STEP 1
Claim: Creationism and Scientific Creationism are religious concepts.
Evidence: What do Creation Scientists Believe?
Scientists who call themselves “creation scientists” are professionals, typically with advanced degrees from major universities, who are generally involved in the same types of work as the average scientist. The difference is that creation scientists have a “world-view”, or “model” for their science which is based on the belief that an intelligent designer (“God”) exists who created our universe and the natural things in it. The creation events were one-time events and are not taking place today. A large subset of creation scientists could be called “Biblical creationists”, who take the first eleven chapters of the Bible to be real history, including the creation of all things in six 24-hour days, the existence of Adam and Eve as the first man and woman, the unnatural introduction of “death” into the perfect creation because of the disobedience of Adam and Eve, and the occurence of a world-wide flood (Noah’s flood) which destroyed most life and greatly affected the processes operating on the earth. Most creation scientists believe that the earth is “young” (on the order of ten thousand years), but this is a secondary issue. Biblical creationists believe that the Bible and true science are in full harmony with each other – there is no need to “check your brain at the door” when entering a church.
Does anyone want to dispute that creationism is religious in nature?
UPDATE: I decided to post them in the normal order. The most recent post (Step 2 as I write this) is at the top.
5 Responses to “STEP 1”
 Comment by Dave December 23rd, 2005 at 1:04 pm |
I dispute your equivocation of the scientific hypothesis of creation with the philosophy of creationism. I also dispute your generalization that all creationists are biblical creationists that you must make to arrive at your conclusion. So, I would say yes, some forms of creationism are religious in nature, but not all of them. Similar arguments have been made regarding evolution and evolutionism. |
 Comment by Daryl Cobranchi December 23rd, 2005 at 1:41 pm |
Give me a break, Dave. What version of creationism is NOT religious? From the dictionary: Belief in the literal interpretation of the account of the creation of the universe and of all living things related in the Bible. If you’re going to dispute even common definitions of words, I’ll just declare victory now. |
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Comment by Daryl Cobranchi December 23rd, 2005 at 1:58 pm |
And, before you start disputing that creationism and scientific creationism (or creation science) are essentially the same, I’ll throw out a quote from one of the founding fathers of Creation Science: “The only effective way to get creationism taught properly is to have it taught by teachers who are both willing and able to do it. Since most teachers now are neither willing nor able, they must first be both persuaded and instructed themselves.” Henry M. Morris “Introducing Scientific Creationism Into the Public Schools,” (1975) |
 Comment by DeputyHeadmistress December 23rd, 2005 at 4:36 pm |
Your title asks a question about ID, but then you switch terms in the post and talk about Creationism instead. My understanding would be that while all Creationists believe in ID, not all ID proponents believe in Creationism. |
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Comment by Daryl Cobranchi December 23rd, 2005 at 5:21 pm |
Yes, I know. I first had to establish that creationism was a religious concept. I’ll then show that creationism and ID are interchangeable. |