Emotion before understanding

Services offered: emotion-management & visitor-appeal

Exploration-Explanation 'slider model'

"Exploratory" exhibits

Hands-on, minds-on, hearts-on

"Designing for play"

"Harnessing the racehorse"

Dinner-table science

Blown-up Biology

Exploding Custard

Exploding Custard photos

Exploding Custard philosophy

Exploding Custard trademark

Spinning-Top Circus

Faraday's 'candle' lecture

Water rocket experiments

Smoke rings

Visit to South Africa

Science & "militant creationism"

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Science and "militant creationism"

"Militant creationism" has a significant influence on public opinion. It undermines mainstream science and brings equal discredit to "mainstream Christianity". All Christians are "creationists", by definition, but not necessarily militant. Only a vocal minority find it necessary to argue with science. The first rule is to make a clear distinction between militant and non-militant creationism.

...We must be on our guard against giving interpretations that are hazardous
or opposed to science, and so exposing the Word of God to the ridicule of
unbelievers.
Saint Augustine of Hippo AD 354-430 (Genesis in the Literal Sense)

I see no good reason why the views given in this volume should shock the religious feelings of anyone.
Charles Darwin 1809-1882 (The Origin of Species)

The same issues arise in Judaism, of course, and evolutionary science seems to be a specially difficult subject in Islam. I have also seen many non-religious people whose attitudes and scientific understanding have been negatively influenced by "militant-creationist" campaigning.

I regularly give talks about this to church groups and see big attitude changes as a result. The issue has become so polarised that the conciliatory viewpoint is rarely promoted.

Hopefully these notes, The Watchmaker's Father, might be useful to others. Click here.