quote:
It could also have something to do with a disregard for science. Scientific inconsistencies aren't a problem if your beliefs are based in faith. With faith, all things are possible.
I wonder whether the situation isn't actually the opposite. There are a large number of fundametalist Christians who believe in creation based on faith, but who are completely disconnected from the "creation science" movement. Also, the very few faith-based believers who also do real science (e.g. Kurt Wise) openly admit the cognitive disconnect.
However, I think a lot of people in the creation science movement place too much emphasis on science -- in a sense, they believe what they accuse "evolutionists" of believing: that science is a religious belief system. This forces them to try to reconcile their two belief systems: Christianity and science. It also fuels a need to find legitimacy via science.
So, fundamentalists see science and faith as belief systems. Creation-science fundamentalists believe in both science and faith, so they couch the argument as creation+science vs. "evolutionism."
Also, as someone who is trained as both a scientist and an engineer, I think engineers have a tendency to deify science. Scientists take a more pragmatic view: science works because it's the best method that several thousand years of human thought has been able to achieve.
(To fellow Christians: I'm not trying to be snide or judgemental, I'm just trying to describe how it looks to a non-fundamentalist Christian. I may be wrong and I'm willing to listen to arguments to the contrary.)
-Neil
[This message has been edited by NeilUnreal, 02-28-2003]