Creation and Science

We have all heard about the evolution vs. creation debate. Two sides opposing each other in fits of heated passion. One group believes that humans developed from monkeys, and the other group is a bunch of religious fanatics. Does this sound somewhat familiar? This is one of the most stereotypical views of the dispute, but is, unfortunately, how many people believe it to be. So what is it all about? What makes these groups (there are actually quite a few more than two) so determined to fight and try to win others over to their belief? In the answers to these questions lie the truth about why humans take this aspect of science so personally.



There must be some fairly significant reasons that cause individuals to become so committed to arguing their point of view in the evolution/creation debate. Many creationists feel that without a supernatural creation by an intelligent being there is no purpose to the universe and no reason to live (Wager, 1997). Many Christian creationists hope that by convincing others of Godís role in the origins of life, they can more effectively lead others to salvation. Still others believe that it is the duty of Christians to \"defend against the godless dogma of evolutionary humanism\" (Tyler, 1995). It is easy to see why this topic is so important to people. If one believes that evolution and Christianity are mutually exclusive, as many people do, then it is natural for Christians to want to disprove evolution and eliminate what they perceive as a threat (Wright, 1989). However, the debate is also meaningful to evolutionists. Many evolutionists feel that to try and discredit evolution is to ignore facts and scientific reasoning (Tyler, 1995). Some evolutionists who are dominant in universities and scientific societies believe that they are the most informed and educated on the topic and that others defer to them on the matter. If the general public always believes the scientists about what to eat or how the human body...