Free The Creationists: From Scientific Creationism To Intelligent Design, Expanded Edition Ebooks Online
In light of the embattled status of evolutionary theory, particularly as "intelligent design" makes headway against Darwinism in the schools and in the courts, this now classic account of the roots of creationism assumes new relevance. Expanded and updated to account for the appeal of intelligent design and the global spread of creationism, The Creationists offers a thorough, clear, and balanced overview of the arguments and figures at the heart of the debate. Praised by both creationists and evolutionists for its comprehensiveness, the book meticulously traces the dramatic shift among Christian fundamentalists from acceptance of the earth's antiquity to the insistence of present-day scientific creationists that most fossils date back to Noah's flood and its aftermath. Focusing especially on the rise of this "flood geology," Ronald L. Numbers chronicles the remarkable resurgence of antievolutionism since the 1960s, as well as the creationist movement's tangled religious roots in the theologies of late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century Baptists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, and Adventists, among others. His book offers valuable insight into the origins of various "creation science" think tanks and the people behind them. It also goes a long way toward explaining how creationism, until recently viewed as a "peculiarly American" phenomenon, has quietly but dynamically spread internationally--and found its expression outside Christianity in Judaism and Islam.
Paperback: 624 pages
Publisher: Harvard University Press; Expanded ed. edition (November 30, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0674023390
ISBN-13: 978-0674023390
Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1.7 x 9.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #115,428 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #30 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Theology > Creationism #571 in Books > Science & Math > Evolution #633 in Books > Science & Math > History & Philosophy
This is an astonishingly evenhanded, objective history of the scientific creationist movement. As Numbers points out, this is one of those areas where it seems very difficult to carry on a rational discussion.Despite how many fundamentalist creationists and humanists view the controversies over creation and evolution, the issue is not either a simple religion vs. humanism or religion vs. science struggle. As the author points out,"Rather than finding clerics arrayed in simple opposition to scientists, we discover conflicts of a different sort: psychological, as creationists struggled to reconcile the apparently conflicting claims of science and Scripture; and social, as they quarreled with one another over competing scientific and biblical interpretations or contested the boundaries of science and religion with evolutionists in courthouses, legislative halls, and school-board rooms." (p. 10)And, despite the ad hominem arguments employed by some earlier customer reviews, that is what Numbers deals with in an objective, historical fashion. He seldom betrays his own sympathies, and has received compliments from eminent creationists as well as historians and scientists.It is eminently clear that the creationists have never been able to agree on their interpretations of the first creation story in Genesis. These disagreements between the young earth and old earth creationists are delineated in great detail. From my point of view, I should also point out that they do not agree with competent biblical scholars, either, who will place Genesis in the cultural context of the ancient Middle East. The first creation story in Genesis is fairly obviously a religious counterstatement to other ancient myths, not a scientific treatise.
Originally published in 1992, this superb history of the evolution of creationism, mostly in the United States, by University of Wisconsin-Madison professor Ronald L. Numbers fills a major gap in the literature on the subject. The landscape of the evolution/creationism debate is filled with polemical works attacking evolution and advancing the cause of creationism/intelligent design, or vice versa, but there are few serious, sophisticated, and dispassionate histories of the debate. "The Creationists" is the gold standard if one is seeking to understand the history of the interplay between competing world views--evolutionary biology versus Judeo/Christian understandings of human origins--rather than learn arguments for the polemical battles currently taking place. While complete objectivity is beyond the capability of anyone, Numbers seeks to tell the story of this debate impartially as possible. To a very great degree he succeeds, and we all benefit.In "The Creationists" Numbers pulls back the curtain beyond the high-profile Scopes Trial of 1925 and the recent textbook battles to focus on a less well-known but a remarkably interesting and complex story of how those firmly believing in the inerrancy of the Bible sought to deal with Charles Darwin's evolutionary theory. There is an extraordinary cast of characters in this effort ranging from George Frederick Wright, who published "Man and the Glacial Period" in 1892, to Wendell R. Bird who developed a political strategy to demand the teaching of creationism alongside evolution in the public schools in the 1970s. These divergent characters, the organizations they created, and the religious traditions they represented all competed amongst themselves on how best to counteract the effects of evolution.
The Creationists: From Scientific Creationism to Intelligent Design, Expanded Edition When Faith and Science Collide: A Biblical Approach to Evaluating Evolution, Creationism, Intelligent Design, and the Age of the Earth Catch the Light for Intelligent Design: A Playbook for Understanding Creation and Intelligent Design The Not-So-Intelligent Designer: Why Evolution Explains the Human Body and Intelligent Design Does Not Darwin's Pious Idea: Why the Ultra-Darwinists and Creationists Both Get It Wrong Biomimetic Neural Learning for Intelligent Robots: Intelligent Systems, Cognitive Robotics, and Neuroscience (Lecture Notes in Computer Science) The Creation Hypothesis: Scientific Evidence for an Intelligent Designer Diversity and the Tropical Rain Forest: A Scientific American Library Book (Scientific American Library Series) Abusing Science: The Case Against Creationism Biblical Creationism Genesis Kinds: Creationism and the Origin of Species (Center for Origins Research Issues in Creation) The Counter-Creationism Handbook Evolution, Creationism, and Other Modern Myths: A Critical Inquiry Signature in the Cell: DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design Origins: Christian Perspectives on Creation, Evolution, and Intelligent Design Darwin's Doubt: The Explosive Origin of Animal Life and the Case for Intelligent Design Mere Creation; Science, Faith & Intelligent Design Intelligent Design: The Bridge Between Science and Theology Intelligent Design 101: Leading Experts Explain the Key Issues Understanding Intelligent Design: Everything You Need to Know in Plain Language (ConversantLife.com®)
