Part of the series on Creationism

History of creationism Creation in Genesis Genesis as an allegory The Creation of Light by Gustave Doré. Creationism at its core is the belief that all humanity, life, the Earth, or the universe as a whole was created by a supreme being (often referred to as God[1]) or by other forms of supernatural intervention. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... The history of creationism is tied to the history of religions. ... 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. ... Allegorical interpretations of Genesis is devoted to historical and contemporary non-literal regarding the book of Genesis. ...

Types of creationism: Creation science Gap Creationism Hindu creationism Intelligent design Islamic creationism Jewish creationism Modern geocentrism Neo-Creationism Omphalos creationism Old Earth creationism Progressive creationism Theistic evolution Young Earth creationism Creation science refers to the attempts by creationists (especially those who believe in a young Earth) to use the methods and empirical practices of science to support their side of the creation-evolution controversy. ... Gap Creationism, also called Restitution creationism or Ruin-Reconstruction, are terms used to describe a particular set of Christian beliefs about the creation of the Universe and the origin of man. ... Intelligent design (ID) is the concept that certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection. ... Islamic creationism – While contemporary Islam tends to take religious texts very literally, it sees Genesis as a corrupted version of Gods message. ... Jewish views on evolution includes a continuum of views about evolution, creationism, and the origin of life. ... Modern geocentrism is a belief currently held by certain groups that the Earth is the center of the universe and does not move. ... Neo-creationism is a movement whose goal is to restate creationism in terms more likely to be well received by the public, policy makers, educators, and the scientific community. ... The omphalos hypothesis was named after the title of an 1857 book by Philip Henry Gosse in which he argued that in order for the world to be functional, God must have created the Earth with mountains, canyons, trees with growth rings, Adam and Eve with hair, fingernails, and navels... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Progressive creationism is a form of Old Earth creationism that accepts that new species have appeared successively over earths long history but that, to a greater or lesser degree, each species represents a fiat miracle (thus the creationism part), and that the first pair or representatives of species were... Theistic evolution, less commonly known as evolutionary creationism, is not a theory in the scientific sense, but a particular view about how the science of evolution relates to some religious interpretations. ... Adam and Eve, the first human beings according to Genesis Young Earth creationism is a religious doctrine which teaches that the Earth and life on Earth were created by a direct action of God relatively recently (about 6,000 to 10,000 years ago). ...

Controversy: Creation vs. evolution ... in public education Associated articles Teach the Controversy The creation-evolution controversy (also termed the creation vs. ... The legal status of creation and evolution in public education is the subject of a great deal of debate in legal, political, and religious circles, mainly in the United States. ... The following is a clearinghouse of articles which refer to terms often used in the context of the creation-evolution controversy: // Origins Main article: Origin beliefs The creation-evolution controversy often is cast as a controversy surrounding the origin beliefs. ... Teach the Controversy is a slogan the Discovery Institute uses to promote intelligent design[1] and advance an education policy for US public schools which introduces creationist explanations for the origin of life to public-school science curricula. ...

Part of a series on Hinduism
History · Deities
Denominations · Mythology
Beliefs & practices
Reincarnation · Moksha
Karma · Puja · Maya
Samsara · Dharma
Vedanta ·
Yoga · Ayurveda
Yuga · Vegetarianism
Bhakti
Scriptures
Upanishads · Vedas
Brahmana · Bhagavad Gita
Ramayana · Mahabharata
Purana · Aranyaka
Shikshapatri · Vachanamrut
Related topics
Dharmic Religions ·
Hinduism by country
Leaders · Devasthana
Caste system · Mantra
Glossary · Hindu festivals
Vigraha
Hinduism (Sanskrit: eternal law; in several modern Indian languages[1] also known as ), is a religion that originated on the Indian subcontinent. ... Image File history File links Aum. ... Regions which are currently or were historically under classical Hindu rule. ... Within Smarta Hinduism, a variety of forms of God are seen as aspects of the one impersonal divine ground, (Brahma) or Aum. ... Hinduism encompasses many movements and schools fairly organized within Hindu denominations. ... Hindu mythology is a term used by modern scholarship for a large body of Indian literature that details the lives and times of legendary personalities, deities and divine incarnations on earth interspersed with often large sections of philosophical and ethical discourse. ... Hindu philosophy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Reincarnation, literally to be made flesh again, as a doctrine or mystical belief, holds the notion that some essential part of a living being (or in some variations, only human beings) can survive death in some form, with its integrity partly or wholly retained, to be reborn in a new... Moksha - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Karma is a concept in Hinduism, based on the Vedas and Upanishads, which explains causality through a system where beneficial events are derived from past beneficial actions and harmful events from past harmful actions, creating a system of actions and reactions throughout a persons reincarnated lives. ... A puja as performed in Ujjain during the Monsoon on the banks of the overflooding river Shipra. ... Maya (illusion) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... The Wheel of Life as portrayed within Buddhism, showing the cycle of Samsara, or reincarnation. ... Dharma (Sanskrit: धर्म) or Dhamma (Pāli: धमा) (Natural Law) refers to the underlying order in Nature and human behaviour considered to be in accord with that order. ... Vedanta (Devanagari: , ) is a school of philosophy within Hinduism. ... A woman practising hatha yoga Yoga (Devanagari: योग) is a family of ancient spiritual practices originating in India. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Ama (Ayurveda). ... yugas (Devnāgari: युग) In Hindu philosophy the cycle of evolution of life is divided into four yugs (epochs or eras): Satya Yuga or Krita Yuga Treta Yuga Dvapara Yuga Kali Yuga // The spiritual states of civilization in each yuga In Hindu tradition, the world goes through a continuous cycle of... Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Vegetarianism For plant-eating, non-human animals, see Herbivore. ... Bhakti - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Hindu scripture is overwhelmingly written in Sanskrit. ... The Upanishads (उपनिषद्, Upanişad) are part of the Hindu Shruti scriptures which primarily discuss meditation and philosophy and are seen as religious instructions by most schools of Hinduism. ... The Vedas (Sanskrit: वेद) are the main scriptural texts of Hinduism, also known as the Sanatana Dharma, and are a large corpus of texts originating in Ancient India. ... The Brahmana (Sanskrit ब्राह्मण) are part of the Hindu Shruti; They are composed in Vedic Sanskrit, and the period of their composition is sometimes referred to as the Brahmanic period or age (approximately between 900 BC and 500 BC). ... Bhagavad Gīta भगवद्गीता, composed ca the fifth - second centuries BC, is part of the epic poem Mahabharata, located in the Bhisma-Parva chapters 23–40. ... The (DevanāgarÄ«: ) is an ancient Sanskrit epic attributed to the poet Valmiki and is an important part of the Hindu canon (smá¹›ti). ... Manuscript illustration of the Battle of Kurukshetra The (Devanagari: ), is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, the other being the . ... The Puranas are part of Hindu Smriti; these religious scriptures discuss devotion and mythology. ... The Aranyakas (Sanskrit आरण्यक, Forest Books, Forest Treatises) are part of the Hindu Shruti; these religious scriptures are sometimes argued to be part of either the Brahmanas or Upanishads. ... The Shikshapatri is a text of two hundred and twelve verses, and was written by Shree Swaminarayan, a reforming Hindu from the Vaishnava tradition, who lived in Gujarat from 1781-1830 and who was recognised by his followers as a deity during his lifetime. ... The Vachanamrut The Vachanamrut or the nectarine discourses of Bhagwan Swaminarayan is the most sacred and foundational scripture of the Swaminarayan Sampraday. ... map showing the prevalence of Dharmic (yellow) and Abrahamic (purple) religions in each country. ... The percentage of Hindu population of each country was taken from the US State Departments International Religious Freedom Report 2004. ... These are some of the most noteworthy Gurus and Saints of Hinduism: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Adi Shankara Amritanandamayi Baba Lokenath Brahmachari Bhakti Vaibhava Puri Maharaj Bhagawan Nityananda Bhagwan Swaminarayan Chinmayananda Gurumayi Chidvilasananda Lahiri Mahasaya Madhvacharya Mahavatar Babaji Mother Meera Muktananda Narayana Guru Nimbarka Nisargadatta Maharaj Raghavendra Swami Ramakrishna... The Gopuram of temples, in south India, are adorned with colourful icons depicting a particular story surrounding the temples deity. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... In Tibet, many Buddhists carve mantras into rocks as a form of devotion. ... Glossary of terms in Hinduism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Bronze Chola murti depicting Shivas most famous dancing posture, the Nataraja, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City. ... Image File history File links HinduSwastika. ... This box: view • talk • edit

This article examines the concept of creationism as found in Hinduism and movements associated with the concept. Creationistic beliefs have always been a part of Hindu tradition, and have in recent times been linked to notions of Hindu nationalism and Hindu supremacy (Hindutva) in India. There has also been increasing awareness and activism based on Hindu creationism (and generally the Hindu identity) among the Hindu diaspora, particularly in the United States. The Creation of Light by Gustave Doré. Creationism at its core is the belief that all humanity, life, the Earth, or the universe as a whole was created by a supreme being (often referred to as God[1]) or by other forms of supernatural intervention. ... Hinduism (Sanskrit: eternal law; in several modern Indian languages[1] also known as ), is a religion that originated on the Indian subcontinent. ... Hindutva (Hinduness, a word coined by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in his 1923 pamphlet entitled Hindutva: Who is a Hindu? ) is used to describe movements advocating Hindu nationalism. ...

Hindu creation accounts and evolution

The Hindu creation account is recorded in the sacred texts, the Vedas. The Universe, the Earth, along with with humans and other creatures undergo repeated cycles of destruction (pralaya) and recreation. A variety of myths exist regarding the specifics of the latter process. Humans and other species do not evolve physically with time, but devolve spiritually within each pralaya. The Hindu view of the cosmos is as eternal and cyclic; in this sense Hindu creationism differs fundamentally from the Biblical account. The Vedas (Sanskrit: वेद) are the main scriptural texts of Hinduism, also known as the Sanatana Dharma, and are a large corpus of texts originating in Ancient India. ... Pralaya , in Hindu theosophy , is a period of time of the cycle of existence of the planets where activity does not occur. ...

Hinduism teaches that humans have lived in unchanged form on the earth for many millions of years. According to Hindu teachings, humans were alive in modern form at the time of the dinosaurs. This is contrary to scientific evidence based on fossil records, genetic dating etc., which put the upper limit on the age of homo sapiens at 100,000 - 250,000 years. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Fossil. ... The Y chromosome is one of the most reliable method of tracing the history of early humans. ... Human beings are defined variously in biological, spiritual, and cultural terms, or in combinations thereof. ...

Some members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) have expressed the belief that Charles Darwin's theory of evolution is false. In 2003, Michael A Cremo published Human Devolution: A Vedic alternative to Darwin’s theory to describe the Hindu creationist view that man has existed on the earth for many millions of years. Cremo's claims are based on the spiritual evolution theories of Sri Aurobindo and Swami Vivekananda. Founder of ISKCON: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), also known as the Hare Krishna movement, was founded in 1966 in New York City by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. ... Charles Robert Darwin FRS (12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English naturalist [1] who achieved lasting fame by producing considerable evidence that species originated through evolutionary change, at the same time proposing the scientific theory that natural selection is the mechanism by which such change occurs. ... Sri Aurobindo (Bangla: শ্রী অরবিন্দ Sri Ôrobindo, Sanskrit: श्री अरविन्द SrÄ« Aravinda) (August 15, 1872–December 5, 1950) was an Indian nationalist, freedom fighter, scholar, poet, mystic, evolutionary philosopher, yogi and guru [1]. His followers further believe that he was an avatar, an incarnation of the Absolute. ... Swami Vivekananda (Bengali: স্বামী বিবেকানন্দ Shami Bibekanondo), whose pre-monastic name was Narendranath Dutta (নরেন্দ্রনাথ দত্ত Nôrendronath Dotto, and who was also known as Swami Vividishananda) and was affectionately known to some as Naren (January 12, 1863 - July 4, 1902) was one of the most famous and influential spiritual leaders of the philosophies...

Cremo also presents evidence against Darwin's theory of evolution, pursuing the same theme as his previous books. These books have been met with considerable skepticism by the scientific community which charges that Cremo's theories are closer to pseudoscience.^[1][2] Phrenology is regarded today as a classic example of pseudoscience. ...

Murtis or deities and their worship (puja) play a crucial role in Hinduism. Shown here is the popular figure of Ganesha.

Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1024x768, 278 KB) Photograph of Ganesh deity at a festival in 2004 I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1024x768, 278 KB) Photograph of Ganesh deity at a festival in 2004 I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Murti Worship Different sects of Hinduism, especially devotional/bhakti and tantric ones, have their own particular monotheistic conception of supreme Godhead from whom all other deities and principles emanate (such as Vishnu or Shiva, Krishna or Devi). ... Look up deity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A puja as performed in Ujjain during the Monsoon on the banks of the overflooding river Shipra. ... Hinduism (Sanskrit: eternal law; in several modern Indian languages[1] also known as ), is a religion that originated on the Indian subcontinent. ... In Hinduism, Ganesha (Sanskrit: गणेश or श्रीगणेश ( ) (when used to distinguish lordly status) (or lord of the hosts, also spelled as Ganesa and Ganesh, often also referred to as Ganapati) is one of the most well-known and venerated representations of God. ...

Hindu supremacist movement and science

In 2005, there were some efforts of Hindu supremacists in 2005 to change California textbooks to reflect their religious views and remove discussions of scientific theories and evidence that dispute it^[3]. For example, the theory of evolution and fossil evidence for evolution contradict Hindu religious beliefs. Hindutva (Hinduness, a word coined by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in his 1923 pamphlet entitled Hindutva: Who is a Hindu? ) is used to describe movements advocating Hindu nationalism. ... This article is about evolution in biology. ...

The views of the Hinduvta can be identified by an examination of the writing of "His Divinity, Dharm Chakrvarti" Swami Prakashanand Saraswati, religious leader of the Vedic Foundation in Texas, in his book , "The true history and the religion of India".^[4] For example, when considering archaeological evidence, Saraswati opines that: Hindutva (Hinduness, a word coined by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in his 1923 pamphlet entitled Hindutva: Who is a Hindu? ) is used to describe movements advocating Hindu nationalism. ... The Vedic Foundation is a project of the Barsana Dham temple at Austin, Texas formed in 2003. ...

It is a fact that in the world almost all the academic literature in English about Hinduism, even by Hindu writers, bears the western influence, and that, none of these books represent the correct view of total authentic Hinduism. Historians forget that one cannot determine the history of Bharatvarsh on meager archaeological findings of coins, toys and pots. Whereas the general history of Bharatvarsh is already written in its scriptures and the Puranas whose texts and the philosophical descriptions are the outcome of the Gracious and benevolent minds of eternal Saints.

In comparison with western religions, Saraswati notes that:

In no way could there be any comparison of the western religions (which are based on mythologies) with the Hindu Vedic religion which is eternal, universal and is directly revealed by the supreme God.

The Hinduvta also object to their sacred stories being characterized in the California schoolbooks as myths, because as Saraswati writes: Hindutva (Hinduness, a word coined by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in his 1923 pamphlet entitled Hindutva: Who is a Hindu? ) is used to describe movements advocating Hindu nationalism. ...

Divine writings cannot be analyzed in a material way. How could a worldly being, possessed with the vehemence of his own passions and desires, try to argue with the writings of Sages and Saints whose entire life was a divine benevolence for the souls of the world? You should know that all of our religious writings are Divine facts, and facts always remain facts, they cannot become myths. Using the word myth for our religious history is a serious spiritual transgression.

These Hinduvta efforts to influence US schoolbooks have so far been unsuccessful.^[5] Even though the Hinduvta activists have suffered a setback in the US, there is a long history of this movement and its successes at influencing education in India^[6] , and it is unlikely to go away soon.^[7] Hindutva (Hinduness, a word coined by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in his 1923 pamphlet entitled Hindutva: Who is a Hindu? ) is used to describe movements advocating Hindu nationalism. ...

A scholar in the connections between science and Hinduism, Meera Nanda , states that Hindu supremacists have long co-opted scientific results to claim support for Hindu religious ideas, including evolution. Quantum Mechanics and Nuclear Physics and other scientific results are all twisted to produce "scientific evidence" of the truth of Vedic scriptures and Vedic science. She writes: This article is about evolution in biology. ... Fig. ... Nuclear physics is the branch of physics concerned with the nucleus of the atom. ...

[Vedic science] means astrology, vastu, Vedic creationism, transcendental meditation or ayurveda. This was not just talk: state universities and colleges got big grants from the government to offer post-graduate degrees, including PhDs in astrology; research in vastu shastra, meditation, faith-healing, cow-urine and priest-craft was promoted with substantial injections of public money. Hand-coloured version of the anonymous Flammarion woodcut. ... ... Creation within belief systems covers creation beliefs that are part of a named system of beliefs. ... ‹ The template below has been proposed for deletion. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Ama (Ayurveda). ...

See also

• Creation within belief systems
• Origin belief

Creation within belief systems covers creation beliefs that are part of a named system of beliefs. ... This article is becoming very long. ...

Notes

1. ^ Forbidden Archaeology´s Impact by Michael A Cremo, Tom Morrow, Reports of the National Center for Science Education, 19 (3): 14-17.
2. ^ Forbidden Archaeology : Antievolutionism Outside the Christian Arena, Creation/Evolution 34:13-25, 1994
3. ^ History Hungama: The California Textbook Debate, Sunaina Maira and Raja Swamy, Siliconeer: A General Interest Magazine for South Asians in U.S., The ONLY Color Glossy Monthly on West Coast for South Asians, February 2006
4. ^ The true history and religion of India, Swami Prakashanand Saraswati, 2nd Edition, 2003, ISBN: 0967382319
5. ^ Move over ID, here comes Bhartiya Creationism Ravi Ravishankar, 2006 Descriptions of Hindutva activist efforts to change California textbooks
6. ^ According to the US State Department's "International Religious Freedom Report, 2003", there was a "massive rewriting of textbooks to favor Hindu extremist interpretations of history" when the Indian national government was under Hinduvta control.
7. ^ Intellectual Treason, Meera Nanda,New Humanist Magazine, Jan 07 2005

Hindutva (Hinduness, a word coined by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in his 1923 pamphlet entitled Hindutva: Who is a Hindu? ) is used to describe movements advocating Hindu nationalism. ...

References

• Human Devolution: A Vedic alternative to Darwin’s theory, Michael A. Cremo, Torchlight Publishing, September 15, 2003, ISBN-10: 0892133341

• The Hidden History of the Human Race (The Condensed Edition of Forbidden Archeology), Michael A. Cremo, Torchlight Publishing, May 15, 1999ISBN-10: 0892133252

• Forbidden Archeology: The Full Unabridged Edition, Michael A. Cremo and Richard L. Thompson, Torchlight Publishing; 2Rev Ed edition, January 1998 ISBN-10: 0892132949

• Prophets Facing Backward: Postmodern Critiques of Science and the Making of Hindu Nationalism in India, Meera Nanda, Rutgers University Press, 2003.

• Postmodernism, Hindu nationalism and Vedic science, Meera Nanda, Frontline magazine (December 20,2003 – January 02, 2004)

External links

• An anti-Hindu supremacy website describing Hindutva
• Ask the Swami: Dharma vs. Darwin?: If you're bad enough, will you be reincarnated as an amoeba? Vedic perspectives on evolution, dinosaurs, Mars, and the Big Bang, Swami B.V. Tripurari, Beliefnet article describing some Hindu perspectives on evolution
• The Perils of Vedic 'Science': Hindu nationalists, like U.S. evangelicals, are co-opting their nation's culture and calling bad science good, Meera Nanda, Beliefnet article on Hindu science and evolutionary theories
• The flaws in Darwin’s theory A Hindu anti-evolution website.
• The Secret Diary of Charles Darwin, Sivasiva Palani, Hinduism Today, May 1991 A discussion of the contradictions of evolution with Hinduism and a spurious meeting of Darwin with a Hindu holy man who revealed "truths" to him.
• A Rejoinder to Meera Nanda’s Article “Postmodernism, Hindu nationalism and Vedic science”,"Srikant," Swaveda, May 13, 2005 A rebuttal of Nanda's views, and a support of "yoga science" and other Hindu "sciences".