Young earth creationism

Young earth creationism (often referred to as "Biblical creationism", or simply creationism) is the name given to a belief espoused by some fundamentalist Christians which asserts that the origin of the Universe and all life on earth was precisely revealed in the Biblical book of Genesis. Using literal hermeneutics to approach the book, as well as the genealogy of Matthew 1, proponents argue that the earth is only 6,000 – 10,000 years old.

While other cultures may hold similar views of a young Earth, young Earth creationism is generally understood to refer to the fundamentalist Christian (or orthodox Jewish) view.

History

The creationist chronology was originally developed in 17th century England by Archbishop James Ussher, an Anglican, in 1651. Ussher calculated, using the chronologies given in the books of the Bible, that the first day of creation occurred on October 23, 4004 BC. His chronology was typeset in English Bibles starting in 1701; however, the year 4004 BC was already well known among theologians.

Young Earth creationism was once a mainstream view in large parts of Protestant Christian Europe and was not a contentious issue until the 19th century, when scientists (such as James Hutton and Charles Lyelle) started publishing work, based on their analyses of geological processes and formations, supporting the view that the earth was not a few thousand years old but, in fact, several millions of years old. This view was based largely on belief in uniformitarianism. The subsequent publication of Darwin's On the Origin of Species in 1859 and the associated Theory of Evolution, also affirmed the view that the Earth was much older than the 6,000 to 10,000 years proposed by young Earth creationists.

The increasing acceptance of this longer geological time scale among scientists and lay-persons alike (including many of the clergy) meant that in the latter part of the 19th century the young Earth creationist chronology was no longer viewed as accurate by the majority of educated citizens in Western Europe. The 4004 year of creation, which had already been abandoned by most liberal theologians, began to lose favour with many conservatives and fundamentalists also, who adopted a figurative interpretation of the first two chapters of Genesis.

The Scopes Trial

The Scopes trial tool place in Tennesee, USA in 1925 and was seen as a watershed event in the creation-evolution controversy. It was the subject of fervent national media attention.

The Butler Act, passed in March 1925 in Tennessee, made it unlawful for any teacher in any of the public schools of the state to teach any theory that "denies the story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead that man has descended from a lower order of animals." The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) began a campaign to challenge this law and sought someone who would be prepared to admit to teaching evolution in a state school and stand trial so that the law could be challenged in court. John T. Scopes volunteered to play that part. Although the ACLU and Scopes lost the trial, the resulting publicity brought the issue to the forefront of the minds of the American people and many people saw it is a set-back for those who opposed the Theory of Evolution.

Modern-day young Earth creationism

The modern resurgence of young Earth creationism is generally ascribed to two American theologians, John C. Whitcomb, Jr. and Henry M. Morris, and their book The Genesis Flood (1961). They in turn borrowed heavily from George McCready Price, a self-taught Seventh-day Adventist author of The New Geology (1923).

Several organisations exist throughout the world that support and promote the idea of young Earth creationism. Some of the most prominent ones are Answers In Genesis[4], Creation Ministries International[5] and the Institute for Creation Research[6].

Creation Museum, Kentucky, USA

In 2007, a young Earth creationist group, Answers In Genesis[7] opened the Creation Museum[8] in Petersburg, Kentucky, USA. The construction and opening of the museum generated much interest and controversy in the press and media, particularly for exhibitions such as those that display early humans at play alongside vegetarian dinosaurs.. The museum was designed by Patrick Marsh, who also designed the Jaws and King Kong exhibits at Universal Studios, Florida

Other groups in the United States have had similar plans: The Creation Discovery Museum[9] was opened by the Creation Studies Institute[10], a Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based ministry that promotes young Earth creationism.

Notable supporters

The creationist organisation Answers in Genesis maintains a list of present day scientists and people with scientific training who are purported to accept the Biblical account of creation. [11]

Criticisms

The scientific community has on the whole rejected young Earth creationism. Additionally, religious creationists who believe in old Earth creationism also reject the assertion that the Earth is only approximately 6,000 – 10,000 years old.

It is argued that most of people that support young Earth creationism came to creationism from religion, and that many who claim scientific expertise on the topic have not published scientific papers on it in refereed journals.

Further reading

• Bratt, James D., "History of Brief Time" Reviews in American History, Vol. 22, No. 2 (Jun., 1994), pp. 335-339. (review of Numbers, 1992 edition. online at JSTOR

• Edward J. Larson: Trial and Error: The American Controversy Over Creation and Evolution 2003 ISBN 0195154703

• Giberson, Karl W. and Donald A. Yerxa. Species of Origins: America's Search for a Creation Story (2002) looks at the debate over creationism and evolution in late 20th century; covers Darwinism, young earth creationism, and intelligent design.

• Lienesch, Michael. In the Beginning: Fundamentalism, the Scopes Trial, and the Making of the Antievolution Movement (2007)

• Numbers, Ronald L. The Creationists (2nd ed. 2006)

• Numbers, Ronald L. "The Most Important Biblical Discovery of Our Time": William Henry Green and the Demise of Ussher's Chronology," Church History, Vol. 69, No. 2 (Jun., 2000), pp. 257-276 in JSTOR

External links

Young Earth creationist organisations

• Answers In Genesis

• Creation Ministries International

• Institute for Creation Research

Discussions on creationism

• Northwest Creation Network Summary of Biblical Young Earth Creationism, with numerous links

• In Evolution Debate, Creationists Are Breaking New Ground Washington Post article on the Creation Museum (free registration required)

• The Young Earth Creation Club Arguments and publications from Young Earth creationists.

• godandscience.org Young Earth vs. Old Earth arguments from Old Earth creationists.