Creationism

Creationism is the belief that creation of the universe occurred exactly as described in the biblical book of Genesis, specifically chapters 1 and 2. Creationists have been involved in an ongoing struggle to “defeat” the scientific view of evolution, which has increasingly dominated the science curriculum of most American schools since the 1925 Scopes “Monkey” Trial in Tennessee. As a result, the public school science classroom has been the primary target of creationists.

The critical question for educators and policymakers is whether or not creationism should be taught as part of the science curriculum, alongside evolution, in public schools. The question involves a bitter and divisive conflict between certain Christians in the United States and the scientific community. The attempt to have creationism included in the science curriculum has also become an emotionally charged political issue. In addition, issues concerning the separation of church and state are intertwined with the creationist argument. A variety of policymakers at the state and national levels have declared their support of teaching creationism in public schools; others are just as firmly opposed.

Creationism, first as a Christian teaching, later as an attack on evolution, and still later as a political weapon in the so-called culture wars, has evolved from its origins in the 19th century. After Darwin's Origin of Species appeared in 1859, creationism referred to any belief in divine creation. This early creationist view made room for evolution; a Christian could be an evolutionist and a creationist.

With the growth of fundamentalism in the early 20th century, creationists adopted an anti-evolutionary stance and insisted that God had created every animal and plant in complete form from the beginning of time. These creationists, however, accepted the idea of an old earth. They believed the geologists were correct in their conclusions about the age of the planet. When fundamentalists lost the battle over evolution, they retreated to the thousands of evangelical, conservative churches that thrived on the fringe of Christianity in America. In the 1960s creationists made a policy and practice comeback. They not only intensified their efforts to put creationism in public schools, they also changed their theology. Now they insisted that the earth was less than 10,000 years old, the creation account in Genesis was literal, and God had created the world in six 24-hour days. It is this renewed and different version of creationism that gave birth to what is called “creation science” and led to the current battle over creation and evolution being waged in various states and local school systems across America.

These new creationists, called Young Earth creationists, accept a literal Genesis account, basing their calculations of the age of the earth on the genealogies that appear in the Bible. They also believe God literally created human beings from the dust of the ground and that humans did not evolve from other species.

Creationism differs from “intelligent design,” not only in the ways listed in the previous paragraph, but also in its total rejection of evolution. Intelligent-design advocates have little or no argument with most of Darwin's claims about evolution. They also believe the earth is approximately 14 billion years older. In every respect, intelligent design attempts to be a more scientific version of creationism.

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