An anticreationism website with an emphasis on the situation in the UK

"If we allow certain special-interest religious groups to co-opt the public school science classroom, to use it as a vehicle for converting children to religious views their parents don't hold, if we allow them to spout outright lies about the nature and content of science, what do we really have left? If you can lie about science and get away with it, you can lie about anything." Patricia J. Princehouse - Science and the First Amendment

This website has been created in response to the threat posed by the extreme religious viewpoint known as, “creationism”, which as a result of the activities of organisations such as the Emmanuel Schools Foundation (previously known as the Vardy Foundation) & Truth in Science is becoming a growing problem in Britain & other countries.

Despite the fact that for over a century the theory of evolution has been broadly accepted by the scientific community & mainstream religions, there seems to be a growing hardcore of individuals & groups that for some inexplicable reason wish to deny its conclusions, preferring the biblical creation myth instead.

Not only do they criticise evolution they also criticise all scientific theories that suggest a universe older than 6,000 to 10,000 years old, for example; cosmology, geology, astronomy, relativity etc.

In addition to being hostile to the principles of modern science, they are also hostile to the principles of modern society. They are not happy with secular governments determining laws on the basis of common sense, common consent or fairness (which they refer to as “relativism”) and instead insist that the electorate are forced to obey laws based on their interpretations of ancient biblical texts. Such a form of government is commonly referred to as a theocracy (as practiced in such countries as Iran) and is nothing less than a form of religious based fascism.

This would not be a problem if the creationists kept their ignorance & stupidity to themselves. However, like all religious extremists they insist on forcing their views onto others. Creationism is of particular concern, as their main tactic is to target schoolchildren & the schools in which they are taught. They then attempt to undermine a child’s understanding of the principles governing modern science especially that relating to the concept of biological evolution. They also attempt to indoctrinate the children with extreme religious views & antipathy to modern society; views (such as those vilifying homosexuals) which are completely at odds with the values of modern western society.

This problem is America in origin, where fundamentalist extremism is common & deep-rooted with incessant & widespread interference in the American educational system. There, the tactics & rhetoric of the creationists exhibit unique characteristics. These traits are also evident in the brand of creationism spreading throughout the UK, thus suggesting a link between the two that is far more than mere coincidence.

Creationism is a throwback to the middle ages when people knew no better. Now there is no excuse for trying to impose this viewpoint on children and it is outrageous that the government is assisting the creationists to do so. I leave it to the historians to determine the true cause of this crazy behaviour, for which there are probably many causes - for instance:

• Government ignorance of the issues involved (especially the scientific ones).
• Compounded by their refusal to listen to advice (especially from scientists).
• Personal bias towards creationism by politicians who have no right forcing their personal superstitions onto other people’s children.
• Nepotism.
• Indifference.
• Good old fashioned BLACKMAIL (do as you’re told or lose the new school).
• A reluctance to, “rock the boat”, on the part of politicians & other officials who may be worried about their jobs or prospects of promotion.
• Rank dishonesty on the part of politicians such as Blair, who present as left-wing liberals and are elected on that basis – only to then implement the policies of a bunch of right-wing illiberal fundamentalist extremists.

But finally, no matter what the causes; as yet another state school in Coventry appears in danger of being taken over by the fundamentalist Bob Edmiston, (who rejects the Theory of Evolution), & a second in Blyth by the Emmanuel Schools Foundation, one thing is crystal clear – something, somewhere, smells real bad.

A good introduction to the problems caused by creationism can be found at:

Creationism: bad science, bad religion, bad education Although now slightly out of date (especially on the situation in America), this is still well worth reading.

Anyone interested in seeing the scourge of creationism eradicating from our schools, should consider joining the new BCSE Forum

An extensive list of relevant URLs can be found at: Black Shadow FURL

See also Editorial Stance