Religious Freedom

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This statement is the foundational tenet for the evangelical and fundamentalist Christian dogma that purports a literal understanding of the Bible to be the unquestionable and undeniable truth. Creationism, a proposed alternative to evolutionary theory, requires a Christian dogma that holds the literal understanding of the Bible to be the sole source of truth. As an alternative to the natural explanation of the origins of life that science and evolutionary theory provides, creationism ministers a supernatural explanation as provided in the biblical Genesis. Given the source of information, the exclusive nature to its validity, and the unwavering conviction of its soundness, creationism is a religiously dogmatic understanding for the origin of life. As such, creationism does not promote scientific or religious freedom; rather, creationism is the promotion of a specific evangelical or fundamentalist Christian dogma that asserts a literal translation of the Bible as the sole guidance toward truth.

Creationism is based on several seemingly unquestioned assumptions. Of the several assumptions creationism defends, the foundational assumption, the inerrancy of the bible, is the most perplexing. With a literal understanding of the Bible, several problems begin to surface. “A belief in the literal truth of the Bible presupposes designation of a particular version out of the many that have been written in the last 2000 years” (Spuhler, 1985). Creationists must be dogmatic, not only about their religious beliefs, but also about which Bible is most accurate for acutely gaining the literal understanding of the Word of God. The Bible creationists use, as a translated text, has interpretation through translation inherent within the wo...

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... 1959; Nagel, 1971). Some are able to bear the burden of absurdity. Others still feel “that nostalgia for unity, that appetite for the absolute illustrates the essential impulse of the human drama” (Camus, 1955). If scientific discovery can be used as a barometer for the zeitgeist of any particular moment, then the struggle between science and creationism is an indicator of a shifting paradigm. Science is alienating those who need a greater purpose and meaning in life. The threat is a personal one. To teach creationism is not only an infringement on religious freedom, it is also the promotion of intolerance and an advocacy for being afraid of existence. Religion is always there for those who need it. Science is there for those dedicated to truth and knowledge and are comfortable with facing the painful, anxiety-producing endeavor of exploring the unknown.

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