creationism | The PPJ Gazette

by Alan Adaschik

Most people are under the impression that there is a debate raging within this Nation between evolution and creation science and, indeed, there is. However, for the most part, this debate is one sided and the side doing the debating are those who subscribe to what is alleged to be “creation science”. I use the word “alleged” because creation science has nothing to do with “science” and in truth, it is nothing more than religious dogma masquerading as science. This being the case, the notion that there is really something of substance to debate is a key and essential element of the creationist con job.

“Science”, fundamentally, is a disciplined search for knowledge. The key word in this sentence is “disciplined” and the first litmus test for being disciplined is a lack of bias. It is here where the creationists fall flat on their faces. A scientist seeks to explain the world within which we live. He does so by observing a phenomena and coming up with the most plausible explanation or theory for what he sees. But he doesn’t stop there. Next, he devises methodologies for testing his theory. If his theory fails these tests, he develops a new theory and the process begins again. If the theory passes the tests, he publishes his work for others to test and validate. Finally, when a general consensus is reached within the scientific community that a theory is correct, only then is it accepted as being true.

Similarly, a creation scientist starts out with a theory; that God created world according to scripture. However, this is not a theory in the true sense of the word because the theory itself is tainted with bias. When a scientist creates a theory, he has no ownership of it and it is understood at the outset that if the theory proves to be incorrect, it will be rejected. A creation scientist has no intention of ever rejecting God or scripture, so his so called “theory” will not be proven wrong under any circumstances and, indeed, the creationist does everything possible to ensure that this is the case. This is accomplished by dismissing all evidence contrary to his theory and grasping upon anything that can possibly support it. In truth, very little does and most of this evidence is obtained by stretching logic and reason to their breaking points. This same twisted reason and logic is used to attack and discredit evidence that is contrary to a creationist’s preconceived notions.

There are two kinds of scientists; those that believe in God and those that don’t. To sustain the illusion of debate, creation scientist would have us believe that most scientists who subscribe to Evolution are atheists and being atheists they are biased by their intent to disprove God. Nothing could be further from the truth. The vast majority of scientists who subscribe to Evolution are religious men who sincerely believe in God. This being the case, they are also men who would willingly and gladly embrace creationism if creationism was the best explanation for what they find in the world. It is not and being good scientists, they conclude accordingly while maintaining their faith in God.

Creation scientists would have us believe that Evolution is only a theory and has not been proven. The truth of the matter is that evolutionary theory, by its very nature, will never be proven. However, like other scientific theories, it can be validated and creation scientists, of course, conveniently ignore and deny this. When Charles Darwin first published, “The Origin of the Species”, he based his work on the evidence available at the time. Since then, uncountable new discoveries have been made that reinforce and support his theory. Do creation scientists acknowledge this continually growing pile of evidence? No, of course not! They ignore it and point to what has not yet been discovered, knowing full well that there will always be a gap in the fossil record to help them assail the obvious truth.

Creation science is not science. It is a distortion of science used by religious fundamentalists to lend an air of legitimacy to their claims. The danger in this is that by so doing, they are undermining science and the scientific approach to obtaining knowledge. This is their real goal. Intelligent and thinking human beings are a threat to the power and control that the religious right has over people. Anything that is a threat to the power and control that the religious right has over people is also a threat to their political power as well. And that’s what creation science is all about; political power.