Creation 'science' vs. religious attitudes

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), May, 1996 by Betty McCollister

A FUNNY THING has happened to the teaching of evolution. Recognized by scientists all over the world as the key organizing principle in biology, comparable to gravity in physics and heliocentricity in astronomy and solidly confirmed by every branch of earth science and biology since Charles Darwin first advanced it in 1864, evolution has come under increasing, and increasingly successful, attack from Christian fundamentalists. Biologists who assumed that the Scopes trial settled the matter hardly could have been more wrong.

Today's creation "scientists," of whom there are about 700, tend to represent the battle as one of religion vs. science. All are Christian fundamentalists. Applicants for membership in the Creation Research Society, whose goal is "to reach all people with the vital message of the scientific and historic truth about creation," must sign this statement:

"1. The Bible is the written Word of God, and because we believe it to be inspired thruout [sic], all of its assertions are historically and scientifically true in all of the original autographs. To the student of nature, this means that the account of origins in Genesis is a factual presentation of simple historical truths.

"2. All basic types of living things, including man, were made by direct creative acts of God during Creation Week as described in Genesis. Whatever biological changes have occurred since Creation have accomplished only changes within the original created kinds.

"3. The great Flood described, commonly referred to as the Noachian Deluge, was an historical event, worldwide in its extent and effect.

"4. Finally, we are an organization of Christian men of science, who accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. The account of the special creation of Adam and Eve as one man and one woman, and their subsequent Fall into sin, is the basis for our belief in the necessity of a Savior for all mankind. Therefore, salvation can come only thru [sic] accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior."

As creationist Henry Morris summed up his position: "No Adam, no Fall; no Fall, no atonement; no atonement, no Saviour. Accepting Evolution, how can we believe in a Fall?"

Commenting on this material, and on creationists' admission that no evidence of any kind ever could persuade them to abandon their beliefs, Judge William Overton, in his decision in a 1982 landmark Arkansas case, wrote: "While anybody is free to approach a scientific inquiry in any fashion... they cannot properly describe the methodology used as scientific if they start with a conclusion and refuse to change it regardless of the evidence..."

Nevertheless, a number of polls have indicated that about 45% of the American people do believe in taking the Bible literally. Does this mean, then, that it is a case of Christianity against science?

Not at all. Mainstream and liberal Christians have come out strongly against creation "science," warning that it is a threat to both religion and science. Even the generally conservative Pope John Paul II describes the Bible account thus: "Cosmogony itself speaks to us of the origins of the universe and its makeup, not in order to provide us with a scientific treatise, but in order to state the correct relationship of man with God and the universe. Sacred Scripture wishes simply to declare that the world was created by God, and in order to teach this truth, it expresses itself in the terms of the cosmology in use at the time of the writer... The sacred book likewise wishes to tell men that the world was not created as the seat of the gods... but was rather created for the service of man and the glory of God. Any other teaching about the origin of the universe is alien to the intentions of the Bible, which does not wish to teach how heaven was made, but how one goes to heaven."

Christian organizations that have passed resolutions officially endorsing evolution and deploring creation science include the Episcopal Church, Lexington (Ky.) Alliance of Religious Leaders, Lutheran Church, Unitarian Universalist Association, United Church of Christ, United Methodist Church, and United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. The Episcopalians sum it up eloquently and make the clear distinction between believing that God created the universe that science has disclosed to mankind and that the Genesis account is the only religious attitude: "Resolved, that the 67th General Convention affirm the glorious ability of God to create in any manner, whether men understand it or not, and in this affirmation reject the limited insight and rigid dogmatism of the `Creationist' movement...."

In the Jewish community, the Orthodox believe in a literal interpretation of Genesis. However, the American Jewish Congress and the Central Conference of American Rabbis have proclaimed their support of evolution.

Much of the difficulty stems from how to understand myth and legend. Fundamentalist Christians believe their faith stands or falls on literalism. Others see it quite differently.

The Rev. Conrad Hyres, a Presbyterian minister who teaches comparative mythology and history of religions at Gustavus Adolphus College, finds myths unimaginably rich in meaning expressed in their own language. He blames today's impoverished imagination partly on banal television, wherein "Poetry is turned into prose, truth into statistics, understanding into facts, education into note-taking, while religious expression trembles with a sense of inexpressible mystery ... which addresses the totality of our being."