How to Spot Creationist Writing

A little earlier I was trawling through the enemy's...I mean the Discovery Institute's Evolution "News" page. The thing that struck me was how often the IDists there call evolution "Darwinism" and its supporters "Darwinists." The term itself is ridiculous. It's like calling everyone who uses calculus "Newtonists" or everyone who thinks the Earth orbits around the sun "Galileoists."

The simple fact is that no modern biologist subscribes to Darwin's specific views on evolution. Darwin didn't even know about DNA or genetics. They hadn't been discovered yet. When the discoveries were made, they radically changed the theory of evolution to be quite different from the form Darwin envisioned.

So why do Creationists and ID advocates use the term? Because the name "Darwin" has an evil connotation for fundamental Christians. I'm sure most of them believe Darwin is right next to Judas in the gnashing jaws of Satan right now. Plus, many fundamental Christians think scientists worship Darwin in much the same way Christians worship Jesus. Using the name is Creationists' way of labeling evolution supporters in a manner that sounds "bad," and instantly shows where they stand on the subject. It's all stupid because evolution is not a belief system, nor is it a basis for morality. It simply explains the phenomenon observed in the fossil record. It's not the Satanic morality fundamentalists claim it to be. It has no more morality than the theory of gravitation.

Now, if you ever read a scientific article that has the word "Darwinism," then it's probably not very scientific and not worth your time. It's likely an argument from poor theology. Furthermore, if someone ever calls you a Darwinist, please educate them and inform them that nobody is a Darwinist, and proceed to explain why. Simply tell them that you accept the findings of science. That person will probably refuse to listen and will continue to call science a religion since fundamentalists have proven themselves to be remarkably resistant to reality, but at least you'll make your stance clear.