AS RECENTLY as 2000, the late Stephen Jay Gould reassured the world that we needn鈥檛 worry about creationism because it was a 鈥減eculiarly American鈥� phenomenon. 鈥淎s insidious as it may seem, at least it鈥檚 not a worldwide movement. I hope everyone realises the extent to which this is a local, indigenous, American bizarrity,鈥� he said, as quoted in Ron Numbers鈥檚 The Creationists. Gould could not have been more wrong. Not only is creationism still a troubling force in America, it has gone global.
鈥淣ot only does creationism remain a troubling force in America, it has gone global鈥�
Consider a few recent international headlines. A business consortium in the UK, operating as a charity called the , is hunting for a site to construct a creationist theme park. Romania has . The glossy but scientifically inaccurate photographs from Turkish creationist 鈥荣 Atlas of Creation, which has been to thousands of scientists around the globe, have been displayed in the central exhibit hall of Istanbul鈥檚 main train station and in towns throughout Turkey.
Advertisement
Back in America, things are no better. In November, Chris Comer, long-time director of science curriculum for the Texas Education Agency, was after circulating information about a presentation critical of intelligent design. In May, the Christian organisation opened a $27 million in Kentucky, which attracted a quarter of a million visitors in its first six months. Approximately 45 per cent of Americans continue to believe that God created human beings pretty much in their present form at one time within the last 10,000 years or so.
Fundamentalist religious leaders pushing a creationist agenda regularly assert that the faithful must choose between their religious beliefs and evolution. Evolution is regularly caricatured as being incompatible with belief in God; Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has stated that one can鈥檛 be a Christian and believe in evolution. This is particularly dangerous because I believe that most people, if forced to choose between religion and evolution, will select religion.
That is why I founded in 2004. By bringing religious leaders into the debate on the side of evolution, the project was designed to alter the nature of the debate and raise the level of discourse about the compatibility of religion and science.
The letter itself is a two-paragraph testament demonstrating that Christians can embrace evolution, and calling for the teaching of evolution in public schools. Though signatures are limited to Christian clergy in America, it has already garnered more than 11,000 supporters.
Many religious leaders have decided to go further. Thus Evolution Sunday, this year renamed Evolution Weekend, was created. Unlike the letter, which is directed towards Americans, is designed to reach out to congregations around the globe. Held on the Sunday closest to Charles Darwin鈥檚 birthday (12 February), it is an opportunity for congregations to explore the notion that the belief structures of religion and science, while different, need not be in conflict 鈥� to move past sound bites and have meaningful dialogue about this complex issue. Participating congregations have heard sermons, held lunch discussions, listened to invited speakers or attended adult education classes on the topic. Since the event was inaugurated in 2006, it has reached thousands of participants from five continents.
The clergy involved in Evolution Weekend do not set out to provide detailed information about evolution to their congregations. Rather, the aim is to outline the complementarity of religion and science, while recognising the power of science鈥檚 dependence on the scientific method and on the concept of falsifiability, along with its limitations. That is, they understand that there are areas of importance to humans that fall outside the reach of science 鈥� subjective areas that are not open to rigorous hypothesis testing.
Many parishioners see religion and science as opposing forces, so it has not been easy for clergy to convey this message to their congregations. They have made the effort to do so because they believe it to be in the best interest of both religion and science.
To help clergy resolve some scientific points, the Clergy Letter project has assembled . With over 500 members, including scientists from 29 countries, the list demonstrates that scientists and clergy can work productively together. A coalition of this sort is our best hope for ending the war between science and religion, and raising the level of scientific literacy worldwide.
The third annual Evolution Weekend is on 8 to 10 February 2008. Please find an appropriate way to celebrate.
