- An Index to
Creationist Claims
- This set of pages attempts to collect all the creationist
claims you are likely to run across, provide brief rebuttals,
and, in many cases, point to where you can find further
information.
- What is
Creationism?
- This article gives brief descriptions of the different
varieties of creationism, both Bible-based and otherwise,
with examples of notable proponents.
- A Creationist
Exposed
- Creationists enjoy pointing out evolutionary
embarrassments like Piltdown man and Nebraska man. But how
do they deal with their own errors?
- Scientific
Creationism and Error
- Scientific creationism differs from conventional
science in numerous and substantial ways. One obvious
difference is the way scientists and creationists deal with
error.
- Some Questionable
Creationist Credentials
- A list of prominent (or once-prominent) creationists
whose graduate degrees are either honorary or of suspicious
origin.
- Lucy's Knee Joint: A
Case Study in Creationists' Willingness to Admit Their
Errors
- A number of creationists have claimed that Donald
Johanson, discoverer of the famous Australopithecus
afarensis specimen dubbed "Lucy," found her knee joint
several kilometers away from the rest of her skeleton. This
claim is absolutely false, but that doesn't stop some
creationists from making it.
- How to Be
Anti-Darwinian
- Many different people oppose some or all aspects of
Darwin's thinking, or the views that have arisen since and
go by the term 'Darwinism.' This essay distinguishes and
names the major varieties of anti-Darwinism.
- Project Steve:
Humorous Testing of the Scientific Attitudes Toward "Intelligent Design"
Via Scientists Named "Steve"
- Project Steve is a spoof of the lists of people that evolution deniers
use to try to argue that evolution is a "theory in crisis" conducted by the
National Center for Science Science Education. It uses humor to eviscerate
claims that scientists are abandoning evolutionary biology. In addition to
explaining the project, this page also provides many links that document the
broad and deep acceptance of common descent by the scientific community.
- Patterson Misquoted:
A Tale of Two 'Cites'
- Colin Patterson, senior paleontologist at the British
Museum of Natural History, is frequently quoted by
creationists as having said that there are no transitional
fossils. But did he really say that? And if so, what did he
mean?
- The Coso Artifact: Mystery
from the Depths of Time
- The creation 'science' field known as OOPARTS, or "Out
Of Place ARTifactS" is a lively area of study with numerous
examples. This paper will examine the most popular and
least understood specimen, the Coso Artifact.
- Missing
Supernova Remnants as Evidence of a Young Universe? A Case
of Fabrication
- The creationist quote-miners have been at it again,
this time on the subject of supernova remnants and their
supposed support for a young universe. In this latest
example of creationist dishonesty, we have scientists
quoted out of context, quotes and motives fabricated, and
the names and affiliations of scientists incorrectly
identified.
- Frequently Asked But
Never Answered Questions (FABNAQ)
- A list of questions that those slippery creationists
never seem to want to answer. (That doesn't stop the
evolutionists from asking them, though.)
- A List of Stumper
Questions for Creationists
- An enumeration of questions that creationists seem to
have no answers for. Most of them deal with the scientific
theory and evidence for creation, things which talk.origins
readers know are elusive.
- Plagiarized Errors and
Molecular Genetics
- New evidence from molecular genetics joins with the
immense body of clues from other disciplines, collectively
providing overwhelming evidence for evolution and against
special creation.
- Intelligent Design:
Humans, Cockroaches and the Laws of Physics
- Cosmology is now being exploited by creationists who
argue that the fundamental constants of nature are so
precisely tuned that an intelligent designer was required
to create the universe.
- Irreducible Complexity and
Michael Behe
- Recently a great deal of press attention has been given
to biochemist Michael Behe's claims that many biological
systems are "irreducibly complex" at the molecular level.
According to Behe, this means they are not likely to have
evolved in a step-by-step fashion via natural selection.
How right is he?
- Probability of Abiogenesis FAQs
- Creationists often argue that the origin of life (abiogenesis)
is impossible using claims such as the
formation of any enzyme by chance is nearly impossible,
Pasteur disproved spontaneous generation, and
Borel's law disproves abiogenesis. This group of articles
explores what is wrong with these creationist arguments.
- Creationism Implies
Racism?
- A number of creationists have stated that evolutionary
theory leads logically to racism. This brief article
discusses aspects of leading ICR
creationist Henry Morris's own beliefs that appear to be
racist. Also included is a summary analysis of the
racism-creationism connection by Tom McIver.
- The Creation Research
Society's Creed
- The Creation Research Society requires its members to
adhere to a statement of belief. One wonders why. Could it
be that the evidence points in another direction?
- Creationism and the
Platypus
- Many creationists view the duckbilled platypus as an
enigma that evolution cannot explain. However, fossil and
anatomical evidence are completely consistent with the idea
that the platypus evolved from primitive mammals that
retained many of their reptilian characteristics.
- Bombardier Beetles
and the Argument of Design
- Creationists often cite the bombardier beetle as an
example of a creature that could not have evolved in a
step-wise evolutionary manner. This essay disputes that
claim, in part by presenting a plausible scenario for its
gradual evolution.
-
Anatomy and Evolution of the Woodpecker's Tongue
-
Creationists have often asked us to wonder how a woodpecker's tongue
(and hence the woodpecker itself) could have evolved. Many have claimed,
erroneously, that a woodpecker's tongue is anchored in the right nostril
and not in the back of the beak as in other birds. Thus the transition from
non-woodpecker to woodpecker was impossible, or so the logic goes. This article
shows, not only that the creationists have gotten their anatomy wrong, but
also that a gradual continuum exists between woodpecker and non-woodpecker
structures even today.
- Feathers: Created or
Evolved?
- A plausible gradualistic origin path for feathers is
proposed. The author notes that feathers have separate
structures which must work together but that this is not
necessarily evidence that feathers were designed (a common
creationist canard).
- Evidence of
Jury-Rigged Design in Nature
- If all organisms were created individually, why do so
many of them show examples of poor design? Examples include
the Panda's thumb, the human urethra, "homosexual stabbing
rape" in bedbugs, and detorted motion in gastropods.
- Sun Pictures and the
Noah's Ark Hoax
- An in-depth report and analysis of behind-the-scenes
goings-on in the 1993 airing of Sun International Pictures'
The Incredible Discovery of Noah's Ark on CBS. Sun's
shoddy research techniques are exposed.
- Information about the NBC
Television Show "The Mysterious Origins of
Man"
- On Sunday February 25th, 1996, NBC broadcast "The
Mysterious Origins of Man," narrated by Charlton Heston,
purporting to be a documentary about scientific evidence
that would overturn currently accepted theories of human
history. In fact, it was little more than a
pseudo-scientific propaganda piece with large contributions
by people affiliated with the Krishna Consciousness
movement.
- Clarence Darrow
Misquoted by Creationists
- Clarence Darrow, the defending attorney in the Scopes
trial, is often claimed to have said, "It is bigotry for
public schools to teach only one theory of origins." Did he
really say that?
- The ICR Graduate
School Catalogue and A List of Publications
- The 1990-91 list of faculty members and administrators
at the San Diego-based Institute for Creation Research.
Also presented is Steve Linke's research into what the ICR
science faculty have published between 1988 and 1992.
- Creationist
Whoppers
- Lies, misquotes, and other instances of dishonesty by
members of the ICR and other creationists. Some topics
include geological overthrusts, the Gish-Saladin debate,
Gish's infamous "bullfrog proteins," and a misquote of
Darwin.
- An Evaluation of
the ICR Grand Canyon Research Project
- A draft discussion of the ICR's Grand Canyon Dating
Project, as proposed and executed by the ICR's Steve
Austin. Austin has obtained some bad Rb-Sr isochron dates,
though there are several serious questions regarding his
methodology.
- Visits to the ICR
Museum
- The Institute for Creation Research, the premiere
outlet for young-earth creationist writings, has its own
museum, which is open to the public. Steve Linke and Karen
Bartelt provide separate accounts of their visits to the
museum.
- Francis Hitching:
Commonly quoted by creationists
- Hitching, author of The Neck of the
Giraffe has been quoted many times by creationists
in support of their views. Hitching's background is
generally not known, and in fact he was a TV script writer,
paranormalist, dowser, and amateur psychic. His book
borrows heavily from creationist writings and borders on
plagiarism.
- Creationist Dmitri
Kouznetsov: Scientist?
- The authors discuss creationist Dmitri Kouznetsov's
lack of understanding of even the most basic biological
concepts, as well as his use of highly questionable
citations.
- A Review of Michael
Denton's Evolution: A Theory in
Crisis
- Denton's anti-evolution book Evolution: A Theory
in Crisis is based on a poor understanding of the
evidence as this review shows.
- Critiques of the Views
of Anti-evolutionist Phillip Johnson
- Phillip Johnson, the author of Darwin on
Trial, is taken to task for his self-contradicting
statements and his rather myopic view of science.
- Icons of Evolution
FAQs
- Icons of Evolution by Jonathan Wells purports to document
that "students and the public are being systematically
misinformed about the evidence for evolution." But it is
Icons itself that is really misinforming the
public.
-
Digit Numbering and Limb Development
- Jonathan
Sarfati of Answers in Genesis charges that limb development
shows that birds are not descended from dinosaurs since
the digit order is wrong. And furthermore
that frogs could not share a common ancestor with mammals
since, he claims, that the hands of mammals and amphibians
"develop in a completely different manner."
A professional developmental biologist shows why
Sarfati is wrong.
- Not a Free Lunch But a
Box of Chocolates: A critique of William Dembski's book
No Free Lunch
- This review argues that Dembski's case is nothing more
than a god-of-the-gaps argument dressed up in misleading
pseudoscientific mumbo jumbo.
-
Information Theory and Creationism
- Both young-earth and intelligent-design creationists often claim that
evolution is impossible because of various claims about information such as
mutation and natural selection "cannot create information." This article
provides a brief background on Information Theory and explains how Creationists
such as Werner Gitt and Lee Spetner misuse one of the greatest contributions of
the 20th Century.
-
Apolipoprotein AI Mutations and Information: A reply to Answers in Genesis regarding the Apo AI Milano mutation
- A common claim by those who deny evolution is that there is no way to evolve
an increase in information. The Apo-AIM mutation is a counter example which
shows a beneficial mutation with a new function. Answers in Genesis has disputed
that this mutation is an increase in information claiming that specificity has
been lost. This document shows why Answers in Genesis is wrong.
- Metaphors on Trial or,
How did the Groundhog Cross the Road?
- An examination of the metaphors used by 'Intelligent
Design' proponents such as William Dembski and Michael
Behe.
- Jehovah's
Witnesses and Evolution
- The Jehovah's Witness Life book dismisses
the evidence for human evolution with a few sweeping
generalities. Like many other creationists, the Jehovah's
Witnesses rely on gross misrepresentation of the evidence
and the selective misuse of quotations and
references.
- Life: How did it get
here? By creation or evolution?
- The Jehovah's Witnesses believe in a form of old-earth
creationism, which is expounded in their definitive
anti-evolution book, Life: How Did It Get Here? By
Evolution or Creation?. A former Jehovah's Witness
reviews the book and provides a brief synopsis of the
chapters dealing with evolution.
- Quotations and
Misquotations: Why What Antievolutionists Quote is Not
Valid Evidence Against Evolution
- Many evolution deniers argue against evolution by
providing many quotations. This FAQ gives many reason why
this tactic is invalid and documents examples of
out-of-context quotations by creationists.
-
The Quote Mine Project: Or, Lies, Damned Lies and Quote Mines
- The collecting of quotes to attack evolution is often called "quote mining"
and is a very common tactic used by those who wish to deny evolution or
modern evolutionary biology. A creationist on the talk.origins newsgroup
posted a large collection of such quotes which he copied from a creationist
website. This resulted in other participants looking up those quotes.
The results, gathered in the Quote Mine Project, show that many of the
quotes are blatantly out-of-context.
- Muller and
Mutations
- A quote by the Nobel Prize winning biologist Hermann
Muller on mutations, which has often been used by evolution
deniers, turns out to be inaccurate, misleading, and
out-of-date.
- Thermodynamics,
Evolution and Creationism FAQs
- Creationists often throw around terms like disorder,
entropy, and the second law of thermodynamics to try to
disprove evolution. This set of FAQs examines what is wrong
with their arguments.
- A Reply to
"Talk.Origins: Deception by Omission"
- A response to an attack on this Archive by The
True.Origin Archive.
- Kent Hovind's $250,000
Offer
- Creationist Kent Hovind has
offered $250,000 for empirical proof of evolution, and
claims that scientists' failure to collect shows that
evolution is a religious belief without supporting
evidence. This article demonstrates why it is Hovind's
challenge that is inherently dishonest and formulated so as
to be impossible to meet.
- The Lady Hope Story: A
Widespread Falsehood
- The claim that Charles Darwin recanted his acceptance
of evolution on his deathbed is refuted.
- The Flat Earth
Society
- The lengths to which one might go in a literal
interpretation of the Bible are illustrated lucidly by the
Flat Earth Society (although it is important to point out
that most creationists do not believe in a flat earth). The
article includes a verbatim reproduction of a membership
flyer put out by the Flat Earth Society. Must be read to be
believed.
Also see: Talkdesign.org:
Critically Examining the "Intelligent Design"
Movement for more information on intelligent design.
For news and commentary on evolution and the
various forms of evolution denial see the
Panda's Thumb
blog.