Creationism: A founding tenet in the Christian Nationalist belief system
Originally posted Nov. 12, 2024
"Those churches that don't stand on Genesis 1:11 [are] soft on LGBT, soft on abortion, soft on the gender issue.... And people, I'll guarantee those churches that are ... caving to those issues do not believe in literal Genesis 1:11 — because as soon as you believe in literal Genesis 1:11, "[you believe] God made marriage, there's only one marriage [between] a man and a woman, God made man male and female, there's only two genders ... male and female. You can't trust your feelings because sin has affected us.
"We need to judge what we believe against the absolute authority of the word of God." ~Ken Ham, speaking at "The Politics of Six Day Creation" [Source (2:14:00)]
I keep harping on the danger posed by Christian Nationalists' religious beliefs for a reason. Creationism is the foundation of their insistence that the Bible is true and accurate history, right down to the morning God woke up and decided to snap our world into being.
Later in this conference, Doug Wilson expounds on the benign reality of American slavery, which is wholly, beautifully supported by the Bible.
You might never have heard of Ken Ham or Doug Wilson, but they are at the forefront of the belief system that brought us here. Moreover, they are influential. Wilson is tight with widely-known far right leaders, many of whom will play de facto roles in the next administration. Ham is more widely visible, in part through his leadership in the Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter, and in part through his hundreds of debates and speaking engagements. He is, perhaps, most famous for his 2014 debate with Bill Nye at the Creation Museum. On at least one occasion, Ham shared a stage with the vice president elect.
And while the current House Speaker wasn't part of "The Politics of Six Day Creation," he is deeply embedded in this belief system, as are a substantial number of other Congress members.
Creationism — the "real," six-day creationism, as presented in this conference — isn't just a gateway conspiracy theory. For reasons so clearly outlined by Ken Ham, it's the foundation and driver of far-right Christian/Christian National beliefs.
A significant percentage of Americans are caught in this web. Only 24 percent of Americans accept the theory of evolution as fact. (Another 34 percent believe in a hybrid form of evolution, one that was guided by God.)
But more than a third of us — 37 percent — are still "creationist purists, saying God created humans in their present form within the past 10,000 years. Source This percentage includes creationists from two camps: six-day creationism, and young earth creationism. The latter is only slightly less dogmatic than the former.
Given the creationists' Bible-based beliefs about the proper role of women, is it any surprise that a majority would chose a convicted criminal and known con artist over a highly-skilled woman? A man — any man — is Biblically-ordained to be our leader. Women need not apply.
Creationism is a root factor in how we got here. It's why our most fundamental rights are now in danger. And it's the ultimate justification for persecuting our most vulnerable fellow citizens.