Creationists' War On Science
Introduction:
Creationists, those who believe in
a literal intrepretation of the Bible,
like scientific theories, such as the big
bang hypothesis about the beginning
of the Universe, that support their
religious beliefs. However when
science contradicts their beliefs, for
example concerning the age of the
Earth or evolution, they have developed
alternative theories that agree
with the Bible, calling it creation
science. Creationists have lost in court
when they try to get their beliefs
injected into school curricula and law.
There are some kinds of questions that
science cannot address; that
is, questions of value and
purpose, and even the Pope
has recently tried to
downplay any apparent
contradiction between
science and matters of
faith. But scientists and non
scientists alike should know that there
are organized, dedicated, and well
financed groups of creationists who
are working to impose their religious
beliefs on public institutions under the
disguise of creation science.
If you
want more information about creationism
you can visit the Institute for
Creation Research website at http://
www.icr.org.
Robert Pennock, a professor in
the department of philosophy at the
University of Texas, recently delivered
the following address at the
University of Washington outlining
creationists beliefs and the the evolution
of their strategy to get their
beliefs into law and policy. Professor
Pennock has written a book on
creationism, Tower of Babel, due to be
published in the fall of 1998 by MIT
press.
