"creation science" outside of America?

[Pete Harcoff]

I was just wondering what impact "creation science" has had on the world outside of America?

I know that here in Ontario they've reduced the teaching of evolution to a mere peep in high school out of fear of offending some people, although they don't seem to be trying to force ID or other pseudo-science into the classroom (at least, it's being done quietly if they are).

Since I know we have a few posters from various other countries, I was hoping they could shed their views on the impact of "creation science" where they live.

 

[Praxiteles]

Apparently there are cells of it in Oz, but I've only ever heard of it on da interweb. Ken Ham is an Australian, but he's a Queenslander, and Queensland is where we grow the greater portion of our loony crop.

(My apologies to any sane Queenslanders - I know that the both of you may be online.)

However, they only infest the fringe churches, and have no political power.

Cheers,
Prax

 

[Tinman]

One of the great things about being an Aussie is that we're naturally skeptical of people with strong beliefs in anything, with the exceptions of cricket and football.

Btw, congratulations to Glenn McGrath on his 400th Test wicket.

 

[Praxiteles]

Originally posted by Tinman

Btw, congratulations to Glenn McGrath on his 400th Test wicket.

Hear hear!  Pigeon is a bloody you-beautus hero!

And, also, let's hear it for the lads for winning the International Rules series in Dublin.  I really enjoy the composite game, and I'd love to see more of it..

 

Cheers,

Prax

 

[npetreley]

It seems like a lot of research comes from Australia.

 

[Praxiteles]

Daggy waggy!

Research? I assume you refer to such like Snelling (the YEC who accepts an old earth - confusing) and the C-decay chap, yeah?

 

[MSBS]

Well, there is this guy:

http://www.harunyahya.com/

who is a muslim from Turkey, strictly speaking a creationist, but since "creation science" does no science, I guess we can call him a creation scientist for all the difference it makes. His view seems to be the same as the christian YECs (using the Koran instead of the Bible obviously, but conclusions are pretty much the same). He probably has an easier time of it than American YECs, in that he can just say science/evolution is an evil from the western nations instead of having to come up with a vast satan inpired conspiracy perpetuated by athiestic scientists.

 

[David Gould]

As a christian I never heard of young earth creationism. It is only since becoming an atheist last year and getting on the net that I have become aware of that this belief existed.

 

[Praxiteles]

Originally posted by David Gould
As a christian I never heard of young earth creationism. It is only since becoming an atheist last year and getting on the net that I have become aware of that this belief existed.

I have a similar experience - I only discovered the existence of YEC after becoming netwise.  I stumbled across the TalkOrigins Archive when doing a search for something else.  I simply couldn't believe that there was a need for such a site.

Imagine my surprise when I learned that some of the big names of YEC are Australian.  Here, you never hear of them.  Only on the net.

Sometimes I'm pleased that we don't have the same probs as the US.  But, that may change.    Not that I think for a moment that YEC will gain anywhere near the same acceptance as in the US, but it wouldn't do to be complacent.

Thank goodness our school curricula are settled at state level by government departments, and are not affected by special interest groups!

 

Cheers,

Prax

 

[paulewog]

Maybe beacuse nobody likes YEC

 

[Tinman]

Originally posted by Praxiteles
Sometimes I'm pleased that we don't have the same probs as the US.  But, that may change. 

LOL, they'd probably want to rename Darwin.  

 

[Praxiteles]

Originally posted by paulewog
Maybe beacuse nobody likes YEC

Chap with the hat of orange!

I imagine that the reasons are many, such as the greater secular nature of Australia, for example.  Your reason may well be one too!

 

Cheers,

Prax

 

[Praxiteles]

Originally posted by Tinman
LOL, they'd probably want to rename Darwin.  

Yeah, probably!

Can you imagine it?  The capital of the NT called Genesis?  *guffaw*

 

[paulewog]

Yeah.... well I have heard a LOT about YEC, so I don't know where you guys have been!

However, I think this may even prove a point! Oooo.

It's odd that the theory of evolution is so widely taught, but you don't hear much about the other theories, such as YOUNG earth creationism.

 

[Pete Harcoff]

I just find it interesting that "Creation Science" (at least from a YEC perspective) seems to be by-and-large and American phenomenon. I was reading "Evolution: Triumph of an Idea" and it opens with a lot of history surrounding Darwin's time, and that the idea of a young Earth (from a geology perspective) had been tossed out by the 1800's.

And yet, there's still people today trying to revive that belief.

 

[lithium.]

Cause there isn't any evidence of YEC.

 

[fragmentsofdreams]

Originally posted by paulewog
Yeah.... well I have heard a LOT about YEC, so I don't know where you guys have been!

However, I think this may even prove a point! Oooo.

It's odd that the theory of evolution is so widely taught, but you don't hear much about the other theories, such as YOUNG earth creationism.

They don't teach YEC for the same reason they don't teach ether theory. Evidence disproving it came up.

 

[David Gould]

Originally posted by paulewog
Yeah.... well I have heard a LOT about YEC, so I don't know where you guys have been!

However, I think this may even prove a point! Oooo.

It's odd that the theory of evolution is so widely taught, but you don't hear much about the other theories, such as YOUNG earth creationism.

School, high school ,uni, church, work (both private and government in communications) - YEC never came into view.

I remember hearing about how a guy had dated the earth to 4004 BC sometime a few hundred years ago using the Bible but he was seen as simply an interesting curiousity of the crazy things that people believed back before science took hold.

 

[paulewog]

Yeah, well, for the longest time, science thought bleeding people helped, and science thought the world was geocentric.

And, people are trying to throw out the idea of God, too.

People try to throw IN the idea that global warming is coming. It was an imminent ice age earlier this century, I wonder where that went?

Anyway, point is, evidence against YEC can be taken both ways.

Hey, something I have NEVER EVER EVER had an answer to. Where's the feet of moon dust on the moon? Why is there so little?!

 

[lithium.]

paul, I will just say this there might be a god that started the universe, but that doens't mean it's the one from the christian bible or any other religious text. We don't know, like Stephen Hawking said We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star. We don't know the truth really to the universe yet we will some day. But I will still believe right now there is no god until there is some evidence or something that lets us really know.



David