Meaning of Creationism (What is it, Concept and Definition)

Meaning of Creationism (What is it, Concept and Definition)
Posted on 24-02-2022

What is Creationism:

The term creationism may refer to a religious theory that holds that the creation of the universe is the work of divinity.

On the other hand, creationism is also known, in literature, as an avant-garde poetic movement represented by the Chilean writer Vicente Huidobro who argued that the poet, in his work of creation with the word, is similar to a god.

The word creationism is formed from the word creation, which refers to the 'act of creating', and the suffix -ism, which indicates 'doctrine or system'.

Creationist theory

Creationism, also known as creationist theory, is a religious doctrine according to which the universe has been created from a conscious and concrete act of will of divinity. This belief can be held in different religions.

In the western world, creationism has its foundations in the creation stories contained in the book of Genesis, according to which God would have created the world in six days.

classical creationism

Classical creationism denies theories about the common origin of species (theory of evolution), as well as the geological age of the Earth (geological history), the origin of the universe, and the conformation of the solar system. Therefore, it does not accept any of the scientific evidence accumulated in history. Different tendencies of creationism derive from this: young-Earth creationism, scientific creationism, and intelligent design theory.

Young Earth Creationism

It emphasizes the idea that the earth has been created in the period established in the book of Genesis, which corresponds to a process of no more than 10,000 years.

scientific creationism

This type of creationism seeks scientific bases to verify the veracity of the biblical accounts of creation. Thus, it investigates and uses the resources of science to validate preconceived ideas, which forces all contrary evidence to be discarded. His efforts are considered by the science guild to be pseudoscientific.

intelligent design theory

Intelligent design is a counterproposal to the theory of the evolution of species. For its formulators, God articulated an intelligent design from the beginning, which denies the adaptation of the species as well as natural selection.

Theistic theory of evolution

There is a type of creationism that proposes more flexible formulations, characterized by reconciling the principle of divine creation with the scientific theories of evolution and biology.

For these currents, the theory of evolution is accepted, since it does not deny divine participation in creation. Those who follow this tendency do not believe in the events related in Genesis other than as symbols, but they do accept its founding principle: God is the author of life.

Their representatives are often referred to as evolutionary creationists or old-earth creationists.

 

creationism vs. science

Creationism was a dominant belief during the era of ecclesiastical hegemony in the Western world, which spanned from the fourth century AD to the Modern Age. It is based on the literal acceptance of the Genesis account.

Scientific findings in the 15th and 16th centuries that contradicted the Book of Genesis caused such fear that persecution against scientists unfolded. The discovery of the roundness of the Earth, the heliocentric theory of Copernicus, and the description of the elliptical orbits of the planets (Kepler) were the most impressive findings.

In the 19th century, the British Charles Darwin proposed the theory of the evolution of species. From scientific bases, Darwin established three fundamental elements:

  1. That known species were the result of biological evolution (or descent with modifications).
  2. That all species have a common ancestor.
  3. That there is a principle of natural selection, according to which only the fittest survive.

For religion, it was one more thrust that would significantly affect the irrefutable character of the Holy Book.

Over the years, although the Catholic Church has accepted the validity of the theory of evolution, creationism continues to be embraced by the most talkative sectors of Christianity (in its different denominations).

Creationism in literature

In literature, creationism is called an avant-garde poetic movement originating in the first half of the 20th century and conceptualized by the Chilean writer Vicente Huidobro. It is considered an Ibero-American movement.

The movement posits that the poet is a creator god and that words in poetry are not meant to mean but to be beautiful. In this perspective, any claim to represent reality under the principle of verisimilitude denies the principle of authentic creation.

For this reason, the use of new words, typographical and visual games with words on the plane (such as calligrams), the use of words from different languages, ​​and creative freedom are common in this movement.

May the verse be like a key
that opens a thousand doors.
A leaf falls; something flies by;
whatever the eyes look created is,
and the soul of the listener remains trembling.

Vicente Huidobro, Poetic Art

 

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