Re: [asa] Creationism in Europe

On Thu, 29 Nov 2007, j burg wrote:

> Article (abridged) rec'd today. The Swiss are embracing creationism too!
>
> Creationism controversy evolves
> A heated debate over the inclusion of creationism in a school science book
> highlights the success Swiss evangelicals are having sowing seeds of doubt
> about evolution. The debate over the textbook raises questions about why
> increasing numbers of Swiss are willing to turn away from science and accept
> creationist views that God created the earth a few thousand years ago.
>
> The school authorities in canton Bern quickly revised the brochure included
> in the textbook after it was harshly criticised by scientists and education
> experts.
>
> The controversial passage presented creationism and evolution as two ways of
> "explaining" the origin of the universe and life on earth. Critics of
> teaching creationism in science classes say it suggests there is a
> controversy when there isn't one since evolution has been proven beyond all
> reasonable doubt.
>
> Even one of the authors admitted that the 12- to 14-year-olds who were to
> use the book could get the wrong impression that one theory was just as
> valid as the other.
>
> An international survey last year found that 30 per cent of the Swiss reject
> evolution, one of the highest rates in Europe. The fringe Christian
> organisation Pro Genesis commissioned a survey earlier this year which found
> that 80 per cent of Swiss want creationism taught alongside evolution in
> biology class. "Many people think science is devoid of any meaning of life
> and this of course makes them critical," biologist Guido Masé told
> swissinfo. "That's why they try to find common ground between science and
> belief and end up leaning towards a creationist view."
>
> Masé is curator of an exhibition called Adam, Eve and Darwin, currently
> running in the northwestern town of Liestal. The exhibition presents
> evolution as scientific fact but devotes one floor to the creationism
> debate. The centrepiece is a virtual discussion between scientists,
> theologians, representatives of Switzerland's state-recognised Protestant
> and Roman Catholic churches and creationists.
>
>
> Literal translation
>
>
>
> Martin Scheidegger, a Protestant pastor and expert on evangelical movements
> and sects, told swissinfo that the mainstream Swiss churches accept that the
> goal of scientific research is to uncover how life evolved while religion
> asks why. According to Scheidegger, evangelical Christian churches are the
> driving force behind a literal translation of the book of Genesis and the
> rejection of evolution He says more Swiss are joining these movements, even
> if their popularity is still limited. According to the most recent
> poll, 2.2per cent of Switzerland's
> 7.5 million inhabitants belong to a free (non-state recognised) church. The
> fear is not that they will supplant the mainstream churches but that they
> will influence the Swiss public with their dogmatic ideology.

I assume that the type of creationism referred to is YEC flood geology.
This really doesn't surprise me too much. I visited some friends in
Switzerland in 1994, at which time I thought that this type of creationism
was pretty much confined to the US. I don't think my friends were YECs,
but on the literature table in their church I found a flyer advertising a
talk to be given by someone who was going to tell how the Alps were
created by the great Flood.

Gordon Brown (ASA member)

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Received on Thu Nov 29 16:22:08 2007