creationism
-
What is creationism?
Creationism is the belief that the universe and all life forms were created by God. Modern creationism emerged largely as a response to evolutionary theory, which explains the diversity of life without the need for a divine power.
Biblical creationists believe in the literal accuracy of the Genesis story, where God created everything in six days, and that the Earth is only a few thousand years old. Others, like old-Earth creationists, may accept geological evidence for the Earth's age and may or may not believe God used the big bang in creation.
Creationism is largely associated with conservative or fundamentalist branches of Protestant Christianity, though it also has proponents in Judaism, Islam, and other Christian branches. Mainstream scientists generally reject creationism.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What does creationism say about how life began?
Creationism asserts that the universe and life originated from God's creation, differing from evolutionary theories. Biblical creationism, or young-Earth creationism, interprets the Genesis creation story literally, believing Earth is only a few thousand years old. Alternatively, old-Earth creationists may not interpret Genesis as a literal historical account, and some accept the Big Bang theory.
Regardless of their specific interpretations, creationists commonly believe that species can change within their kind, but they do not believe that one species can evolve into another, more complex one. As such, they dispute the theory of biological evolution. Mainstream scientists generally reject creationism.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How is creationism different from the scientific theory of evolution?
Creationism is the belief that a divine being created the universe and all life forms. Modern creationism emerged largely as a response to evolutionary theory, which explains the diversity of life without the need for a divine power.
Biblical creationists believe the Genesis story is literally correct, with the Earth being only a few thousand years old. Other creationists may accept geological evidence for the Earth's age but still believe a creator made all that exists. While creationists acknowledge changes within species, they do not believe that one species can evolve into another, which disputes the theory of biological evolution. Mainstream scientists generally reject creationism.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What are some beliefs held by people who follow creationism?
Creationism is rooted in the belief that a divine being created the universe and life itself. It is largely a response to evolutionary theory, and its followers may reject the Big Bang model.
There are different types of creationists. Young-Earth creationists believe the Genesis story is literally correct, and that the Earth is only a few thousand years old. Old-Earth creationists believe in a creator but may not interpret Genesis as literal history, and they often accept geological evidence for the age of the Earth.
Creationists commonly believe that changes in organisms do not lead to the evolution of simpler species into more-complex ones. Some believe that everything on Earth reflects a divine or sacred sphere. Intelligent design, formulated in the 1990s, argues that living organisms were created by an "intelligent designer".
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What are some common arguments used by creationists?
Creationists commonly argue that the universe and life were created by God. They view creationism as an alternative to evolutionary theory, which explains life's diversity without divine intervention, and some reject the Big Bang model.
Biblical creationists interpret the Genesis creation story literally, believing Earth is only a few thousand years old. Others accept geological evidence for an older Earth but still believe a creator made everything. A central tenet among all creationists is the rejection of biological evolution, especially the idea that simpler species evolve into more complex ones. Some creationists promote " creation science," arguing that scientific evidence supports the biblical account of creation. However, this view is generally rejected by mainstream scientists.
5 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How is creationism discussed or taught in different countries or schools?
Creationism is viewed differently across countries and schools, often sparking debate, especially where science curricula are concerned.
In the United States, many creationists advocate for teaching creationism or intelligent design alongside evolution, or eliminating evolution from public school curricula. However, in 1982, a U.S. District Court Judge William R. Overton ruled that creationism is a religious doctrine, not a scientific theory.
Conversely, some religious figures and organizations have expressed more accepting views of evolution. In 1950, Pope Pius XII acknowledged that biological evolution aligns with the Christian faith, and in 1996 Pope John Paul II stated that evolution is more than a hypothesis.
4 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
creationism, the belief that the universe and the various forms of life were created by God out of nothing (ex nihilo). Although the idea of God as creator is as old as religion itself, modern creationism is largely a response to evolutionary theory, which can explain the diversity of life without recourse to the doctrine of God or any other divine power. Creationism may also reject the big-bang model of the emergence of the universe. Mainstream scientists generally reject creationism. Creationism is largely associated with conservative or fundamentalist branches of Protestant Christianity, though there are proponents of Jewish and Islamic creationism as well as adherents in other branches of Christianity.
Types and beliefs
Biblical, or young-Earth, creationists believe that the story told in Genesis of God’s six-day creation of all things is literally correct and that Earth is only a few thousand years old, as extrapolated from the biblical genealogies that begin with Adam, the first man. (See also literal interpretation.) Others, such as old-Earth creationists, believe that a creator made all that exists, but they may not hold that the Genesis story is a literal history of that creation. These creationists often accept fossils and other geological evidence for the age of Earth as factual and may or may not hold that God used the big bang in the creation of the universe.
Both young-Earth and old-Earth creationists believe that changes in organisms may involve changes within a species (often understood as the “kind” mentioned in Genesis 1:24) or downward changes such as negative mutations, but they do not believe that any of these changes can lead to the evolution of a lower or simpler species into a higher or more-complex species. Thus, the theory of biological evolution is disputed by all creationists.
" height="20" alt="HEW Logo">
Darwin and the rise of modern creationism
Creationism became the object of interest among conservative religious groups following the publication in 1859 of On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin (1809–82), the first systematic statement of evolutionary theory. Within two decades most of the scientific community had accepted some form of evolution, and many churches eventually followed suit. Christian fundamentalists and others, however, saw the rise of evolutionary theory as an existential threat to human belief in God and as a cheapening of humankind as a special creation made in God’s image (Genesis 1:26). For many, evolutionary theory was nearly synonymous with atheism, and it was feared that a broadscale acceptance of evolution would ultimately result in widespread moral relativity and a society adrift. This message was (and continues to be) particularly promulgated by conservative Protestant Christians.
In the early 20th century some state legislatures in the United States banned the teaching of evolution on the grounds that it contradicts the biblical creation story, which they considered a revealed truth. The result was the famous Scopes Trial (the so-called “Monkey Trial”) of 1925, in which a high-school teacher, John T. Scopes, was convicted of unlawfully teaching the theory of evolution (he was later acquitted on a technicality).
In 1950 Pope Pius XII released an encyclical confirming that there is no intrinsic conflict between the theory of evolution and the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, provided that Catholics still believe that humans are endowed with a soul created by God. In 1996 Pope John Paul II expanded and reiterated the church’s position, affirming evolution as “more than a hypothesis.”
Intelligent design
Beginning in the late 20th century, many creationists advocated a view known as intelligent design. This view, which claimed to draw from modern science, was a contemporary interpretation of the argument from design for the existence of God as set forth by the Anglican clergyman William Paley (1743–1805). Intelligent design is not accepted by all creationists, however, because many of its proponents leave open the identity and nature of the “intelligent designer” of the universe, rather than equating it with the God of the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. Today most creationists in the United States favor the elimination of evolution from the public school curriculum or at least the teaching of creationism or intelligent design alongside evolution as what they consider an equally legitimate scientific theory.
The trusted destination for professionals, college students, and lifelong learners.
SUBSCRIBE
