Difference between revisions of "Creationism" - New World Encyclopedia

Revision as of 20:58, 29 March 2007

"The Creation of Light" by Gustave Doré.

Creationism, in its most widely used sense, is a set of religious positions opposed to modern materialistic views of the origin of the universe and of living things. In a distinct and much older sense, creationism is a theological position on the origin of the human soul. Both senses are described here.

In the first sense, creationism (not to be confused with the doctrine of creation) takes two general forms in modern controversies over cosmic and biological origins: old-Earth creationism (OEC) and young-Earth creationism (YEC). The former accepts geological evidence that the universe is millions of years old but holds that God created it and living things through a long process of change. The latter interprets the Book of Genesis to mean that God created the universe and the basic kinds of living things in six 24-hour days a few thousand years ago.

In the second sense, Christian theologians have debated for centuries whether the human soul is created directly by God (“creationism”) or produced by human parents (“traducianism”). The former is more consistent with the immaterial and eternal nature of the soul, while the latter makes it easier to explain the transmission of original sin.

Old-Earth Creationism

Young-Earth Creationism

Origin of the Soul

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

Select Bibliography

History Books

P. J. Bowler. 1989. Evolution: The History of an Idea. Revised Edition. (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.) ISBN 0-520-06385-6.

C. C. Gillispie. 1951. Genesis and Geology. Reprinted 1996 with a foreword by N. Rupke. (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.) ISBN 0-674-34481-2.

E. J. Larson. 1997. Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America’s Continuing Debate over Science and Religion. (New York: Basic Books.) ISBN 0-465-07509-6.

J. R. Moore. 1979. The Post-Darwinian Controversies: A Study of the Protestant Struggle to Come to Terms with Darwin in Great Britain and America 1870-1900. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.) ISBN 0-521-28571-8.

R. L. Numbers. 2006. The Creationists: From Scientific Creationism to Intelligent Design. Expanded Edition. (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.) ISBN 0-674-02339-0.

Pro-OEC Books

F. Rana. 2005. Who Was Adam? A Creation Model Approach to the Origin of Man. (Colorado Springs, CO: Navpress Publishing Group.) ISBN 1-576-83577-4.

H. Ross. 2001. The Creator and the Cosmos: How the Latest Scientific Discoveries of the Century Reveal God. (Colorado Springs, CO: Navpress Publishing Group.) ISBN 1-576-83288-0.

H. Ross. 2006. Creation as Science: A Testable Model Approach to End the Creation/Evolution Wars. (Colorado Springs, CO: Navpress Publishing Group.) ISBN 1-576-83578-2.

D. W. Snoke. 2006. A Biblical Case for an Old Earth. (Baker Books.) ISBN 0-801-06619-0.

Pro-YEC Books

L. Brand and D. C. James. 2005. Beginnings: Are Science and Scripture Partners in the Search for Origins? (Nampa, ID: Pacific Press Publishing.) ISBN 0-816-32144-2.

D. DeYoung. 2005. Thousands... Not Billions. (Green Forest, AR: Master Books.) ISBN 0-890-51441-0.

K. Ham (editor). 2007. The New Answers Book. (Green Forest, AR: Master Books). ISBN 0-890-51509-3.

J. Perloff. 2002. The Case Against Darwin: Why the Evidence Should Be Examined. (Refuge Books.) ISBN 0-966-81601-3.

J. Sarfati. 2004. Refuting Compromise: A Biblical and Scientific Refutation of 'Progressive Creationism' (Billions of Years) as popularized by Astronomer Hugh Ross. (Green Forest, AR: Master Books.) ISBN 0-890-51411-9.

K. P. Wise. 2002. Faith, Form, and Time: What the Bible Teaches and Science Confirms About Creation and the Age of the Universe. (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman.) ISBN 0-805-42462-1.

Anti-Creationist Books

B. J. Alters and S. M. Alters. 2001. Defending Evolution: A Guide to the Creation/Evolution Controversy. (Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.) ISBN 0-7637-1118-7.

N. Eldredge. 2001. The Triumph of Evolution and the Failure of Creationism. (New York: Owl Books.) ISBN 0-8050-7147-4.

M. Pigliucci. 2002. Denying Evolution: Creationism, Scientism, and the Nature of Science. (Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates.) ISBN 0-87893-659-9.

M. Ruse. 2005. The Evolution-Creation Struggle. (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.) ISBN 0-674-01687-4.

E. C. Scott. 2004. Evolution vs. Creationism: An Introduction. (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.) ISBN 0-520-24650-0.

External links

Pro-OEC Internet Sites

Pro-YEC Internet Sites

Anti-Creationist Internet Sites

@@ Line 32: / Line 32: @@
 ==Select Bibliography==
+===History Books===
+P. J. Bowler. 1989. ''Evolution: The History of an Idea''. Revised Edition. (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.)  ISBN 0-520-06385-6.
+C. C. Gillispie. 1951. ''Genesis and Geology''. Reprinted 1996 with a foreword by N. Rupke. (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.) ISBN 0-674-34481-2.
+E. J. Larson. 1997. ''Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America’s Continuing Debate over Science and Religion''. (New York: Basic Books.) ISBN 0-465-07509-6.
+J. R. Moore. 1979. ''The Post-Darwinian Controversies: A Study of the Protestant Struggle to Come to Terms with Darwin in Great Britain and America 1870-1900''. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.) ISBN 0-521-28571-8.
+R. L. Numbers. 2006. ''The Creationists: From Scientific Creationism to Intelligent Design''. Expanded Edition. (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.) ISBN 0-674-02339-0.
@@ Line 65: / Line 78: @@
 N. Eldredge. 2001. ''The Triumph of Evolution and the Failure of Creationism''. (New York: Owl Books.) ISBN 0-8050-7147-4.
-R. L. Numbers. 2006. ''The Creationists: From Scientific Creationism to Intelligent Design''. Expanded Edition. (Cambridge. MA: Harvard University Press.) ISBN 0-674-02339-0.
 M. Pigliucci. 2002. ''Denying Evolution: Creationism, Scientism, and the Nature of Science''. (Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates.) ISBN 0-87893-659-9.