creationism

American  

[kree-ey-shuh-niz-uhm] / kriˈeɪ ʃəˌnɪz əm /

noun

1. the doctrine that matter and all things were created, substantially as they now exist, by an omnipotent Creator, and not gradually evolved or developed.

2. (sometimes initial capital letter) the doctrine that the true story of the creation of the universe is as it is recounted in the Bible, especially in the first chapter of Genesis.

3. the doctrine that God immediately creates out of nothing a new human soul for each individual born.

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creationism British  

/ kriːˈeɪʃəˌnɪzəm /

noun

1. the belief that God brings individual human souls into existence at conception or birth Compare traducianism

2. the doctrine that ascribes the origins of all things to God's acts of creation rather than to evolution

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creationism Cultural  

1. A literal belief in the biblical account of Creation as it appears in the Book of Genesis. Creationists believe that the creation of the world and all its creatures took place in six calendar days; they therefore deny the theory of evolution.

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Other Word Forms

• anticreationism noun
• anticreationist noun
• creationist noun
• creationistic adjective

Etymology

Origin of creationism

First recorded in 1840–50; creation + -ism

Example Sentences

The NSS is calling for a ban on teaching creationism in schools in Wales, saying "it undermines teaching about evidence-based theories such as evolution".

From BBC

Others have argued that intelligent design is just creationism in a new package.

From Seattle Times

A: I grew up in a ministry family that believed in young Earth creationism.

From Science Magazine

Traditionally a Catholic nation, Brazil has experienced a recent growth of evangelical Protestantism, which in Brazil, tends to favor creationism.

From Scientific American

In books and lectures, he defined himself as a philosopher-scientist who sought to reconcile religious beliefs such as creationism with the worlds of quantifiable evidence such as evolution.

From Washington Post