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Creationism

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Theistic evolution
Intelligent design
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Answers in Genesis (AiG) is a non-profit Christian apologetics ministry with a particular focus on Young Earth creationism and a literal interpretation of the Book of Genesis. "Creationism" can also refer to Creation myths in general or to a concept about the origin of the soul. The history of creationism is tied to the History of religions The term Creationism in its broad sense covers a wide range of beliefs and interpretations Neo-creationism is a movement whose goal is to restate Creationism in terms more likely to be well received by the public policy makers educators and the Scientific community Young Earth creationism (YEC is the religious belief that Heaven, Earth, and Life on Earth were created by a direct act of God dating Old Earth creationism (OEC is an umbrella term for a number of types of Creationism, including Gap creationism and Progressive creationism. Day-Age creationism, a type of Old Earth creationism, is an interpretation of the creation accounts found in Genesis. Progressive creationism is the religious belief that God created new forms of life gradually over a period of hundreds of millions of years Gap creationism (also known as Ruin-Restoration creationism Restoration creationism or the "Gap Theory" is a form of Old Earth creationism that posits that Theistic evolution is the general opinion that classical religious teachings about God and creation are compatible with some or all of the modern scientific understanding Intelligent Hindu views on evolution include a range of viewpoints in regards to Evolution, Creationism, and the Origin of life within the diverse traditions of Islamic creationism is the belief that the Universe (including humanity) was directly created by God as explained in the Qur'an or Jewish views on evolution includes a continuum of views about Evolution, Creationism, and the Origin of life. Deism is the belief that a supreme God exists and created the physical universe and that religious truths can be arrived at by the application of reason alone without dependence on revelation Pandeism or Pan-Deism ( Greek πάν, 'pan' = ' all ' and Latin Deus = God, in the sense of Deism Creation according to Genesis refers to the Hebrew narrative of the creation of the heavens and the earth as told in chapters 1 and 2 of Genesis An allegorical interpretation of Genesis is a symbolic rather than literal reading of the biblical Book of Genesis. This article focuses on the views of certain Christian commentators and theologians The omphalos hypothesis was named after the title of an 1857 book Omphalos by Philip Henry Gosse, in which Gosse argued that in order for the world to Creation science or scientific creationism is a movement within Creationism which attempts to use scientific means to disprove the accepted scientific theories on In Creation science, baraminology is a system for classifying life into groups having no common Ancestry, called "baramins" Flood geology (also creation geology or diluvial geology) is a prominent subset of beliefs under the umbrella of Creationism that assumes the literal Intelligent The creation-evolution controversy (also termed the creation vs The politics of creationism concerns efforts to change Public policy in favor of Creationism, currently primarily focusing on what should be taught as Science The status of creation and evolution in public education can be the subject of substantial Debate in Legal, Political, and Religious circles The Creation-evolution controversy has a long history beginning with challenges made by various naturalists to biblical accounts of creation Teach the Controversy is the name of a Discovery Institute intelligent design campaign to promote Intelligent design, a variant of traditional Creationism The following is a clearinghouse of articles which refer to terms often used in the context of the Creation-evolution controversy: Origins See also Creation myth A non-profit organization ( abbreviated "NPO" also "not-for-profit" is a legally constituted Organization whose objective is to support or engage Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Young Earth creationism (YEC is the religious belief that Heaven, Earth, and Life on Earth were created by a direct act of God dating Biblical literalism (also called Biblicism) is a primarily pejorative term referring to the adherence to an explicit and literal sense of the Bible. [1] The organization has offices in the United Kingdom and the United States. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The United States of America —commonly referred to as the It had offices in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa, but in 2006 these split off to form Creation Ministries International. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa Creation Ministries International ( CMI) is a non-profit Young Earth creationist organization of autonomous Christian apologetics ministries AiG employs a staff of Christian evangelicals, including three who have doctorates from secular universities in two sciences, biology[2][3] and astrophysics. Evangelicalism is a theological movement tradition and system of beliefs most closely associated with Protestant Christianity, which identifies with the Gospel "PhD" redirects here for other uses see PhD (disambiguation. Foundations of modern biology There are five unifying principles Astrophysics is the branch of Astronomy that deals with the Physics of the Universe, including the physical properties ( Luminosity, [4]

Contents

History

Answers in Genesis resulted from the merger of two Australian creationist organizations in 1980. One was founded in the late 1970s by John Mackay, Ken Ham, and others as Creation Science Educational Media Services who believed that the established Christian church's teaching of the Bible was being compromised. Kenneth Alfred Ham (born October 20 1951 is the president of Answers in Genesis USA and Joint CEO of Answers in Genesis International The group merged with Carl Wieland's Creation Science Association in 1980 becoming the Creation Science Foundation (CSF) that subsequently became Answers in Genesis. Carl Wieland is an Australian Young Earth Creationist, author and speaker

In 1987, Ken Ham was seconded by CSF to work for the Institute for Creation Research in the United States, then in 1994 left ICR to found Answers In Genesis-USA. The Institute for Creation Research (ICR is a Christian institution in Dallas, Texas that specializes in education research and media promotion of Creation The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Later that year, CSF in Australia and other countries changed their names to Answers In Genesis so that all the sister organizations would share the same "identity".

The website of WCPO-TV has reported that in 2003, Answers in Genesis-US "did not meet all of the Better Business Bureau's accountability standards" (emphasis in original). WCPO-TV, channel 9 is a broadcast television station in Cincinnati Ohio, USA, affiliated with the ABC network The Better Business Bureau (BBB, founded in 1912 is an organization based in the United States and Canada. [5] Bill Wise, then CEO of Answers in Genesis, answered that this was due to a "miscommunication, understanding regarding document submittals back in August of 2002. "[5] Answers in Genesis-US is now listed as meeting each of the Better Business Bureau's 19 standards for charitable accountability with no complaints in the last 36 months. [6]

In September 2004, its website, which is available in English and a number of other languages, had 35,000–47,000 visits per day. [7]

Following "turmoil" in 2005[8], by February 2006 Answers in Genesis-USA and the UK office "withdrew" from the AiG "family", retaining the brand name and the website. The Australian, Canadian, New Zealand, and South African branches rebranded themselves as Creation Ministries International (CMI). Creation Ministries International ( CMI) is a non-profit Young Earth creationist organization of autonomous Christian apologetics ministries After some of AiG's comments in late 2006, Answers in Genesis became involved in a legal dispute with CMI. CMI has accused AiG-USA of damaging and publicly defaming their ministry. In 2007, CMI filed suit against AiG-USA alleging a variety of wrongdoings. [9]

CMI opened offices in the UK and US during 2006, initially as a distribution point for their periodicals, Creation magazine and the Journal of Creation[10] In June 2006 Answers in Genesis launched Answers. [11] as a replacement to CMI's Creation magazine. [12] AiG-US and AiG-UK no longer distribute Creation[13] or the Journal of Creation[14] in the United States or United Kingdom. Also in 2006, the National Religious Broadcasters awarded Answers in Genesis (Hebron, Kentucky) their Best Ministry Website award. National Religious Broadcasters ( NRB) is an American organization that represents Christian religious broadcasters on American television Hebron is an unincorporated community in Boone County, Kentucky, United States. [15]

In May 2007 AiG launched the Creation Musuem, which received criticism from groups like National Center for Science Education and petitions of protest from scientists. The National Center for Science Education ( NCSE) is a non-profit organization based in Oakland California affiliated with the American Association for the Advancement [16]

Financing and fundraising has been an important of the ministry. Its U. S. revenue in 2005 was $13. 7M. [17] According to Charity Navigator, in FYE 2006, Answers in Genesis had $13,675,653 in total revenue and $12,257,713 in expenses. Charity Navigator is an independent non-profit organization that evaluates American charities. A fiscal year (or financial year, or sometimes budget year) is a period used for calculating annual ("yearly" Financial statements in Businesses [18] In 2006, Answers in Genesis was also listed by Ministry Watch, an independent organization which reviews Christian ministries for transparency and financial accountability among other things, as one of their Shining Lights "top thirty" exemplary ministries. Ministry Watch is an independent evangelical Christian organization whose purpose is to review Christian ministries for financial accountability and transparency [19]

Views on science

Answers in Genesis rejects much of the scientific consensus regarding cosmology, geology, linguistics,[20] paleontology and evolutionary biology. Scientific consensus is the collective judgement position and Opinion of the community of Scientists in a particular field of Science at a particular Cosmology (from Greek grc κοσμολογία - grc κόσμος kosmos, "universe" and grc -λογία -logia) is study Geology (from Greek γη gê, "earth" and λόγος Logos, "speech" lit Linguistics is the scientific study of Language, encompassing a number of sub-fields Palaeontology redirects here For the Scientific journal, see Palaeontology (journal. Evolutionary biology is a sub-field of Biology concerned with the origin of Species from a Common descent, and Descent of species Instead, a number of hypotheses (considered pseudoscience by the scientific community) are promoted to explain how the universe, the Earth and life could have originated within the last 10,000 years. Pseudoscience is defined as a body of knowledge methodology belief or practice that is claimed to be Scientific or made to appear scientific but does not adhere to the Answers in Genesis claims to present scientific arguments in support of their primarily theological views of origins. [21] Many of their arguments against biological evolution are similar to those of the intelligent design movement, whose position they do not fully agree with (such as ID's position on the inability to identify the designer[22]). Intelligent

Answers in Genesis emphasizes a presuppositional rather than an evidentialist approach to apologetics. Presuppositional apologetics is a school of Christian apologetics, a field of Christian theology that aims to (1 present a rational basis for the Christian Evidentialism is a Theory of justification according to which whether a Belief is justified depends solely on what a person's evidence is [23] This is not to say that they deny the role of scientific evidence, but that they believe that all scientists start with axioms or presuppositions, which govern how the evidence is interpreted. In traditional Logic, an axiom or postulate is a proposition that is not proved or demonstrated but considered to be either self-evident, or subject Thus their view is a form of critical realism. In the Philosophy of perception, critical realism is the theory that some of our Sense-data (for example those of primary qualities can and do accurately represent

Cosmological Views and the Distant Starlight Problem

Answers in Genesis believes that all stars and planetary bodies, including the Earth, were formed around 6,000 years ago. [24] They reject the scientific theories of cosmology. Science (from the Latin scientia, meaning " Knowledge " or "knowing" is the effort to discover, and increase human understanding Physical cosmology, as a branch of Astronomy, is the study of the large-scale structure of the Universe and is concerned with fundamental questions about its [25]

A young universe is challenged by the distant starlight problem, which presents the dilemma of how light from objects millions or billions of light years away could be observed in a young universe. The Starlight problem or Distant Starlight problem is an objection frequently proposed to Young Earth creationists who maintain that the total age of the universe A light-year or light year (symbol ly) is a unit of Length, equal to just under ten trillion Kilometres As defined by Some creationists have attempted to answer this with explanations involving God creating light en-route, or by claiming that the speed of light was faster in the past, an argument also referred to as c-decay. The omphalos hypothesis was named after the title of an 1857 book Omphalos by Philip Henry Gosse, in which Gosse argued that in order for the world to c -decay refers to a Young Earth Creationist proposal that the Speed of light was over a million times faster within the last 10000 years immediately following Answers in Genesis rejects both of these proposed solutions[26] and tentatively prefers a model proposed by creationist physicist Russell Humphreys[27] called "White Hole Cosmology". David Russell Humphreys is an American physicist and Creationist author Young Earth creationists who support Humphreys believe that the idea uses the theory of relativity to explain how billions of years could have passed in space while only a single day passed on Earth. This page is about the scientific concept of relativity for philosophical or sociological theories about relativity see Relativism.

Humphreys envisions that on the first day of creation God placed all the mass of the universe within its Schwarzschild radius. The Schwarzschild radius (sometimes historically referred to as the gravitational radius) is a characteristic Radius associated with every Mass. According to Humphreys, God designed the universe to begin expanding, instantaneously transforming it into a "white hole", the reverse of a black hole. Intelligent The metric expansion of space is the averaged increase of metric (i In Astrophysics, a white hole is the theoretical time reversal of a Black hole. A black hole is a theoretical region of space in which the Gravitational field is so powerful that nothing not even Electromagnetic radiation (e As the matter was expelled out of the white hole eventually the white hole vanished altogether. This creationist cosmology requires that the Milky Way lie near the center of the universe, a suggestion which AiG believes is supported by claims of quantized redshifts. Creation science or scientific creationism is a movement within Creationism which attempts to use scientific means to disprove the accepted scientific theories on The Milky Way (a translation of the Latin Via Lactea, in turn derived from the Greek Γαλαξίας (Galaxias sometimes referred to simply Redshift quantization is the Hypothesis that the Redshifts of cosmologically distant objects (in particular galaxies) tend to cluster around multiples of [28] Humphreys contends that while the material components of the universe were being expelled from the white hole, the outside region containing stars would have aged billions of years while the earth (one of the last objects to leave the white hole) aged only a day or so due to time dilation, resolving the starlight problem. This article discusses a concept in physics For the concept in sociology see Time displacement. He discusses this idea in detail in his book Starlight and Time.

According to the creationist debunking website TalkOrigins Archive: "Humphreys. "Creationism" can also refer to Creation myths in general or to a concept about the origin of the soul. A debunker is an individual who discredits and exposes claims as being false exaggerated unscientific or pretentious The TalkOrigins Archive is a Website that presents mainstream science perspectives on the antievolution claims of young-earth old-earth and . . fails to explain why that white hole does not appear to exist anymore (we would notice the extremely strong X-ray flux, if nothing else), but that is far from the only problem with the model. In particular, Humphreys badly mangles the standard GR treatment for gravitational time dilation: in order for time to pass more rapidly far away from the Earth, we would need to be near a black hole, not a white hole. Humphreys tried to salvage his model by later claiming a time dilation within the white hole, but this was equally unworkable. It goes without saying that his model fails to explain a vast array of cosmological observations, e. g. , the existence of the CMBR and its anisotropy, supernovae time dilation, the light element abundance and so forth. "[29]

The idea of the Milky Way existing near the center of the universe is similar to modern geocentrism, but AiG has intentionally distanced themselves from claims that the planet Earth is the exact center of the universe. Modern geocentrism is a belief currently held by certain groups such as the Association for Biblical Astronomy which publishes the Biblical Astronomer and hosts a website, [30]

AiG believes that the creationists' distant starlight problem is similar to the historically significant "horizon problem" of the Big Bang theory. The horizon problem is a problem with the standard cosmological model of the Big Bang which was identified in the 1970s The Big Bang is the cosmological model of the Universe that is best supported by all lines of scientific evidence and Observation. [31] While the general consensus of cosmologists is that the horizon problem is solved by inflationary theory as a model for the universe,[32] there is no creationist consensus on the solution to the distant starlight problem. Scientific consensus is the collective judgement position and Opinion of the community of Scientists in a particular field of Science at a particular In Physical cosmology, cosmic inflation is the idea that the nascent Universe passed through a phase of exponential expansion that

Origin of life and evolution

Answers in Genesis' is in agreement with scientific consensus that evolution and the origin of life are separate fields of study. eVolution is the third Album by eLDee, it was due to be released in 2008 In the Natural sciences, Abiogenesis, or origin of life, is the study of how Life on Earth emerged from Inanimate Organic Answers in Genesis proposes 'baraminology' to explain the origin of life based on the description in Genesis 1 to reproduce “after their kind”. In Creation science, baraminology is a system for classifying life into groups having no common Ancestry, called "baramins" [33] This view has found no support amongst the scientific community. [34]

Answers in Genesis believe that evolution by natural selection can only cause variability by reducing the genetic information or shifting existing information around. This is distinct from the evolutionary view that mutation followed by natural selection causes both increases and decreases in the amount of genetic information. Answers in Genesis has written a number of articles about natural selection. Natural selection is the process by which favorable Heritable traits become more common in successive Generations of a Population of [35] They state that ". . . It cannot be stressed enough that what natural selection actually does is get rid of information. ", citing an example of natural selection removing genes for short fur in cold climates. [36] The mainstream scientific community holds that mechanisms such as gene duplication and polyploidy provide new information and that duplicate genes can mutate rapidly, which may change their function. Gene duplication (or chromosomal duplication) is any duplication of a region of DNA that contains a Gene; it may occur as an error in Homologous Polyploidy occurs in cells and Organisms when there are more than two homologous sets of Chromosomes. Answers in Genesis denies that copying genes provides new, usable information, arguing that such duplicated genetic information is merely an additional copy of the original information. [37]

Novel information appearing in an organism's genome has been described by scientists, one example being a nylon-eating bacteria that evolved a new enzyme to digest nylon, a polymer that wasn't invented until 1935. Nylon-eating bacteria are a strain of Flavobacterium that is capable of digesting certain byproducts of Nylon 6 manufacture Overview Nylon is a Thermoplastic silky material first used commercially in a nylon- Bristled Toothbrush (1938 followed more famously by [38][39] Scientists repeated these results in the laboratory when they forced a strain of Pseudomonas to evolve nylon-digesting enzymes by leaving them in an environment which contained no nutrients other than the man-made by-products of nylon. Pseudomonas is a Genus of gamma Proteobacteria, belonging to the larger family of Pseudomonads Recently 16S rRNA sequence [40] AIG has responded to such evidence by stating that "there are good reasons to doubt the claim that this is an example of random mutations and natural selection generating new enzymes, quite aside from the extreme improbability of such coming about by chance", providing several points in support of this claim. [41]

Another focus for the Answers in Genesis' critique of evolution is that a naturalistic origin of life is virtually impossible, where life is defined as the first cell. In the Natural sciences, Abiogenesis, or origin of life, is the study of how Life on Earth emerged from Inanimate Organic They state that while the idea of spontaneous generation of cells was all but abandoned after Louis Pasteur's work, abiogenesis remains one of the key conjectures of prebiotic evolution. In the Natural sciences, Abiogenesis, or origin of life, is the study of how Life on Earth emerged from Inanimate Organic Louis Pasteur (27 December 1822 – 28 September 1895 a French Chemist and Microbiologist, is best known for remarkable breakthroughs in the causes and In the Natural sciences, Abiogenesis, or origin of life, is the study of how Life on Earth emerged from Inanimate Organic They calculate the probability of a cell spontaneously coming into existence as less than 1 in 101057800,[42] similar to estimates of some other scientists, such as biochemist Michael Denton[43] and Sir Frederick Hoyle, and believe this requires a better explanation than 'mere' chance. The cell is the structural and functional unit of all known living Organisms It is the smallest unit of an organism that is classified as living and is often called Michael John Denton (born 25 August, 1943) is a British - Australian author and biochemist Sir Fred Hoyle FRS ( 24 June, 1915  &ndash 20 August, 2001) was an English Astronomer primarily Probability arguments that require the abiogenesis of a cell are criticized by scientists as artificially limiting the biological and prebiotic mechanisms in the development of life. They contend that the mechanisms of evolution, such as natural selection, can occur prior to origin of the first cell. Natural selection is the process by which favorable Heritable traits become more common in successive Generations of a Population of They state that selection of self-replicating macromolecules, such as RNA,[44][45] cumulate small probabilities and that creationist statistical analysis does not describe the true probability of complex chemicals evolving into a cell.

Morality and social issues

AiG believes evolutionary science "will inevitably lead to a magnification of the effects of sin," such as is the cause of social problems including abortion and racism. [46] The organization has accused Hollywood of using "subtle tactics" to slip in "evolutionary content". United States cinema has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century [47] Movies and television programs they have criticized for doing this include The Munsters, Lilo & Stitch, Bugs Bunny cartoons, Fantasia, and Finding Nemo. The Munsters is a 1960s American television Sitcom depicting the home life of a family of Monsters. For the television series see Lilo & Stitch The Series Lilo & Stitch is a 2002 American Animated feature Clyde Rabbit (uncleMrs Bugs Bunny (wifePapa Bunny (fatherMama Bunny (motherRugs Bunny Fantasia is a 1940 Animated film produced by Walt Disney, and is the third film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics. Finding Nemo is a 2003 computer-animated American Family film. [48]

Science education

Answers in Genesis does not support laws or school board standards that would force the teaching of creationism in public schools. It is their position that forcing a teacher to present the idea of creation will only result in it being distorted by those who don't believe in it. [49] Instead of trying to change how evolution is taught in the public schools in what Answers in Genesis CEO Carl Wieland calls "top-down attempts" by "battering away at the education system, or the politicians, or the media", he would prefer to see influence driven by the "changing the hearts and minds of people within ‘God’s army’, the Church". Carl Wieland is an Australian Young Earth Creationist, author and speaker [50] AiG is opposed to what they consider censorship of educators who want to teach evidence they consider contradictory to the theory of evolution or why there is controversy regarding this subject. Teach the Controversy is the name of a Discovery Institute intelligent design campaign to promote Intelligent design, a variant of traditional Creationism [51] They also want Christian colleges to expand the teaching of creationism. [52]

Life issues

Answers in Genesis takes a strong pro-life stance on abortion because they regard individual life as beginning at fertilization. Overview See also Ethical aspects of abortion Pro-life individuals generally believe that human life should be valued either from conception or Implantation An For soil improvement see Fertilization (soil. [53] Thus they argue that the circumstances of the fertilization are irrelevant to its status as a human life which should be protected, so oppose abortion for rape and any other case,[54] except to save the life of the mother. [55] They are also strongly opposed to euthanasia,[56] and embryonic stem cell research, but support somatic/adult stem cell research which does not require the destruction of fetuses. Euthanasia (literally "good death" in Ancient Greek) refers to the practice of ending a life in a painless manner Stem cells are cells found in most if not all multi-cellular Organisms. Stem cells are cells found in most if not all multi-cellular Organisms. [57]

Homosexuality

Answers in Genesis considers marriage to consist of one man and one woman for life,[58] based on Genesis 1:27 and Genesis 2:24 which Jesus cited in Matthew 19:3-6 and Mark 10:5-9 . Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) In claiming that homosexuality is a sin, Answers in Genesis has cited writings by the Apostle Paul in Romans 1:26-27 and 1COR 6:9 as well as the Old Testament Law given to Israel which called for the punishment by death for those who commit homosexual acts in Leviticus 20:13. Homosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the same sex or to a Homosexual orientation. Sin is a term used mainly in a religious context to describe an act that violates a moral Rule, or the state of having committed such a violation Paul the apostle (שאול התרסי Šaʾul HaTarsi, meaning " Saul of Tarsus " Σαούλ Saul and Σαῦλος Saulos and term " Torah " ( Hebrew: תּוֹרָה "teaching" or "instruction" sometimes translated as "Law" most commonly refers to The history of Ancient Israel and Judah is known to us from classical sources including Judaism 's Tanakh or Hebrew Bible (known Answers in Genesis believes that the punishments described in the Old Testament, such as Leviticus 20:13, AiG "reject the implication that we are proposing any sort of ill-treatment of homosexuals, or rejection of the sinner, as opposed to the sin. "[59]

Evolution and race

AiG states that belief in evolutionary theory contributed to eugenics and racial theories[60] which supported the policies of Nazi Germany[61] in its prosecution of the Holocaust,[62] as well as the evils of Soviet Communism[63] under Stalin. Eugenics is a social Philosophy which advocates the improvement of Human Hereditary traits through various forms of intervention Racial hygiene (often labeled a form of " Scientific racism " is the selection by a government of the putatively most physical intellectual and moral persons to raise Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers The Holocaust (from the Greek el ''ὁλόκαυστον'' (el-Latn holókauston holos, "completely" and kaustos, "burnt" also known as The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 To support these views, Answers in Genesis quotes[64] the 1914 American textbook Hunter's Civic Biology[65] which states that "there exist upon the earth five races [. . . ] the highest type of all, the Caucasians, represented by the civilized white inhabitants of Europe and America".

In dealing with Christendom's own violent history, AiG asserts that anyone using the Bible to justify atrocities (such as during the Crusades, the colonization of the New World, pogroms, the burning of "witches", the Wars of Religion etc. The Crusades were a series of military campaigns of a religious character waged by much of Christian Europe against external and internal opponents Colonisation (also known as Colonization) occurs whenever any one or more species populates a new area A pogrom is a form of Riot directed against a particular group whether ethnic religious or other and characterized by destruction of their Homes Businesses The French Wars of Religion (1562 to 1598 between French Catholics and Protestants ( Huguenots involved both civil infighting ) are "completely contrary to the teachings of Christ". [66]

The Creation Museum

Main article: Creation Museum
Logo of the Creation Museum.
Logo of the Creation Museum. The Creation Museum is a 70000 square foot Creationist museum in the United States designed to promote Young Earth creationism. The Creation Museum is a 70000 square foot Creationist museum in the United States designed to promote Young Earth creationism.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Answers in Genesis in the United States started planning and constructing a Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky, near the Greater Cincinnati International Airport. The Commonwealth of Kentucky ( is a state located in the East Central United States of America. Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport is located in Hebron, unincorporated Boone County, Kentucky, United States and serves the According to Ham, "One of the main reasons we moved there was because we are within one hour's flight of 69 per cent of America's population. "[67]

Amongst its various displays and exhibits, the museum includes life-size animatronic (animated and motion-sensitive) dinosaurs, large movie screens showing a young-earth history of the world, and a planetarium depicting creationist cosmologies and creationist interpretations of quantum physics. A planetarium is a Theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about Astronomy and the night sky or for training in Celestial navigation Creation science or scientific creationism is a movement within Creationism which attempts to use scientific means to disprove the accepted scientific theories on Quantum mechanics is the study of mechanical systems whose dimensions are close to the Atomic scale such as Molecules Atoms Electrons Model dinosaurs in the Garden of Eden are also depicted, as well as dioramas depicting humans and dinosaurs co-existing peacefully[68]

The Museum opened May 27th, 2007 at a cost of 27 million dollars raised entirely by private donations. Not to be confused with Eden Gardens.The Garden of Eden ( Hebrew "pleasure" גַּן עֵדֶן Arabic: جنات عدن, The museum displays were created by Patrick Marsh, known for work on Universal Studios attractions for King Kong and Jaws. King Kong is the name of a fictional giant ape from the fictional Skull Island, who has appeared in several works since 1933 Jaws is a 1975 thriller / horror Film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley 's best-selling [69]

The Museum was widely criticized by scientists and science organizations. [70]

Criticism

Mainstream critics

No Answers in Genesis[71] is a website maintained by members of the Australian Skeptics and retired civil servant John Stear for the purpose of rebutting claims made by AiG. The Australian Skeptics is a non-profit organisation based in Australia which investigates Paranormal and Pseudoscientific claims using scientific The Australian Skeptics is a non-profit organisation based in Australia which investigates Paranormal and Pseudoscientific claims using scientific In June 2005, AiG-Australia staff engaged in an online debate[72] with representatives from the Australian Skeptics in Margo Kingston's section of the Sydney Morning Herald. Margo Kingston (born 1959 is an Australian journalist author and commentator The Sydney Morning Herald ( SMH) is a daily Broadsheet Newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia [73]

In the documentary The Story of God, Professor Robert Winston debated Ken Ham on a radio show. The Story of God is a three-part video series produced by Dangerous Films featuring physician Professor and British Lord Robert Winston. Robert Maurice Lipson Winston Baron Winston FRCP FRCOG (born 15 July 1940) is a British Medical doctor, Scientist Kenneth Alfred Ham (born October 20 1951 is the president of Answers in Genesis USA and Joint CEO of Answers in Genesis International Professor Winston challenged him with questions based on a conventional scientific approach.

From creationists

Ham's beliefs and tactics have also been criticized by other Christians. Answers in Creation, an Old Earth creationist website, has called Ham willfully ignorant of evidence for an old earth and said he "deliberately misleads" his audiences on matters of both science and theology. Answers in Creation ( AIC) is a non-profit web-based Christian Apologetics ministry with a focus on challenging the science portrayed by Young Old Earth creationism (OEC is an umbrella term for a number of types of Creationism, including Gap creationism and Progressive creationism. [74] Astronomer Hugh Ross, a progressive creationist, has publicly debated Ham on the age of the Earth and the compatibility of an old Earth with the Bible,[75] as well as other Answers In Genesis staff. Hugh Norman Ross (born July 24 1945) is a Canadian -born Old Earth creationist and Christian apologist. Progressive creationism is the religious belief that God created new forms of life gradually over a period of hundreds of millions of years Modern geologists and Geophysicists consider the age of Earth to be around 4 [76]

Controversy over interview with Richard Dawkins

In 1998, Answers in Genesis filmed an interview with Richard Dawkins, a prominent evolutionary biologist and Charles Simonyi Professor of the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University. Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) Clinton Richard Dawkins, FRS, FRSL (born 26 March 1941 is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist, and Popular science Segments of the interview were included on a video From a Frog to a Prince, distributed by Answers in Genesis. A clip of the interview, which can be viewed at an Answers in Genesis web page,[77] appears to show Dawkins nonplussed and pausing for 11 seconds when asked by the interviewer to "name one example of an evolutionary process which increases the information content of the genome". In classical genetics the genome of a Diploid Organism including Eukarya refers to a full set of chromosomes or genes in a Gamete, thereby The video then shows Dawkins apparently giving a long, convoluted answer that fails to answer the question.

This is discussed in Chapter two, Essay three of A Devil's Chaplain, a collection of selected essays by Richard Dawkins. A Devil's Chaplain, subtitled Reflections on Hope Lies Science and Love is a 2003 book of selected Essays and other writings The book describes the event as follows:

In September 1997, I allowed an Australian film crew into my house in Oxford without realizing that their purpose was creationist propaganda. In the course of a suspiciously amateurish interview, they issued a truculent challenge to me to ‘give an example of a genetic mutation or an evolutionary process which can be seen to increase the information in the genome’. It is the kind of question only a creationist would ask in that way, and it was the point I tumbled to the fact that I been duped into granting an interview to creationists – a thing I normally don’t do, for good reasons. In my anger I refused to discuss the question further, and told them to stop the camera. However, I eventually withdrew my peremptory termination of the interview, because they pleaded with me that they had come all the way from Australia specifically to interview me. Even if this was a considerable exaggeration, it seemed, on reflection, ungenerous to tear up the legal release form and throw them out. I therefore relented.
My generosity was rewarded in a fashion that anyone familiar with fundamentalist tactics might have predicted. When I eventually saw the film a year later, I found that it had been edited to give the false impression that I was incapable of answering the question about information content. In fairness, this may not have been quite as intentionally deceitful as it sounds. You have to understand that these people really believe their question cannot be answered![78]

In an article by the Australian Skeptics, it was alleged that the film was carefully edited to give the false appearance that Dawkins was unable to adequately answer the question and that the segment that shows him pausing for 11 seconds was actually film of him considering whether to expel the interviewer from the room (for not revealing her creationist sympathies at the outset). The Australian Skeptics is a non-profit organisation based in Australia which investigates Paranormal and Pseudoscientific claims using scientific [79] Dawkins reported to the Australian Skeptics that the interviewer shown in the finished film was not the same person as the person who had originally asked the questions. Furthermore, it was claimed that the question had been subsequently changed to make it look like Dawkins, who was answering the original question put to him, was unable to answer.

Answers in Genesis has responded in an article: Skeptics choke on Frog: Was Dawkins caught on the hop?[80] According to their account, Dawkins had been made aware of the interviewer's creationist sympathies. They further claim that the raw footage shows that Dawkins, after pausing for a long time, asked that the recording company stop recording the video. Dawkins was asked the same question later after the video recording had resumed. The "Skeptics choke on Frog" video merely has the exact question, faint on the raw footage, re-stated for clarity.

Legal controversy with Creation Ministries International

Main article: Legal controversy between Answers in Genesis and Creation Ministries International

On May 31, 2007, Creation Ministries International ("CMI") filed a lawsuit in Queensland's Supreme Court against Ken Ham and Answers in Genesis seeking damages and accusing him of "unbiblical/unethical/unlawful behaviour" in his dealings with the Australian organisation. Answers in Genesis is an organization promoting Young Earth creationism that was started from the merger of two Australian creationist organizations in 1980 Creation Ministries International ( CMI) is a non-profit Young Earth creationist organization of autonomous Christian apologetics ministries Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern corner of the mainland continent [81]

Prior to the split, the Australian group had been producing magazines, "Creation Magazine" and "Journal of Creation", which were then distributed within other countries by local groups. The Australian group had no access to the list of subscribers in the USA. The USA group discontinued the distribution arrangement, and produced a new magazine of their own, called "Answers Magazine" and represented that to subscribers as a replacement. Creation Ministries International is claiming $252,000 (US) in damages for lost revenue by misleading and deceptive conduct in relating to lost subscriptions. [82] The case also concerns use of the trademark "Answers in Genesis" within Australia, and misuse by Ken Ham of his position as a director for the Australian group to cause them detriment. [82]

Answers in Genesis has had little to say in public to CMI's accusations, but in comments to news reporters Ken Ham dismisses them all as "totally preposterous and untrue". [83] Creation Ministries has made a large collection of documents available detailing their side of the case. [84] A more involved analysis of the situation, including estranged co-founder John Mackay's charges of necrophilia and witchcraft against Margaret Buchanan, who was at the time Ken Ham's personal secretary and later married CMI's Carl Wieland, is described in an account in the Reports of the National Center for Science Education. Carl Wieland is an Australian Young Earth Creationist, author and speaker [85]

References

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  2. ^ David Menton - Biography Answers in Genesis, and his Ph.D thesis at the Brown University Library
  3. ^ Dr. Georgia Purdom Answers in Genesis
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  5. ^ a b August 3: I-Team Charity Fact Check at the Internet Archive, WCPO TV
  6. ^ "Better Business Bureau: Answers in Genesis", Better Business Bureau, April 21, 2008. The Internet Archive ( IA) is a Nonprofit organization dedicated to maintaining an on-line Library and archive of Web and The Better Business Bureau (BBB, founded in 1912 is an organization based in the United States and Canada. Retrieved on 2008-04-06. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar defeats Caecilius Metellus Scipio and Marcus Porcius Cato in the Battle of Thapsus  
  7. ^ No more hide and seek Answers in Genesis
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  24. ^ The sun: our special star
  25. ^ Get Answers: Astronomy and Astrophysics Answers in Genesis
  26. ^ Arguments we think creationists should NOT use
  27. ^ How can we see distant stars in a young universe? Answers in Genesis
  28. ^ Our galaxy is the centre of the universe, 'quantized' red shifts show
  29. ^ http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/astronomy/bigbang.html#humphreys Accessed on 12 August 2007. Charity Navigator is an independent non-profit organization that evaluates American charities.
  30. ^ Astronomy And The Bible
  31. ^ Light-travel time: a problem for the big bang
  32. ^ The Horizon Problem
  33. ^ Get Answers: Created Kinds (Baraminology)
  34. ^ CB050: Abiogenesis is speculation?
  35. ^ Get Answers: Natural Selection
  36. ^ Bears across the world
  37. ^ Copying confusion
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  53. ^ Antidote to abortion arguments Answers in Genesis
  54. ^ Offended by the term ‘Baby Killers’ Answers in Genesis, 2001
  55. ^ What about abortion to save the mother’s life Answers in Genesis, 2005
  56. ^ Get Answers: Abortion and Euthanasia
  57. ^ Stem cells and Genesis
  58. ^ But from the beginning of ... the institution of marriage?, Answers in Genesis, 2005
  59. ^ Feedback 6 February 2004: Objections to homosexuality article, AiG helps Lita helped to come to faith<, Answers in Genesis, 2004
  60. ^ Get Answers: Racism and evolution
  61. ^ Darwinism and the Nazi race Holocaust
  62. ^ The Holocaust and evolution
  63. ^ Get Answers: Communism and Nazism
  64. ^ The Scopes “Monkey trial”—80 years later
  65. ^ Scopes Trial - Excerpts from Hunter's Civic Biology Text - UMKC School of Law
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  74. ^ Greg Neyman. Ham Can't Tell the Simple Truth!. Answers in Creation. September 12, 2005
  75. ^ Fair and balanced? A commentary on the John Ankerberg TV debate on the age of the earth, Steven McConaughy, Answers in Genesis
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  77. ^ Rushing in—where wiser heads might not
  78. ^ Dawkins, Richard. Jonathan D Sarfati (born October 1, 1964) is a creationist author "The "Information Challenge"", p.  617.   in Cohen, Neal J. (1995). Memory, Amnesia, and the Hippocampal System. MIT Press. ISBN 0262531321.  
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  80. ^ Skeptics choke on Frog, Answers in Genesis
  81. ^ McKenna, Michael. "Biblical battle of creation groups", The Australian, June 4, 2007. The Australian, also referred to as The Oz, is a Broadsheet Newspaper published in Australia Monday through Saturday each Retrieved on 2007-07-17. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 180 - Twelve inhabitants of Scillium in North Africa are executed for being Christians  
  82. ^ a b Statement of Claim (4690/07 Supreme Court of Brisbane), <http://www.creationontheweb.biz/statement-of-claim.pdf>. Retrieved on 18 July 2007 . Photocopy supplied at the CMI website; official court files listing here [1].
  83. ^ Mead, Andy (June 17, 2007), “Museum group sued by fellow creationists”, Lexington Herald-Leader: A1 
  84. ^ Why CMI-Australia is holding AiG-US legally accountable for its actions, Creation Ministries International, <http://www.creationontheweb.biz/lawsuit_justification.html>. Retrieved on 18 July 2007 
  85. ^ Trouble in Paradise: Answers in Genesis Splinters, Jim Lippard, Reports of the National Center for Science Education, 26 (6): 4-7, November 2006. The National Center for Science Education ( NCSE) is a non-profit organization based in Oakland California affiliated with the American Association for the Advancement

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Events 927 - Simeon the Great, Tsar of Bulgaria, dies 1120 - Richard III of Capua is anointed Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
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