Creationist Theory

We explain what the creationist theory is, what its characteristics are and how it explains the origin of the universe. Also, classical and contemporary creationism.

What is creationist theory?

The creationist theory or creationism is the belief that life and the universe were created by God or some supernatural entity. This perspective is based on religious texts and doctrines, mainly on the creation stories present in Genesis of the Bible, for Christianity and Judaism; as well as in other sacred texts of different religions.

In general, those who adhere to this type of beliefs reject any other explanation regarding the origin of life and the universe. Creationism denies Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, which is the one that currently has the greatest scientific support.

There are different variants of creationism. “Young Earth creationism” maintains that the Earth and the universe were created a few thousand years ago, according to a literal interpretation of the Bible. For its part, “old Earth creationism” accepts the geological age of the Earth, but maintains that life was created directly by God.

Furthermore, other creationist thinkers argue that certain aspects of the universe and living beings are too complex to have arisen through natural processes and must therefore have been designed by a higher intelligence. This belief is known as “intelligent design creationism.”

Although creationism has a primarily religious basis, has generated debates in the field of education and science especially with regard to its teaching in schools against the theory of evolution.

Creationism, in its various forms, does not have a scientific basis accepted by the scientific community. It is based on religious and doctrinal interpretations, which cannot be subjected to empirical tests in the same way that scientific theories are.

Characteristics of creationist theory

Among the main elements that characterize the different versions of creationist theory, we can highlight:

• God created everything that exists. Life, the Earth, and the universe were created directly by a deity. In Christianity, this creator is usually identified with God, who created the world in six days, according to the Genesis story in the Bible.
• The sacred scriptures tell the truth. The different versions of creationism are based on the sacred writings that establish the doctrine of the different religions. They do not have empirical evidence or scientific support.
• There is no evolution. Creationism opposes the theory of Darwinian evolution, which proposes that life developed through natural processes, such as natural selection and mutations, over millions of years. Creationists maintain that species were created in their current form and have not evolved from simpler forms.
• The Earth is young. Many creationists calculate the age of the Earth based on religious calendars and studies of the Bible and its mythical stories. They maintain that the Earth is relatively young, with an age of approximately 6,000 to 10,000 years, in contrast to the scientific estimate of around 4.5 billion years.
• The design of life is intelligent. Some versions of creationism, such as intelligent design, argue that certain aspects of life are too complex to have arisen through natural processes. Therefore, they maintain that they must have been designed by a higher intelligence.

classical creationism

classical creationism proposes a literal interpretation of the sacred scriptures of some religion and denies other theories of scientific origin, such as biological evolution and the Big Bang theory.

Within these interpretations is young Earth creationism, according to which the universe, the Earth and all life on it were created by a divine act relatively recently, between 6,000 and 10,000 years ago.

Among the main characteristics of this interpretation, the following stand out:

• Reading the Genesis account (first book of the Bible) as a historical and factual description of creation, in which God created the world in six 24-hour days.
• The rejection of radiometric dating techniques and other scientific evidence that indicates that the Earth is approximately 4.5 billion years old.
• The belief that a global flood, described in the Bible with the story of Noah, would have had a significant impact on the geology of the Earth, thus explaining the formation of fossils and other geological structures.
• The defense that species were created individually and specifically, and the rejection of biological evolution as an explanation for the diversity of life.

Contemporary creationism

contemporary creationism brings together theories that adopt less rigid positions that, instead of opposing scientific explanations, they try to demonstrate that they are part of the divine or mystical plan for the creation of the universe.

Old Earth creationism accepts scientific evidence about the antiquity of the universe and Earth, but maintains that life on Earth was created directly by a divine entity.

Those who defend old Earth creationism maintain that:

• The universe is approximately 13.8 billion years old and the Earth is approximately 4.5 billion years old, based on evidence from geology, astronomy and physics.
• The days of creation in Genesis must be interpreted figuratively or allegorically, viewing these “days” as long periods of time (a view known as the “day-age” theory) or as descriptions of key events in history. of the Earth, not like 24-hour days.
• God intervened directly to create life in complex ways. They accept some evolution within species (microevolution), but reject macroevolution (the idea that all species evolved from a common ancestor).

Other theories linked to creationism

In addition to the different interpretations of the creationist theory, there are ideas, theories and other hypotheses that are linked to a creationist conception of the origin of the universe and life.

The fixist theory

The fixist theory is a biological conception that maintains that the species of living organisms are immutable that is, they do not change over time. According to this theory, each species was created in its current form and has remained essentially the same since its creation. This position is directly opposed to the theory of evolution.

The Ussher Chronology

The Ussher chronology is a biblical chronology proposed by Archbishop James Ussher in the 17th century, to determine the exact date of the creation of the world based on the interpretation of the Bible. Usher established that the creation of the world occurred on October 23, 4004 BC. c To carry out the calculation, he relied on biblical genealogies, following the lineages from Adam and Eve, to various biblical characters and important events.

The theory of progressive creation

The theory of progressive creation is a perspective that combines elements of creationism and evolution. It proposes that God intervened at various times throughout history to create new forms of life, rather than creating all species simultaneously in a single act of creation. This position offers an intermediate vision between traditional creationism and evolution, and proposes that God intervenes with the aim of guiding the evolution of life on Earth.

Criticisms and controversies of creationist theory

Creationism, in its various forms, faces various criticisms and controversies from scientific, educational and philosophical perspectives.

• Educational controversies. Creationists maintain that their beliefs should be taught in schools along with the theory of evolution, which has been rejected by most of the scientific and educational community. In many countries, the teaching of creationism in public schools is considered a violation of the separation of church and state, as it is based on specific religious beliefs.
• Scientific criticism. The scientific community opposes creationism due to its lack of empirical evidence, the rejection of evolution, the inconsistency with geological dating and the impossibility of proving divine intervention in natural processes through the scientific method.
• Philosophical criticisms. Creationism is seen by many as an attempt to mix science with religion, which can lead to conflicts between both spheres. Most scientists and theologians prefer to keep scientific explanations and religious beliefs separate.
• Theological criticisms. The literal interpretation of sacred texts, such as Genesis, is one of the foundations of creationism, but many religious and theological traditions accept more metaphorical interpretations of these texts. This has generated debates within the religious communities themselves.

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References

• Ellwood, RR and Alles, GD (Eds.). (2007). Genesis; creation and world cycles. The Encyclopedia of World Religions. Facts on File.
• Mercatante, AS and Dow, JR (2009). Bible, The. World Mythology and Legend. Facts on File.
• The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2024). Creationism. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/