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

For the more commonly used term, as seen in, for example, the Creation-evolution controversy see Abrahamic creationism.

Creationism or creation theology may refer to all or to a particular cultural origin belief; typically stressing the importance and holiness of a spiritual explanation over a strictly empirical one. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... For Creationism page. ... For Creationism page. ... 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. ... The creation-evolution controversy (also called the creation vs. ... Creation is the theological doctrine that all material in the universe was created by a divine agency, such as God, out of nothingness (ex nihilo). ... The word culture comes from the Latin root colere (to inhabit, to cultivate, or to honor). ... The term origin belief refers to stories and explanations which describe the beginnings of humanity, earth, life, and the universe. ... Holiness means the state of being holy, that is, set apart for the worship or service of a god or gods. ... Spirituality, in a broad sense a concern with matters of the spirit, is a wide term with many available readings. ... Empirical is an adjective often used in conjunction with science, both the natural and social sciences, which means an observation or experiment based upon experience that is capable of being verified or disproved. ...

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." Hence 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. ... ...

Creationism commonly encompasses the claim that human beings, the world, and the universe were "created" (e.g. ex nihilo) by the deliberate actions of a supreme being, or deity. The term "supreme being" refers to any mytho-theistic personification, to whom the most supreme supernatural powers, and the most ancient origins are attributed (see demiurge). 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. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... 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. ... This article is about a system of myths. ... Theism is the belief in one or more gods or goddesses. ... The supernatural refers to conscious magical, religious or unknown forces that cannot ordinarily be perceived except through their effects. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

Context

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.) See the articles on creation according to Genesis and Abrahamic creationism. This article is about Genesis, the first book of the Hebrew Bible. ... 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. ... Creation is the theological doctrine that all material in the universe was created by a divine agency, such as God, out of nothingness (ex nihilo). ...

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 ordinarily used to designate a singular, universal Supreme Being. ... 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 obvious 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. ... Alternative meaning Natural Selection (computer game). ... 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. ... This article concerns the primary meanings of life in biology. ... Evolutionary creationism encompasses the concept of theistic evolution, a synthesis of the religious belief in a creator God with the scientific theory of evolution. ...

Types of creationism

There are many types of creation beliefs. Followers of the Abrahamic religions have suggested many varied beliefs, as have followers of other convictions. 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. ...

In principle, creationism does not necessarily require the belief in a currently-existing deity. Deism conceives of a God who designed and created the universe, but then ceased to actively interfere in its operation, perhaps ceasing to exist at all. In practice, however, most creationists believe that God both created the universe, and still exists, and is still in process with the universe. 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. ...

Abrahamic creationism

Jews and Christians draw their ideas about the creation of the universe from the Hebrew Bible, specifically the book of Genesis. Although Genesis does not explicitly describe creation ex nihilo, the majority of Jewish and Christian commentators have understood Genesis in this way. Although the Hebrew Bible suggests different stories of creation, many Jews and most Christians have traditionally interpreted Genesis 1 as a literal account of the creation of the world. Today that view has changed among many (though not all) Jews and Christians, and they no longer hold it to be literally true. 11th century manuscript of the Hebrew Bible with Targum Hebrew Bible refers to the common portions of the Jewish and Christian canons. ... This article is about Genesis, the first book of the Hebrew Bible. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... 11th century manuscript of the Hebrew Bible with Targum Hebrew Bible refers to the common portions of the Jewish and Christian canons. ...

Muslims see Genesis as a corrupted version of God's message, but the creation accounts in the Qu'ran are more vague than Genesis, and allow for a range of interpretations similar to those in the other Abrahamic religions. This article is about Genesis, the first book of the Hebrew Bible. ... 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. ...

Contemporary Jewish creationism, Christian creationism, and Islamic creationism takes a variety of forms which have been described as a continuum of types from Flat Earth creationism, Modern geocentrism, Young-Earth Creationism, Old-Earth Creationism including Gap creationism, Day-age creationism and Progressive creationism to Evolutionary creationism (also known as Theistic evolutionism). The Intelligent Design movement is considered by opponents to be covertly creationist. Jewish views on evolution includes a continuum of views about evolution, creationism, and the origin of life. ... Islamic creationism – While contemporary Islam tends to take religious texts very literally, it sees Genesis as a corrupted version of Gods message. ... 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. ... Old Earth creationism is a variant of the creationist view of the origin of the universe and life on Earth. ... 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. ... Day-Age Creationism is a type of 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). ... Progressive creationism is the belief that God created the universe through an on-going process. ... Evolutionary creationism encompasses the concept of theistic evolution, a synthesis of the religious belief in a creator God with the scientific theory of evolution. ... 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. ...

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. ...

Non-divine creation

Not all stories of the creation of humanity, life or the universe rely on divine intervention. These are mostly scientific hypotheses that haven't been conclusively tested:

• Raelism – the belief that scientifically advanced extraterrestrials created life on Earth through genetic engineering. Raelism is often considered to be a cult.

• Panspermia – the belief that life on Earth was seeded here by meteors carrying primitive microbes and bacteria. Life then evolved further. This scientific hypothesis relies on the notion that life could have survived in these meteors for extremely extended periods. Panspermia is often considered to be improbable.

Raels first published book, the basis of the Raelian movement Raëlism is the belief system promoted by the Raëlian Movement, a religious organization which believes that scientifically advanced extraterrestrials known as the Elohim (derrived from a non-Hebrew, prehistoric, word appearing in the Torah) created life on Earth through... Extraterrestrial, as an adjective, refers to something that originates, occurs, or is located outside Earth or its atmosphere. ... An iconic image of genetic engineering; this 1986 autoluminograph of a glowing transgenic tobacco plant bearing the luciferase gene of fireflys strikingly demonstrates the power and potential of genetic manipulation. ... In religion and sociology, a cult is a group of people devoted to beliefs and goals which are not held by the majority of society, often religious in nature. ... Panspermia is a theory (more directly described as a hypothesis, as there is no compelling evidence yet available to support or contradict it) that suggests that the seeds of life are prevalent throughout the Universe and life on Earth began by such seeds landing on Earth and propagating. ...

Other creation myths

Many cultures and belief systems have their own beliefs about creation. There can be dozens, even hundreds, of creation stories within a particular religion. This is true, for example, of American Indian creation beliefs and of Ancient Greece. In other cases, a religion may have one and only one creation belief, which has been set down in writing and has remained fixed. See, for example, Zoroastrianism. Native Americans (also Indians, Aboriginal Peoples, American Indians, First Nations, Alaskan Natives, or Indigenous Peoples of America) are the indigenous inhabitants of The Americas prior to the European colonization, and their modern descendants. ... Ancient Greece is the term used to describe the Greek-speaking world in ancient times. ... Faravahar, The depiction of the human soul before birth and after death. ...

Creation-evolution controversy

Advocates of creationism and advocates of evolution frequently debate their views. See the main article, creation-evolution controversy. The creation-evolution controversy (also called the creation vs. ...

Etymology

The word creation comes from the Latin word, creatio.

See also

• Evolution
• Abrahamic religions
• Creation evolution controversy

Charles Darwin, the father of evolutionary theory Although generally, evolution is taken to mean any process of change over time, in the context of life science, 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. ...

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)

References (Jewish)

• 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

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. ... 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.

• Japanese Creation Myth (http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~wldciv/world_civ_reader/world_civ_reader_1/kojiki.html)
• Popul Vuh - Mayan (http://www.wsu.edu/~delahoyd/creation.populvuh.html)
• Norse Creation Myth (http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/creation.html)
• Indian cosmology (http://www.themage.net/India/Indian%20Cosmology.htm)