| 1. Literalistic protestant sects existed largely on the | | | | carry it beyond biology into an entire worldview, |
| fringes of American society until 1920. There were | | | | coupled with the reappearance of Darwinism in |
| mainline denominations like the Methodists, the | | | | textbooks; triggered a strong and enduring reaction |
| Lutherans and the Episcopalians, which dominated | | | | among American conservative Christians, and the |
| protestant religion. The literalistic sects were on the | | | | appearance of Young Earth Creationism. |
| fringes, they weren't mainstream. They had untrained | | | | 7. Central in the history of creationism is a Baptist |
| ministers who were "called" to ministry, who never | | | | engineering professor named Henry Morris, who |
| were taught the modern ideas of biblical interpretation | | | | revived "Noah's flood geology" in 1961, and began |
| and evolutionary views of religion. | | | | spreading it widely among conservative Protestants. |
| 2. During the 1800's, in response to evidence of vast | | | | He used the name "scientific creationism" or "creation |
| geological epochs, most theologians equated the days | | | | science". Morris' "The Genesis Flood", as one could |
| of creation in the Genesis account with geological | | | | expect, was virtually ignored by the scientific |
| ages. They accepted the idea that the Earth was | | | | community. During the 1960's and 1970's, however, it |
| very old. William Jennings Bryan still held these views in | | | | gained an enormous following within conservative |
| the 1920's when he led the anti-evolution crusade. | | | | protestant circles. |
| 3. During the early 1900's, evangelicals in America often | | | | 8. The battle for the teaching of scientific creationism in |
| reconciled science and scripture by positing that the | | | | public schools began with the legal argument that it |
| Genesis of account wasn't really complete. They | | | | was as scientific as evolutionary science. The struggle |
| posited that there could be a gap between "In the | | | | ended, though, with the judicial conclusion that creation |
| beginning..." and the rest of the account. This would | | | | science was simply religious dogma. |
| allow for unnumbered geological ages and a vaster | | | | 9. Morris claimed that teaching evolution promotes a |
| array of fossils. That was a widely held belief among | | | | philosophical viewpoint, citing the examples of Huxley |
| conservative Christians early in the 1900's. | | | | or George Gaylord Simpson. Assuming this position, |
| 4. Prior to 1960, the leading advocates of a literalistic | | | | both evolutionary science and creation science, |
| reading of Genesis tended to be in small Protestant | | | | according to Morris, could be given balanced treatment |
| sects, like the Seventh-Day Adventist Church. Indeed, | | | | in public school biology without violating the Constitution. |
| the most visible proponent of young-earth creationism | | | | He said that creationism isn't more religious than |
| was a Seventh-Day Adventist science teacher | | | | evolution. |
| named George McCready Price. | | | | 10. Three States adopted so-called "balanced |
| 5. Modern "Young Earth Creationism" was a reaction | | | | treatment laws". One by one, each one of these laws |
| to the actions of men like Julian Huxley and George | | | | was declared unconstitutional. In 1987, the United |
| Gaylord. They popularized an evolutionary humanistic | | | | States Supreme Court ruled against the Louisiana |
| worldview. Early creationists accused evolutionists of | | | | balanced treatment act. No law is needed to teach |
| being "religious", citing the example of Julian Huxley, | | | | scientific evidence for or against evolution. These |
| who defined himself as a religious humanist. | | | | rulings ended the teaching of scientific creationism in |
| 6. Darwinism's public revival in the media during the | | | | public schools, thank God. |
| 1960's, often proposed by people who wanted to | | | | |