I append a Glossary first posted to the ASA server by Loren Haarsma in 1996
which I have found useful in teaching "Creation and Creationism" in my
church. Maybe category-2 positions below are now more usefully described as
"Intelligent Design" than as "Progressive Creation"??
Peter
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From: IN%"lhaarsma@OPAL.TUFTS.EDU" 21-FEB-1996 15:46:19.81
To: IN%"asa@calvin.edu" "American Sci Affil"
A non-exhautive Glossary of "labels" describing positions on "Origins":
Note : Many people don't fall into any one category below, but allow for
some range of possibilities, and a mixture of scenarios.
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1a. Recent Creation: Appearance of Youth.
The Genesis 1-2 account of creation is literally historically true; the
earth and the universe are a few tens of thousands of years old. Although
some "appearance of age" may have been included in creation (e.g. active
stars, light from the stars "on its way" to earth), proper scientific
measurements would yield ample evidence that the earth and life were
recently created.
1b. Recent Creation: Created with Apparent Age.
The Genesis 1-2 account of creation is literally historically true; the
earth and the universe are a few tens of thousands of years old. However,
the universe and the earth were made to "appear" several billion years old.
1c. Recent Creation: Apparent Age Due to the Fall.
The Genesis 1-2 account of creation is literally historically true; the
earth and the universe are a few tens of thousands of years old. However,
due either to the fall of man or the fall of Satan, the earth was made to
appear "old."
2a. Progressive Creation with Special Creation of Each Lifeform.
The earth and the universe are several billion years old. At various times
during the creation period, God performed a distinctive miraculous creation
to produce each new lifeform. (_de_novo_ creation or supernatural
transformation of an existing lifeform.)
2b. Progressive Creation.
The earth and the universe are several billion years old. At various times
during the creation period, God performed distinctive miraculous acts to
produce lifeforms with certain new features or increased complexity.
(Microevolution can produce some amount of species diversity, but novel
biological or biochemical structures were specially and miraculously
created at the appropriate times. (e.g. perhaps through miraculous genetic
transformations in zygotes.))
2c. Progressive Creation through "Miraculous" Evolution.
Creation occured through evolution, but the success of evolution is
"surprising;" that is, one would not have expected the evolutionary process
to be as successful as it has been. Thus God must have been "directing" the
evolutionary process, perhaps arranging (or pre-arranging) for the process
to travel along preordained paths, leading to much better-than-expected
outcomes.
3a. Theistic Evolution with Special Creation of Life.
Creation occured through evolution and there is nothing surprising about
its success -- we would expect evolution to produce something like what we
see. Nevertheless, creation occurred at God's hand and evolution was the
tool. However, the fact that evolution got started in the first place is
surprising.
3b. Theistic Evolution.
Creation occured through evolution and there is nothing surprising about
its success; nor is it surprising that evolution got started in the first
place. We would expect abiogenesis and evolution to produce something like
what we see. What is surprising is that the laws of the universe and
physical constants are just right for giving conditions conducive for a
successful evolutionary process.
3b1. Theistic Evolution with Designed Outcome.
The laws which govern biochemistry and biological evolution are designed to
ensure that life will "self-organize" into certain kinds of lifeforms.
(Existing lifeforms being analogous to "strange attractors" in phase
space.) God ordained and intended our existence, and designed the process
to achieve it.
3b2. Theistic Evolution with Determined Outcome.
Biological evolution could, in theory, have followed many different paths
with divergent outcomes. However, the _exact_ path which evolution took on
earth, and the final outcome we see today, were entirely ordained by God,
since every event which appears to be "chance" to us is actually determined
by God.
3b3. Theistic Evolution with Flexible Outcome.
The exact path which evolution took on earth, and the final outcome we see
today, were not entirely predetermined by God; rather, God gave his
creation a certain degree of "freedom." God also knew that this process
would eventually produce intelligent, personal creatures to whom he could
reveal Himself.
3c. Theistic Evolution Known only through Special Revelation.
The fact that "the laws of the universe gave rise to a successful
evolutionary process" is not really surprising. Nevertheless, we believe
that creation occurred through God's hand because of God's special
revelation.
4. Deistic Evolution.
God created the universe and the laws of nature, "set them in motion," and
let them "do their thing" without any intervention.
5. Atheistic Evolution.
The universe is self-existing; there is no creator. (This could be further
subdivided, but..)