities is in and of itself an ordinary event and did not require Divine action. On the contrary, for the crucifixion to occur, God had to limit or "empty" Himself. It was for this reason that Paul wrote, in Philippians 2:5-8,

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.

Murphy concludes that,

Just as the son of God limited himself by taking human form and dying on the cross, God limits divine action in the world to be in accord with rational laws God has chosen. This enables us to understand the world on its own terms, but it also means that natural processes hide God from scientific observation.

For Murphy, a theology of the cross requires that Christians accept a methodological naturalism, meaning that one cannot invoke God to explain natural phenomena, while recognizing that such acceptance does not require one to accept a metaphysical naturalism, which proposes that nature is all that there is.

God is not to be found in the suffering, privation, and extinctions of the world, nor is He to be found in the beautiful and orderly things in the world — according to theologian Emil Brunner, "God does not wish to occupy the whole of space Himself, but that He wills to make room for other forms of existence ... In so doing, He limits Himself." It is where God has limited Himself that humans must use their own intelligence to understand the world — to understand the laws of gravity as well as evolution – without relying on God as an explanation. It is only through the cross and the resurrection that one may find God.

Plea to reject nonsense

In his work The Literal Meaning of Genesis (De Genesi ad litteram libri duodecim), Saint Augustine (354-430), embarrassed by Christians who would not accept this implication of the Doctrine of Creation, wrote against them. This translation is by J. H. Taylor in Ancient Christian Writers, Newman Press, 1982, volume 41. St. ... Events Gallus deposed, executed at Antioch. ... Events Saint Patrick reaches Ireland on his missionary expedition. ...

"Usually, even a non-Christian knows something about the earth, [..] and this knowledge he holds as being certain from reason and experience. Now, it is a disgraceful and dangerous thing for an infidel to hear a Christian, presumably giving the meaning of Holy Scripture, talking nonsense on these topics; and we should take all means to prevent such an embarrassing situation, in which people show up vast ignorance in a Christian and laugh it to scorn. The shame is not so much that an ignorant individual is derided, but that people outside the household of faith think our sacred writers held such opinions, and, to the great loss of those for whose salvation we toil, the writers of our Scripture are criticized and rejected as unlearned men. If they find a Christian mistaken in a field which they themselves know well and hear him maintaining his foolish opinions about our books, how are they going to believe those books in matters concerning the resurrection of the dead, the hope of eternal life, and the kingdom of heaven, when they think their pages are full of falsehoods and on facts which they themselves have learnt from experience and the light of reason?" [1 Timothy 1.7]

Miscellaneous critique of creationism

It should also be noted that throughout human history there have been huge numbers of origin myths that attempt to explain the origins of humanity and of life in general. The form of creationism advocated by young earth creationists is simply a literal interpretation of one religion's beliefs of creation, as described in Genesis and in the Quran, which in itself is just one of a large number of origin myths which pre-date modern science. For these reasons, and simply because of the overwhelming evidence for evolution, creationism is not respected as a serious theory explaining the origins of life. Creationist responses to the success and prevalence of evolution range from belief in a world-wide atheistic conspriracy that has managed to successfully hoodwink almost everyone in the scientific community (including the vast number of scientists who identify themselves as being Christian), to the acceptance of some or even most of the relevant facts (regarding the age of the earth and theories of common descent, for instance).

The motivation behind the aggressive hostility of the Young Earth Christian versions of creationism towards evolution stems from their belief that the first eleven chapters of Genesis should be understood as a literal description of the origin of the universe and everything in it. These creationists believe that to deny the validity of a literal reading of Genesis is to deny the validity of the entire (Christian) Bible, and therefore to deny the validity of Christianity itself. Because the theory of evolution is incompatible with a literal reading of the Biblical creation story, many Young Earth Creationists insist that evolution is an intrinsically atheistic theory. Moreover, they assert that evolution and Evolutionism are one and the same thing, and therefore that the theory of evolution (via Evolutionism) excuses and even promotes atheism and immorality. Although this view is most prevalent, and most explicitly promoted, in the more extreme varieties of Creationism (Young-Earth Creationism in particular), it is the driving force behind all anti-evolution movements that define themselves as Christian in origin, including the Intelligent Design movement. Evolutionary Creationists, in common with other Creationists, oppose Evolutionism, sometimes known as materialistic evolution or atheistic evolution, which makes an ideology out of the scientific theory of evolution. Genesis (Greek: Γένεσις, having the meanings of birth, creation, cause, beginning, source and origin) is the first book of the Torah (five books of Moses) and hence the first book of the Tanakh, part of the Hebrew Bible; it is also the first book of the Christian Old Testament. ... The Bible (From Greek (τα) βιβλια, (ta) biblia, (the) books, plural of βιβλιον, biblion, book, originally a diminutive of βιβλος, biblos, which in turn is derived from βυβλος—byblos, meaning papyrus, from the ancient Phoenician city of Byblos which exported this writing material), is a word applied to sacred scriptures. ... Charles Darwin, the father of modern evolutionary theory In the life sciences, evolution is a change in the traits of living organisms over generations, including the emergence of new species. ... Atheism is the state either of being without theistic beliefs, or of actively disbelieving in the existence of deities. ... Evolutionism is any one of a number of theories that the forms of things that exist today are restructurings and redevelopments of the forms that existed in the past. ...

History of the concept of creation

Creationism and naturalism

Creationists believe that life was created by a divine power, and as such has special status, while naturalists believe life came into being through natural means. These opposing views have led to the debate commonly known as the creation evolution debate.-1... The creation-evolution controversy (also called the creation vs. ...

Etymology

The word creation comes from the Latin word, creatio. File links The following pages link to this file: Alchemy Ada Adventure Apartheid Abbreviation Airplane (disambiguation) Abduction Alder Anno Domini Air ABC (disambiguation) Ad hominem Afghan AD Aether Aba Anus Affinity Ai AZ Albinism Accumulator Binary Chess Computer Carbon Cow Cricket (disambiguation) Collection Convex Culture Ceramics Case Creation Crow (disambiguation... Wiktionary is a sister project to Wikipedia intended to be a free wiki dictionary (thesaurus, lexicon therein) in every language. ...

See also

• Evolution
• Abrahamic religions
• Creation evolution controversy
• Cosmology
• Existence
• Timeline of the Universe
• Ultimate fate of the Universe
• Creator god
• Dating Creation
• Cosmogony
• Cosmological argument
• Biblical cosmology
• Deism
• Theism
• Divine simplicity
• Tzimtzum

Charles Darwin, the father of modern evolutionary theory In the life sciences, evolution is a change in the traits of living organisms over generations, including the emergence of new species. ... An Abrahamic religion (also referred to as desert monotheism) is any religion derived from an ancient Semitic tradition attributed to Abraham, a great patriarch described in the Torah, the Bible and the Quran. ... The creation-evolution controversy (also called the creation vs. ... Wiktionary has a definition of: Cosmology For the jazz band, see: Cosmology (band) Cosmology, from the Greek: κοσμολογία (κόσμος world + λογια discourse) is the study of the universe in its totality and by extension mans place in it. ... Existence is an ontological topic par excellence. ... The Hubble Ultra Deep Fields often showcase galaxies from an ancient era that tell us what the early Stelliferous Age was like. ... Many religions have postulated an end to the Universe. ... The creator god is the divine being that created the universe, according to various traditions and faiths. ... Many cultures have held traditional beliefs that the Earth, or indeed the entire Universe, was brought into being in a grand Creation event by one or more gods. ... Cosmogony [Gr. ... The cosmological argument is an argument for the existence of God. ... The Bible says very little about cosmology, such as the position of the earth in the universe, the nature of the fixed stars and planets, seeing as its main emphasis was on the history of God’s dealings with man. ... Deism is belief in a God or first cause based on reason and experience rather than on faith or revelation, and thus a form of theism in opposition to fideism. ... Theism is the belief in one or more gods or goddesses. ... In theology, the doctrine of divine simplicity says that God is without parts. ... Tzimtzum ( Hebrew צמצום - contraction or constriction) refers to the understanding in the Kabbalistic theory of creation that God had to contract his infinite essence in order to allow for a conceptual space in which a finite, independent world could exist. ...

References

• Ian Barbour When Science Meets Religion, 2000, Harper SanFrancisco
• Ian Barbour Religion and Science: Historical and Contemporary Issues, 1997, Harper SanFrancisco.
• Stephen Jay Gould Rock of Ages: Science and Religion in the fullness of life, Ballantine Books, 1999
• Edward J. Larson and Larry Witham Leading scientists still reject God in Nature, Vol. 394, No. 6691 (1998), p. 313. Online at http://www.freethought-web.org/ctrl/news/file002.html
• Scott, Eugenie C., 1999 (Jul/Aug). The creation/evolution continuum. Reports of the National Center for Science Education 19(4): 16-17,21-23.

References (historical)

• Gosse, Henry Philip, 1857. Omphalos: An Attempt to Untie the Geological Knot. J. Van Voorst, London

References (Christian)

• Murphy, George L., 2002, "Intelligent Design as a Theological Problem," in Covalence: the Bulletin of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Alliance for Faith, Science, and Technology 4(2)

<H3>References (Jewish) Ian Graeme Barbour He was born in Beijing, 1923. ... Stephen Jay Gould Stephen Jay Gould (September 10, 1941 – May 20, 2002) was a New York-born American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and historian of science. ...

• Aviezer, Nathan. In the Beginning: Biblical Creation and Science. Ktav, 1990. Hardcover. ISBN 0-881253-28-6
• Carmell, Aryeh and Domb, Cyril, eds. Challenge: Torah Views on Science New York: Association of Orthodox Jewish Scientists/Feldheim Publishers, 1976. ISBN 0873061748
• Aryeh Kaplan, Immortality, Resurrection, and the Age of the Universe: A Kabbalistic View, Ktav, NJ, in association with the Association of Orthodox Jewish Scientists, NY, 1993
• Joel R. Primack and Nancy Ellen Abrams In a Beginning...: Quantum Cosmology and Kabbalah, Tikkun, Vol. 10, No. 1, pp. 66-73
• Schroeder, Gerald L. The Science of God: The Convergence of Scientific and Biblical Wisdom Broadway Books, 1998, ISBN 0-767903-03-X
• Jeffrey H. Tigay, Genesis, Science, and "Scientific Creationism", Conservative Judaism, Vol. 40(2), Winter 1987/1988, p.20-27, The Rabbinical Assembly

Originally set up as the alumni association of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTS), the Rabbinical Assembly (RA) is the official, international body of Conservative rabbis, with some 1400 members. ...

External links

• Creation Links and theory (http://www.creationism.org/) A site with links, facts, theories in more than 40 languages.

• "The Paradox of Mediated Creation Ex Nihilo," (http://www.asa3.org/ASA/PSCF/1987/PSCF12-87Murphy.html) Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith 39.4: 221–226 (12/1987)

Websites supporting creationism

• People for the American Way evolution poll results (http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=2113)
• Creation Links and theory (http://www.creationism.org/) A site with links, facts, theories in more than 40 languages.
• The Creation Research Society (http://www.creationresearch.org/)A professional organization of trained scientists and interested laypersons who are firmly committed to scientific special creation.
• Answers in Genesis (http://www.answersingenesis.org/) A group promoting Young-Earth Creationism.
• The Biblical Creation Society (http://www.biblicalcreation.org.uk/) A UK-based Christian society that advances and defends the Biblical teaching on creation.
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints view of the Origin of Man (http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll/Magazines/Ensign/2002.htm/ensign%20february%202002.htm/gospel%20classics%20%20the%20origin%20of%20man.htm?fn=document-frameset.htm$f=templates$3.0)
• Center for Scientific Creation (http://www.creationscience.com/) A book published by Walt Brown, a mechanical engineer.
• Institute for Creation Research (http://www.icr.org/) "A Christ-Focused Creation Ministry"
• Creation Moments (http://www.creationmoments.com/) - Radio archives, transcripts.
• Trueorigin.org (http://www.trueorigin.org/)
• Creation Science Evangelism (http://www.drdino.com/) A ministry of Dr. Kent Hovind.
• Reasons to Believe (http://www.reasons.org/) A major proponent of Day-Age Creationism. Headed by Dr. Hugh Ross, Ph.D
• Arguments we think creationists should NOT use (http://www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/faq/dont_use.asp) - from Answers in Genesis
• Various Orthodox Jewish views - The Soc.Culture.Jewish FAQ (http://shamash.org/lists/scj-faq/HTML/faq/12-03.html)
• Orthodox rabbi banned as heretic over accepting evolution (http://yussel.blogspot.com/2005/02/evolution-and-zoo-rabbi.html)
• Yashar Books Blog: Orthodox Judaism and evolution, and the recent banning of books (http://www.yasharbooks.com/Blog0501.html)

AiGs logo Answers in Genesis (AiG) is a Christian apologetics organization devoted to the belief of Young Earth Creationism, specifically a plain reading of the first chapters of the Book of Genesis. ...

Websites opposing creationism

• 15 Answers to Creationist Nonsense (http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=000D4FEC-7D5B-1D07-8E49809EC588EEDF) from Scientific American
• National Science Teachers Association (http://www.nsta.org/positionstatement&psid=10) Position Statement: The Teaching of Evolution
• National Association of Biology Teachers (http://www.nabt.org/sub/position_statements/evolution.asp) Statement on Teaching Evolution
• National Center for Science Education (http://www.ncseweb.org/)
• About creationism (http://atheism.about.com/religion/atheism/cs/creationism/index.htm)
• Infidels – Creationism (http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/science/creationism/)
• Duane Gish debunking (http://mypage.direct.ca/w/writer/gish.html)
• talkorigins.org (http://www.talkorigins.org/)
• Index of Creationist claims with rebuttals (http://www.talkorigins.org/indexcc/list.html)
• Talkorigins.org article on What is Creationism? (http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/wic.html)
• Creationism vs. Science (http://www.creationtheory.org/)
• Panda's Thumb (http://www.pandasthumb.org) an evolutionist news and blogsite
• Science and Creationism: A View from the National Academy of Sciences (http://www.nap.edu/books/0309064066/html/) by the Steering Committee on Science and Creationism, National Academy of Sciences
• Links to Islamic creationist and anti-creationists websites (http://omnibus.uni-freiburg.de/~riexinge/EvolutionIslam.html)
• Skeptics Dictionary (http://www.skepdic.com/creation.html) Introduction and criticism of creationism.
• Origin Myths (http://www.scicom.lth.se/fmet/myths.html) Introduction to a number of alternative origin myths from varied cultures around the world
• No Answers in Genesis website (http://home.austarnet.com.au/stear/default.htm)
• The Creation/Evolution Continuum, National Center for Science Education (http://www.ncseweb.org/resources/articles/1593_the_creationevolution_continu_12_7_2000.asp)
• What is Creationism? The Talk.Origins Archive (http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/wic.html)
• Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry on Creationism (http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/creationism/)