For either young earth creationism or intelligent design to be on the right track and genuinely scientific, both movements have to posit a conspiracy in the ranks of the scientific community to prevent “the truth” about creation from getting serious scientific attention. In my view, this it is not strong enough to say that this is false: it is laughable. Let me give you my strongest reason for making this strong statement: Fred Hoyle.
Hoyle was a great scientist, but as an atheist, he felt that the new “Big Bang” theory sounded too much like the Christian doctrine of creation out of nothing (creatio ex nihilo). Indeed, he came up with the designation “Big Bang” as a way of poking fun at it. He thus worked to support the alternative known as the “steady state” theory. During Hoyle’s lifetime, the Big Bang theory became the almost universally accepted scientific account of cosmological origins. Why? Certainly not because of an atheist, materialist conspiracy. But neither because of conspiracy by Christian astronomers and astrophysicists. No, the reason is much simpler. The Big Bang has prevailed because it fits the evidence. There are still alternative proposals and unanswered questions, but the most basic points of the Big Bang theory still remains the most plausible account, because of the evidence that has accumulated.
We know the universe is expanding because our scientific knowledge has kept expanding. Science works, because it tests everything against available evidence. Anyone who claims that they cannot get a fair hearing for their work because mainstream scientists are conspiring against them are either liars or delusional. Science is a great field for new ideas and overturning consensuses. All that is required is evidence. If young earth creationism could actually offer evidence for their positions, they would get a hearing. But they do not have evidence. What they offer, instead, are attempts to explain why the overwhelming evidence for evolution doesn’t really mean what it seems to. They are the ones engaged in a conspiracy, and not the mainstream scientific community.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In