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The creation-evolution controversy (also termed the '''creation vs. evolution debate''' or the '''origins debate''') is an ongoing dispute in the popular arena about the origins of The Earth , Humanity , Life , and The Universe . The debate is most prevalent and visible in the United States , where it is often portrayed in the Mass Media in the broader context of the Culture War s or a supposed dispute between Religion And Science . The main opposing sides are ostensibly those who espouse religious Origin Beliefs and those who support Naturalistic or Scientific accounts provided by Astrophysics , Geology and Biology . The conflict centers primarily around the defensibility of Creationism (primarily the forms of creationism derived from Fundamentalist or Religiously Conservative Christian , Jewish and Islamic accounts of origins) that holds the scientific explanations of origins to be antithetical to Creation Theology , and oftentimes, more specifically, Creation According To Genesis . The key contention of such creationists is that only a Supernatural Miracle and not "unguided evolution" can account for origins. The term '' Evolution '' is used in an overarching sense by creationists to represent the sum total of the Scientific Theories and Observational Implications that they see as being in conflict with their worldview. The proponents of evolution hold that Natural Laws alone are sufficient to account for all Observations in Nature and that supernatural origins are beyond the scope of the Scientific Method and thus that evolution including Biological Evolution need not contradict religious beliefs although it does contradict certain specific religious beliefs. The controversy is not occurring within the and Falsehood Dawkins, Richard. 2002. A scientist's view. ''The Guardian'', Saturday March 9, 2002. http://www.simonyi.ox.ac.uk/dawkins/WorldOfDawkins-archive/Dawkins/Work/Articles/2002-03-09scientistsview.shtml. A New School Of Creationism that has become well known as part of the controversy in schools is the Intelligent Design (ID) Movement and its associated Arguments . ID proponents assert that science inappropriately excludes the idea that origins of the biological and physical worlds could derive from an Intelligent Designer and have advocated a program named Teach The Controversy . OVERVIEW OF THE CONTROVERSY Antecedents to the controversy can be seen in the challenges made by various religious people and organizations to the legitimacy of certain scientific ideas since the Age Of Enlightenment (see Galileo and his advocacy of " Natural Philosophy " in relation to the Inquisition of the Roman Catholic Church ). The Creation-Evolution controversy itself originated in Europe and North America in the late 18th Century , when geological discoveries indicated that the earth is much older than was suggested by the Judeo-Christian Bible . When the Theory Of Evolution by natural selection was introduced and published by English naturalist Darwin in his mid 19th Century book, '' On The Origin Of Species By Means Of Natural Selection '', many Christian Preacher s attacked the book believing it to be in conflict with their interpretations of the biblical account of life's development. and William Jennings Bryan chat in court during the Scopes Trial .]] The controversy became political in the United States Of America when Public Schools began teaching the scientific theory that man descended from earlier forms of life per Darwin 's theory of Natural Selection as opposed to being created by God in His image per the Bible . In response, the State of Tennessee passed a law (i.e. the Butler Act ) prohibiting the teaching of any theory of the origins of humans that contradicted the teachings of the bible. This law was tested in the highly publicized Scopes Trial of 1925 . The law was upheld and remained on the books until 1967 when it was repealed. (See related sections of this article on the controversy In US Public Schools and In Education Worldwide .) The controversy continues to this day with the Secular Mainstream Scientific Consensus on the origins and evolution of life actively attacked and denigrated by a number of creationist organizations and religious groups who desire to uphold creationism (often " Young Earth Creationism "), " Creation Science " or " Intelligent Design " as an alternative. Most of these groups are explicitly Christian, and more than one sees the debate as an opportunity to Evangelize . There are those involved on both sides of the debate who see secular science and Theistic religion as being diametrically opposed views which cannot be reconciled (see section on The False Dichotomy ). More accommodating viewpoints include believers in Theistic Evolution , who see science and religion as fully compatible disciplines which ask fundamentally different questions about reality and posit different avenues for investigating it. The Intelligent Design Movement has attempted to frame an anti-evolution position by avoiding any 'direct' appeal to religion, although Leonard Krishtalka, a paleontologist and an opponent of the movement, called intelligent design "nothing more than creationism in a cheap tuxedo" As reported in the 4 May 2005 edition of the Washington Post (see Neo-Creationism ). Intelligent Design , as a perspective, does not represent a research program within the mainstream scientific community and is opposed by many of the same groups who oppose creationism. COMMON VENUES FOR DEBATE Conflict occurs mostly in the public arena, as creationists have been unwilling or unable to publish their ideas through academic channels or in Scientific Journals . Popular-level books and articles by creationists attacking mainstream science and by proponents of mainstream science attacking creationism have been published and numerous public debates have been sponsored by churches, Universities , and clubs. With the Internet , the battle between proponents has also been waged On-line . One of the first Usenet Newsgroups was created for the controversy. Over a 19-year history, the Talk.origins newsgroup has allowed for multiple discussions of nearly every topic and issue ever developed in the controversy. In 1994, an Archive of the mainstream science responses to creationist objections was created as a website. Various creationists followed suit with their own clearinghouses, the most famous of which are Ken Ham 's Answers In Genesis and the Institute For Creation Research website. Chatroom s, Message Board s, and Blog s continue to promote the controversy with many arguments printed and reprinted. Most Christian denominations have an official stance on the controversy. In the US, many conservative Protestant denominations unapologetically promote creationism and preach against evolution from the pulpits and sponsor lectures and debates on the subject. Some of the denominations that explicitly advocate for creationism and against evolution include Assemblies Of God , Church Of Christ , Church Of The Nazarene , Evangelical Presbyterian Church , Free Methodist Church , Jehovah's Witnesses , Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod , Pentecostal Churches , Seventh-day Adventist Churches , Southern Baptist Convention Churches , Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod , and the Christian Reformed Church . CONFLICTS INHERENT TO THE CONTROVERSY While debate on the details of scientific theories and their philosophical or religious implications are often the most intense parts of the controversy, ultimately the conflict comes down to opposing definitions of all or parts of science, reality, and religion. Accusations of misleading formulations, incorrect or false statements, and inappropriate mixing of ideas are fundamental points of disagreement. Accusations involving science Many creationists vehemently oppose certain scientific theories in a number of ways, including opposition to specific applications of scientific processes, accusations of bias within the scientific community, and claims that discussions within the scientific community reveal a crisis. In response to perceived crises in Modern Science , creationists claim to have an alternative, typically based on faith, creation science, and/or Intelligent Design . Opponents of creationism spend much of their participation in the controversy defending against the attacks. Some of the more common creationist accusations involving science are listed below, together with their associated debates. Limitations of the scientific endeavor Creationists who use the controversy as an opportunity for Apologetics and Evangelism will often refer to scientific theories as being incomplete, incorrect, or inherently flawed due to the Infinite Regression nature of questions of origins. Typical of these challenges are the somewhat rhetorical questions asked by creationists "What caused the Big Bang ?" or "What was the nature of the First Lifeform ?" These questions are in principle subject to scientific investigation, but if and when answers are provided it is likely that the answers will themselves be subject to similar kinds of regressive inquiry. These First Cause arguments are invoked as a means to point to the existence of a deity (and often, in particular, the Judeo-Christian God). Creationists argue that since science cannot supply such answers, their religious discourse is more complete, more reliable, and surpasses the Naturalistic Descriptions that science provides. Science is indeed limited in its inquiry of causes, as the Scientific Method yields descriptive explanations rather than explaining why nature exists in such a way. The problem with the limits to Ontology both in Cosmogony and in the Origin Of Life have been sometimes comically referred to by scientists and natural philosophers as the description of Turtles All The Way Down . However such critiques of the limits of science and rational inquiry in general have no single philosophical resolution and are often seen as problems for theistic claims as well. The pronouncement by creationists that such limitations points to the existence of a Creator God is criticized by many skeptics as a God Of The Gaps argument where religious argumentation is reduced to a placeholder for gaps in human knowledge. Many creationists argue that the limitations of science are enough so that they are essentially free to reject any scientific description of origins that contradicts their religious beliefs. This position has been criticized by supporters of science as a failure to distinguish between speculations and descriptions based on evidence. While certain subjects involved in origins-research remain an open-ended question in scientific discourse, there are also scientific descriptions and parameterizations of origins on which there is considerable Consensus . Examples of open questions in origins research within their associated scientific fields include:
Research into understanding these subjects is ongoing. Defining evolution Many creationists argue that since scientists cannot fully explain origins, ''evolution'' as a whole is flawed. Such critiques effectively recast "evolution" as a broder statement than the one typically accepted by mainstream science. Young Earth Creationists, such as Kent Hovind , count no fewer than six different aspects to "evolution" despite the formal scientific definition, which applies only to the Modern Synthesis . These aspects, as defined by Hovind, are: # Cosmic evolution — origin of time, space and matter (essentially referring to the Big Bang ). # Stellar and planetary evolution — origin of stars and planets. # Chemical evolution — origin of higher elements from hydrogen. # Organic evolution — origin of life from inanimate matter. # Macroevolution — origin of major 'kinds' (for a creationist treatment see Created Kind s). # Microevolution — origin of variations within 'kinds'. Such a broad-based grouping of topics from disparate fields of science including Cosmology , Astronomy , Geology , and Chemistry expands the controversy well beyond the confines of biological evolution as per the Modern Synthesis . For example, while almost all biologists consider it a matter of fact that Life Was Formed through natural means, evolutionary theory in and of itself does not necessarily include Abiogenesis , the formation of life out of non-living matter. This approach to redefining the aspects of evolution has been criticized in other ways as well. For example, in the context of evolutionary biology, "microevolution" and "macroevolution" are distinguished only by the total amount of evolutionary change and the number of generations that had passed between Ancestor s and Descendant s. Evolutionary changes are often so gradual that biologists can argue passionately over exactly when speciation occurs. A few scientists have attempted to posit different mechanisms for macroeveolution (see Saltation ), but none has been generally accepted. Creationists, however, generally accept microevolution while rejecting macroevolution by atempting to reintroduce mechanistic distinctions. An example of this is the creationist endeavor Baraminology which purports to study the biology of various " Kinds ". "Kinds" and "baramin" are terms Invented by creationists and derived from the book of Genesis. They are not used in mainstream biological research, and those who debate creationists claim that they are a patchwork-fix meant to allow creationists to accept short-term manifestations of evolution (such as the development of new Dog Breed s or Antibiotic-resistant Bacteria ) as change within a "kind", while arbitrarily rejecting Speciation , the appearance of entirely new species that generally takes much more time. Theory vs. Fact An often contentious conflict that occurs is the accusation by creationists that proponents of mainstream science inappropriately conflate scientific theory with Fact . While certain creationist organizations have distanced themselves from this accusation, various levels of incredulity about scientific conclusions are a nearly universal component of creationist argumentation. In particular, creationists are very wary about scientific arguments involving events that happened in the distant past. Some creationists have even called into question whether it is philosophically tenable to make any claims about the past at all. These critiques are often leveled against unifying concepts within scientific disciplines, such as Uniformitarianism , Occam's Razor / Parsimony , and the Copernican Principle , that are claimed to be the result of a bias within science toward philosophical naturalism. The paradigmatic nature of scientific work is also criticized by the creationists as being too close-minded. Mainstream proponents who respond to these criticisms tend to criticize the creationists' understanding of the Scientific Method and the nature of scientific investigation. A theory is not, as it is considered to be in colloquial usage, a guess or conjecture, but rather a very strongly supported statement about the Natural World that has survived all tests thus far. Since science itself is a dynamic process that allows for self-correction and Falsification , scientists rely on all the Empirical Observations ever made to create and refine scientific theories. The principles that allow for investigation of natural phenomena also provide for the scientific community's rigorous vetting process for ideas, widely considered to be the most effective safeguard against dogmatism and falsehood. The proponents of mainstream science contrast this with creationism and posit that the kinds of creationism that contradict basic scientific observations can be considered neither theory nor fact. Because modern science tries to rely on the minimization of A Priori assumptions, error, and Subjectivity , as well as on avoidance of Baconian Idols , it ultimately remains neutral on highly personal subjects such as religion or morality. Mainstream proponents accuse the creationists of conflating the two in a form of Pseudoscience . as an ape from 1871 reflects part of the social controversy over whether humans and apes share a Common Lineage .]] Evidence against evolution Creationists are most well-known for their claims that evolutionary theory is incorrect and that evidence contradicting it has been discovered. These claims are not taken seriously by the scientific community, rather the Rabbits in the Precambrian Era ", a period more than 540 million years ago, a time when evolutionists claim that life on Earth consisted largely of bacteria, algae, and plankton. The absence of such evidence against evolution serves as one of the primary criticisms of creationism. A famous instance of creationist evidence against evolution was the supposed Human And Dinosaur Tracks found in Paluxy riverbed near Glen Rose, Texas which was allegedly evidence that showed Dinosaur s and Human s walked the Earth at the same time. Another example was an argument relating to the accumulation of Lunar Dust indicating an age for the moon of a few thousand years. These claims have been so thoroughly discounted that now even many creationists disavow them. Creationists have also criticized the scientific evidence used to support evolution as being based on faulty assumptions, unjustified jumping to conclusions, or even outright liesSee for example the Christian tract written by creationist Donald G. Scott entitled ''The Fantasy of Organic Evolution, A Pagan Religion'' at http://www.evolutionfantasy.org/ Such criticism typically involves the most often cited pieces of evidence in favor of mainstream science. This includes the and other Paleontology Hoaxes were fabricated, all of the pieces of evidence for Human Evolution were questionable. Certain creationist organizations have, over time, modified or distanced themselves completely from these claims, becoming more sophisticated in their argumentation. In debates, the back-and-forth criticism has a tendency to degenerate into arguments over details of the major ideas, creationists claiming that the problems they point out represent significant "holes" while their opponents respond that the holes are either due to a lack of understanding by creationists or are not detrimental to the paradigm. Some creationist organizations have recently tried to reposition their criticism against mainstream science by using more subtle critiques involving such as that Specified Complexity and Irreducible Complexity either has not had enough time to develop naturally (see Intelligent Design ) or is impossible to develop due to the Second Law Of Thermodynamics . Most of the largest creationist organizations now discourage using the idea that Entropy prevents evolution, but similar types of arguments continue to be made in the controversy. Most scientists do not spend a great deal of time Debunking such claims and oftentimes this gives the impression that they are either unwilling or unable to answer the creationist critiques. There are even those that outright refuse to participate so as not to lend the creationists any legitimacy, including Stephen Gould and Richard Dawkins . The latest instance of this was in 2005, when mainstream science organizations boycotted hearings held by the Kansas Board of Education who held what certain evolution pundits described as a " Kangaroo Court " over whether new science standards should be designed with the " Teach The Controversy " model in mindSee for example the transcripts described on talkorigins.org http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/kansas/kangaroo.html. The committee members had already stated their positions ahead of time and evolutionary scientists believed that no amount of testimony would be likely to change the outcome. Accusations of bias Creationists argue that the scientific community's so as to stifle the debate. This claim is hotly disputed by scientists in the relevant fields who point out that the creationist ideas have fundamental flaws, misconceptions, errors, and a lack of substantiating facts, rendering them unworthy of inclusion in academic discussion. Creationists tend to respond at length to such criticisms, sometimes to the point of responding line-by-line to anti-creationist articles, though it is disputed whether these succeed in addressing the issues. Many creationist organizations have tried to address criticism from the scientific establishment by recruiting religious scientists and academics who are sympathetic to their cause. The Institute for Creation Research, the Intelligent Design think-tank Discovery Institute , and Answers in Genesis all employ people with doctoral degrees in scientific or related fields. The use of credentials by some of the creationist experts (notably Kent Hovind ) that rely on their non-biological and/or non-accredited doctoral degrees to Argue From Authority has been criticized as being fraudulent or misleading. Some creationists (for example, the Old Earth Creationist astronomer Hugh Ross, who believes in the Age Of The Earth but questions Macroevolution ), raise objections to scientific theories outside of their field of expertise. Quote mining As a means to criticise mainstream science, creationists have been known to quote, at length, scientists who ostensibly support the mainstream theories, but appear to acknowledge criticisms similar to those of creationists. Many critics argue that these are Quote Mines (lists of out of context or misleading quotations) that do not accurately reflect the evidence for evolution or the mainstream scientific community's opinion of it. Many of the same quotes used by creationists have appeared so frequently in internet discussions due to the availability of Cut And Paste functions, that the TalkOrigins Archive has created "The Quote Mine Project" for quick reference to the original context of these quotations.http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/quotes/mine/project.html Conflation of science and religion The controversy is usually portrayed in the Mass Media as being between scientists, in particular Evolutionary Biologists , and creationists, but as almost all scientists do not consider the debate to have any academic legitimacy, it may be more correctly described as a conflict over a conflation of Science And Religion . Many of the most vocal creationists rely heavily on their criticisms of modern science, Philosophy , and culture as a means of Christian Apologetics . For example, as a way of justifying the struggle against "evolution", one prominent creationist has declared "the Lord has not just called us to knock down evolution, but to help in restoring the foundation of the Gospel in our society. We believe that if the Church es took up the tool of Creation Evangelism in society, not only would we see a stemming of the tide of Humanistic Philosophy , but we would also see the seeds of revival sown in a culture which is becoming increasingly more Pagan each day."Ham, Ken. Creation Evangelism (Part II of Relevance of Creation). ''Creation Magazine'' 6(2):17, November 1983. http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v6/i2/creationII.asp Religion and historical scientists A somewhat popular creationist claim in the context of the controversy is that Christianity and belief in a literal Bible are either foundationally significant or directly responsible for scientific progress. To that end, creationists have been known to list scientists such as Galileo , Newton , Maxwell , Pascal , and Mendel as believers in a biblical creation narrative. Since most of the scientists creationists tend to list as supporters weren't aware of evolution because they were either not alive when it was proposed or the idea was outside their field of study, this kind of argument is generally rejected as being specious by those who oppose creationism. In many cases, the context for the scientist in question opposing evolution was historically situated quite differently than it would be today, and usually involved very early work on the mechanism of evolution. Though biological evolution of some sort became the primary mode of discussing speciation within science since the late 19th century, it was not until the mid-20th century that evolutionary theories more or less stabilized. Some of the historical scientists marshalled by creationists were dealing with quite different issues than any are engaged with today: Louis Pasteur , for example, opposed evolution as it was thought at that time in France to be linked to the theory of Spontaneous Generation , which Pasteur was committed to disproving. The Relationship Between Science And Religion was not portrayed in antagonistic terms until the late-19th century, and even then there have been many examples of the two being reconcileable for evolutionary scientists. Many historical scientists wrote books explaining how pursuit of science was seen by them as fulfillment of spiritual duty in line with their religious beliefs. Even so, such professions of faith were not insurance against dogmatic opposition by certain religious people. Some extensions to the creationist argument have included suggesting that Einstein 's Deism was a tacit endorsement of creationism and incorrectly suggesting that Charles Darwin converted on his deathbed and recanted evolutionary theory. Religion as science eating the ichthus, motivated by the challenge posed by scientific facts to literal interpretations of the Bible.]] Most creationists involved in the controversy posit that they have alternatives to mainstream science in the form of creation science or intelligent design. They argue that science needs a Paradigm Shift and that a Scientific Revolution needs to occur in order to remove what they perceive as Anti-religious Bias from science. This conflation of religious and scientific ideas has come to define the controversy separately from either Theological or scientific discourse. is a parody of the Ichthys , a symbol often used to self-identify Christians and sometimes creationists.]] Science as religion A popular accusation among creationists is that evolution is itself a religion based on Secular Humanism , Scientific Materialism , or philosophical naturalism. Creationists argue that there is an Atheistic Bias in the scientific community that systematically discriminates against their religious views. Creationists involved in the controversy often do not believe distinction can be made between science and religion, and hold that the modern Philosophy Of Science is informed inappropriately by rejection of a Deity . They do not accept a priori rejection of claims of Supernatural events or Miracle s. Richard Dawkins, biologist and professor of public understanding of science at Oxford University, argues that science and religion are not mutually exclusive: "Science does not produce evidence against God, Science and religion ask different questions."As quoted by Wallis, Claudia. The Evolution Wars. ''Time Magazine'', 15 August 2005, page 32. http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,1090909,00.html Creationists and their supporters often use derisive Neologisms such as '' Evolutionism '' and '' Darwinism '' to refer to the modern theory of evolution, and ''evolutionists'' and ''Darwinists'' to those who accept it. Many opponents to creationism object to such terms as inaccurate and misleading. In particular, the ''-ist/-ists/-ism'' suffixes are claimed to evoke similarity to religious or philosophical rather than scientific ideas (e.g. ''creationist'', ''fundamentalist'', ''Calvinist'', ''communist''). It is claimed that in the case of evolutionism the label implies that evolution is just another religious belief system without empirical support, while in the case of Darwinism, the implication is that modern evolutionary theory is the static work of just one individual, Charles Darwin, as though he were not a scientist but rather the founder of a religious Sect . In the Nineteenth Century , there was a movement by certain scientists and intellectuals to form a quasi-religion out of science, known as Scientism . Since that time, most members of the scientific community have moved to maintain a pragmatic separation between scientific theories and religious faith, but creationist participants in the controversy continue to charge that there is a conspiratorial movement on the part of evolutionists to maintain Paradigmatic Hegemony over all aspects of culture (see, for example the Wedge Strategy which is an attempt to combat the perceived attack on religious thought). Additionally, some atheists involved in the controversy extrapolate from some scientific facts to declare that religious faith is Falsified . Examples of the conflation Following are some examples of well known participants in the debate who conflate science and religion:
False dichotomy Most supporters of evolution (especially religious ones) disagree with the claim made by creationists and some "evolutionists""Evolution is the greatest engine of atheism ever invented." (Provine W.B., "Evolution: Free will and punishment and meaning in life." Slide from Prof. William B. Provine's 1998 "Darwin's Day" address, "Darwin Day" website, University of Tennessee Knoxville TN, 1998) that there exists an inherent, irresolvable conflict between religion and evolutionary theory. Since many, if not most religious people do accept evolution (see Evolutionary Creationism ), they argue that this is a False Dichotomy . Religious beliefs cover a very wide spectrum, from strict Biblical literalism (which implies Young Earth Creationism ) to Atheism . Strict (Intelligent Design, Old Earth, and Young Earth) creationists strenuously reject evolutionary creationism on two grounds: #Strict creationists claim that "evolution" is an attempt to remove , Chance , and Randomness are used as explanations for Mutation s and Genetic Drift , God is necessarily excluded from the mechanisms of evolution. Creationists who are actively involved in the conflict tend to criticize those who advocate theistic evolution as having missed a claimed fundamental disparity between the Naturalistic mechanisms described as explanations for the natural sciences and the theistic action inherent to the doctrine of creation. #Strict creationists claim that there are two and only two positions that can possibly be correct: Creation Science (or Intelligent Design ) and the scientific mainstream (evolution). This automatically precludes discussions of other Origin Belief s and allows such advocates to claim that the only plausible explanation of origins that permits God is that which they are advocating. On this basis they claim that science itself is inherently Atheist ic, and lobby for a reversion to faith based Natural Philosophy . Beyond the dichotomy Opponents of creationist argumentation claim that there is no way to distinguish between creationism's objection to mainstream science and objections to mainstream science that are derived from groups that are not followers of creationism. The following list gives an idea of the many diverse Views On Origins beyond the creation-evolution Dichotomy :
Spectrum of creationist beliefs Creationism covers a spectrum of beliefs which have been categorised into the broad types listed below. Not all creationists dispute various scientific theories. Some are opposed to the Theory Of Evolution and some are not. Belief in creation exists in many forms:
::Old-Earth creationism itself comes in at least three types:
NOTEWORTHY PARTICIPANTS IN THE CONTROVERSY Creationists Henry Morris and John Whitcomb in the early 1960s co-authored '' The Genesis Flood '', the book credited with reviving interest in creation as an alternative to evolution. Dr. Morris is considered the "father" of modern creationism. The Creation Research Society , founded in 1963 by a number of creationists, including Henry Morris, is a membership organisation with voting membership limited to holders of an earned postgraduate degree. CRS has a voting membership of about 650, and a total membership of 1700 people. It publishes the ''CRS Quarterly'', a peer-reviewed journal for creationists, conducts research, and operates a web-site . The Institute For Creation Research is based in San Diego and was founded in 1970 by Henry Morris. It is now led by his son, John Morris. ICR publishes a number of books and newsletters, as well as producing radio spots and operating a web-site and a small museum. Answers In Genesis (AiG) is a Christian Apologetics organization devoted to the beliefs of Young Earth Creationism , specifically a plain reading of the first chapters of the Book Of Genesis . Ken Ham is a notable creationist from AiG. The Discovery Institute is a Seattle -based Intelligent Design think tank whose members include Michael Behe and William Dembski . It has a stated goal of introducing intelligent design into the scientific community and society by a wide range of methods as described on its web site and in the Wedge Strategy document. Robert V. Gentry concluded that a phenomenon he claimed to observe, " Polonium Haloes ", was an indication of a young earth. Additionally, Gentry has invented his own Creationist Cosmology . Duane Gish is a creationist who has become well-known for debating evolutionists across America and in other countries. He is also Senior Vice President of ICR. His ''Creation Scientists Answer Their Critics'' was a creationist response to Strahler's book (see below) and many other anti-creationist books. Kent Hovind , aka Dr. Dino, is a creationist enthusiast who started a creationist theme park and tours churches arguing against evolution. He has been the proponent of a number of ideas including advocating that dinosaurs lived at the same time as human beings. Hovind has been at the center of a number of controversies including a questionable doctoral degree granted by a university without official accredation and investigation by the IRS for tax evasion. Reasons To Believe is a Progressive Creationist organisation founded in 1986 by Hugh Ross. It publishes a number of books and operates a web-site . Ross opposes biological evolution but accepts mainstream theories of geological and astronomical history. Answers In Creation is an old-earth creationist website which supports both progressive creationists and theistic evolutionists. This is accomplished by examining young-earth creationist arguments and showing the flaws they contain. The True.Origins Archive is a web-site set up to respond to claims made on The Talk.Origins Archive (see below); it includes a page of purchasable material of interest to creationists. The only links present are to other pro-creation sites; TalkOrigins.org is conspicuous by its absence. Walt Brown is a famous proponent of Creation Science including Flood Geology and Creationist Cosmologies . He runs his own ministry called the Center for Scientific Creation and is famous for claiming that "evolutionists" refuse to Debate him. Their opposition Arthur Peacocke was one of the first to have developed a rigorously argued, complex argument for the compatibility of modern evolutionary theory with Christianity. He famously refers to evolution as "the disguised friend" of faith. The United States National Academy Of Sciences has made a number of statements opposing creationism. They state, "Creationism, intelligent design, and other claims of supernatural intervention in the origin of life or of species are not science because they are not testable by the methods of science." {Link without Title} The American Association For The Advancement Of Science (the world's largest general scientific society) contrasts the "scientific robustness of the contemporary theory of biological evolution" with the proposed teaching of intelligent design that will "confuse students about the nature of science." [http://aaas.org/news/releases/2005/0913kansas.shtml The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) supports the teaching of evolutionary biology in schools, and opposes the teaching of creationism. They hold that science classes should teach evolution; that teachers should be "nonjudgmental" of students' religious views; and that "creation science" and "intelligent design" should not be taught. {Link without Title} The National Center For Science Education was founded in 1981 to oppose creationism and is led by Eugenie Scott . It has 4,000 members and operates a web-site . The American Association Of Physics Teachers states that "we do not endorse teaching the 'evidence against evolution,' because currently no such scientific evidence exists. Nor can we condone teaching "scientific creationism," "intelligent design," or other non-scientific viewpoints as valid scientific theories." {Link without Title} The American Astronomical Society supports teaching evolution, noting that many astronomical observations show changes in the universe over a long period of time consistent with evolution. They state that "'Intelligent Design' fails to meet the basic definition of a scientific idea" and "does not belong in the science curriculum." {Link without Title} The , the Association For Women Geoscientists , the Geological Society Of America , the Paleontological Society , the Society Of Vertebrate Paleontology and The Society For Organic Petrology all have position statements supporting the teaching of evolution and opposing the teaching of non-scientific ideas. The Board of Directors of the American Chemical Society supports "evolution as the only scientifically accepted explanation for the origin and diversity of species." {Link without Title} The American Physical Society 's governing Council has long expressed its opposition to the inclusion of religious concepts such as intelligent design and related forms of creationism in science classes. {Link without Title} APS is the world's largest professional body of physicists, representing over 43,000 physicists in academia and industry in the US and internationally. Kansas Citizens for Science is a group that is trying to fight the revision of science standards in Kansas. CSICOP and The Skeptics Society are anti-pseudoscience organizations with creationism among their targets. The Talk.Origins Archive is a large web-site of articles critiquing creationary ideas, plus a discussion forum; there is an extensive set of links to sites of interest on both sides of the debate - including True.Origins. Talk Reason is a take-off of the talk.origins archive that deals exclusively with debunking intelligent design. Richard Dawkins , Michael Ruse , and the late Carl Sagan and Stephen Jay Gould figure among the well-known scientists who have been outspoken against creationism. Philip Kitcher is a philosopher of science who wrote a book, ''Abusing Science: The Case Against Creationism'' (1982), answering creationist arguments and explaining scientific vs. unscientific methodology. Simon Conway Morris is an evolutionary biologist who is also a Christian, and who has publically supported the acceptance of evolutionary biology by moderate Christians. Arthur N. Strahler , author of the 1987 book ''Science and Earth History: The Evolution/Creation Controversy''. Wesley R. Elsberry hosts The Panda's Thumb weblog which sponsors articles and posts by some of the most active debaters of creationists and Intelligent Design advocates. PZ Myers is probably the most outspoken critic of creationism online {Link without Title} . RAMIFICATIONS OF THE CONTROVERSY Public education in the United States ''Main article: Creation And Evolution In Public Education '' Evolution and creationism in public education in the United States have been the subjects of often acrimonious contention since the Scopes Trial . Locally controlled school boards in regions of the country dominated by creationists have made numerous and varied attempts over the years to undermine evolution and/or promote creationism in public school science classrooms. Those who do not consider creationism to be legitimate science strongly oppose having children taught these beliefs as science, though most do not object to objective discussions about these beliefs in humanities classes, e.g., in a comparative religions course. On the other hand, religious conservatives often perceive the teaching of evolution as a threat to their religious beliefs and prerogatives as parents and clergy. Scientists opposed to the teaching of faith-based origins argue that science and religion are wholly separate realms, and that teaching creationism as science confuses students about the proper nature of science. Controversy also surfaces frequently in school textbook/curriculum reviews. Creationists lobby for equal time, Teach The Controversy , or replacement of science curriculum with creation "science" or intelligent design. They allege science textbooks are biased, out of date and contain factual errors. A perennial hot-spot is Kansas , where the school board favors creationism whenever its proponents command a majority. Some creationists seek an end run around Constitutional limitations on religious advocacy in public school by endorsing voucher programs that divert funds from the education budget to pay private religious schools to teach creationism. Others have argued for tax rebates for parents who home-school, once again diverting public money to pay for overtly religious education. Surveys of views in the United States In a ", and 55% believed in "naturalistic evolution" {Link without Title} . However, following another Opinion Poll by DYG Inc., it seems that such results may reveal a False Dichotomy . According to the DYG poll, about 70% of Americans indicated that they did not see the theories of evolution and creation as in conflict {Link without Title} . A poll conducted in July 2005 by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life and the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press and reported in the ''New York Times'' on August 31, 2005, "found that 42 percent of respondents held strict creationist views, agreeing that 'living things have existed in their present form since the beginning of time.' In contrast, 48 percent said they believed that humans had evolved over time. But of those, 18 percent said that evolution was 'guided by a supreme being,' and 26 percent said that evolution occurred through natural selection. In all, 64 percent said they were open to the idea of teaching creationism in addition to evolution, while 38 percent favored replacing evolution with creationism." In contrast, the ''Times'' reported on August 30, 2005, that 20% of the U.S. population believes that the Sun revolves around the Earth. Survey of views in German speaking countries A 2002 survey commissioned by the 'Verein ProGenesis' (Switzerland, Zurich) and a magazine, 'factum' (Switzerland, Berneck), interviewed 500 people each in Austria, Switzerland, and Germany. (Note the name of the organization for potential bias—however, the institute conducting the poll, IHA-Gfk, can be considered reputable.) Results: About 20% believed that the universe, life and humans were created by God within the last 10,000 years. 21% held the position that they came about by a process of evolution and development guided by God, and 40% believed in evolution by natural selection. (The remaining 19% were of unknown/undecided/other opinion.) Survey of views in the United Kingdom A 2006 survey {Link without Title} conducted by Ipsos-MORI for the BBC Horizon programme interviewed 2,112 adults aged 15+ in the United Kingdom. Results: About 48% chose the 'evolution theory', which stated that human kind has developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life and that God had no part in this process; about 17% chose the 'intelligent design theory'; which stated certain features of living things are best explained by the intervention of a supernatural being, e.g. God; about 22% chose the 'creationism theory', which stated that God created human kind pretty much in his/her present form at one time within the last 10 000 years, whilst the remaining 12% did not know. The poll did not include the option which explicitly stated that humans came about by a process of evolution and development guided by God or a higher being. It is therefore possible that many of those who chose the 'intelligent design theory' would find themselves in agreement with this position, even though the term has different connotations elsewhere, particularly in the United States. The poll then went on to ask people's attitudes to the teaching of the three given theories in school science classes: For the 'evolution theory', 69% of the people asked believed that it should be taught in school science classes, 15% believed that it should not be taught in school science classes and the remaining 17% were unsure. For the 'intelligent design theory', 41% of the people asked believed that it should be taught in school science classes, 40% believed that it should not be taught in school science classes and the remaining 20% were unsure. Finally, for the 'creationism theory', 44% of the people asked believed that it should be taught in school science classes, 39% believed that it should not be taught in school science classes and the remaining 17% were unsure. Controversy in education world-wide Education In The United Kingdom comes under different systems in the constituent countries, all of which provide Schools With A Particular Religious Ethos as part of the state system alongside essentially Secular schools. Both types of schools teach evolution by natural selection in their biology curricula, not creationism. An exception has arisen with the introduction of private sponsorship of State Schools , known as City Academies , in England . This has allowed millionaire car dealer Peter Vardy to introduce the teaching of creationism alongside evolution in 2 - 7 city academies accepting sponsorship from his fund, which is called the Emmanuel Schools Foundation . This resulted in public controversy which drew attention to one private Seventh-day Adventist school and a few private Muslim schools teaching creationism. Despite protests by scientists, bishops and politicians, the government has so far not prohibited the teaching of creationism or Intelligent Design as long as National Curriculum guidelines on teaching evolution are met. In September 2004 , the teaching of evolution in primary schools was briefly banned in Serbia , but the ban was lifted days later after an outcry from scientists and even Serbian Orthodox bishops. The incident led to the resignation of education minister Ljiljana Čolić. The Netherlands education minister Maria Van Der Hoeven suggested that discussion of Intelligent Design in schools might promote dialogue between religious groups. Widespread opposition from scientists led to proposals for a conference on the plan being dropped. Turkey has a small creationist movement, initiated after contact with creationists from the USA. However members of the Turkish scientific community strongly oppose creationism, and only evolution is taught in universities. There is an ongoing debate on including intelligent design in high school text books. In Pakistan , evolution is no longer taught in universities. Brazil ian scientists protested in 2004 , when the education department of Rio De Janeiro started teaching creationism in religious education classes. Since then, most of the Christian colleges teach evolution as science and creationism as religion, and only in special non curricular classes. Public schools teach only evolution. HISTORY
SEE ALSO
REFERENCES Published books and other resources
EXTERNAL LINKS Creation vs Evolution links
Evolution links
Creationist links
Formal Debates
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