I have a creationist upbringing, that I have since rejected, however Chapter 2 & 3 of the Book of Genesis has subtle suggestions of the evolution of homo sapiens. I take most of the bible as a history book, after a fashion, created from the oldest tribal legends, and embellished with religious imagery. But there is a core material to it that might be interpreted as real history.
For example, we know that the first recorded civilization started in Babylon, and this is the old site of the garden of eden, where the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers meet. These days its all swamp and desert, but it was once quite fertile and provided food for a large population in central asia.
Chapter 1. IMO, this history goes back much further than, say, 6000 years. Probably echoes of 10's of thousands of years embedded in this story. Chapter one suggests some geographically far-ranging knowledge of the land. It suggests people who are NOT geographically isolated, who perhaps had legends of how islands and lakes form. Maybe it is intuitive, or imagined. But in reality this process takes a long, long time, via climate change. This first book of the bible is heavily spiritualized, like a dreamtime story told by the Aboriginals.
Chapter 2. In the second chapter notice that Adam and Eve were both naked and didn't know it. They were animals, with small brains, but in any other way they were human. They collected food from the trees, but they walked and did not live in the trees. They were pre-agricultural. But they had religion. Self-awareness was not present. Homo erectus at worst, homo habilis or similar variety at best. Counter-argument here is that people in many parts of the world today wear very little clothing, due to the hot climate. Note however that these are still among the most primitive communities on Earth.
Chapter 3. In the third chapter after they became aware of 'good and evil' and of their nakedness, God cursed Eve and said she will experience pain in childbirth. Their children grew larger skulls to house larger brains and so childbirth became more difficult. They fashioned clothes from fig leaves and animal skins. They thereafter set about to toil in the fields for their food, as in agriculture. They are self-aware tool-users. However, there is little indication of awareness of others, of a larger community. Adam and Eve and their lineage are apparently the only people on Earth, or perhaps the only people for hundreds of miles. Human population is no doubt very sparse. Homo habilis at worst. Very primitive homo sapiens at best.
What follows is a step-by-step documented evolution of homo sapiens over the last few thousand years. With agriculture comes denser populations, a collective consciousness, hierarchy, conquest. Babylon is the first known empire. From there people spread out and founded other collectives. Empires rose and fell, never quite getting it right. Tools got more sophisticated with time. Et cetera.
I think creationists are stupid. When the flaws of their religion are pointed out to them they just state plainly that they don't believe in those flaws. They believe this, this and this, but not that, or that. Belonging to a group with similar beliefs makes them feel safe, because reality scares them. In the worst cases of mass delusion, they actually believe they are setting a good example by rejecting alternative views. Hopeless.
Off Topic » in reply to Creationist theories to be taught in English mainstream secondary schools
I have a creationist upbringing, that I have since rejected, however....
