Creationism - National Center for Science Education

sponsored by UCLA, and partly funded by Ambassador College) in relation to the origins
of Genesis. He denied that archeology could “prove” the Bible true, since our faith is not
based on reason, and that he already knew it was true. His interpretation of the various
Mesopotamian flood accounts was that the biblical Flood story was transmitted orally by
Abraham’s line to Moses, and remained perfectly preserved, but that other flood accounts
are degenerate versions, containing various inaccuracies and perversions. This speaker
was more skeptical than most creationists: he dismissed many of the more naive Biblescience
claims, such as the sensationalist claims about the Ebla tablets as proof of Sodom
and Gomorrah, etc. (see for instance C. Wilson 1979); he also denied that “liberal”
archeologists deliberately seek to distort their findings, and maintained that there is no
stratigraphical record of the Flood.
Bill Waisgerber, a consulting geologist from Sepulveda, lectured on the Grand
Canyon. Though he has written articles for CRSQ on this (Waisgerber et al. 1987,
Waisgerber 1987), he does not support the strict creationist Flood Geology model. He
said he was anti-evolutionist but had no particular creation theory. Our job, he
concluded, is to attack evolution (and all science that supports evolution), not to defend
creationism, since that only gets us into trouble.
Two new Moody Institute of Science films have been previewed at other
meetings: Journey of Life (1985), and Distinctly Human (1988), with an accompanying
talk by one of the MIS producers; also D. James Kennedy’s film The Case for Creation,
and Ken Ham’s Films for Christ movie The Genesis Solution.
Although the San Fernando Valley Bible-Science Association encourages visitors,
I have never seen evidence of any non-creationists in attendance in all the meetings I
have been to. The only outside coverage I have seen was a newspaper report about one
meeting (which I didn’t attend) in the local edition of the L.A. Times (McGarry 1987).
The column carried the heading “‘Ooh, look, dino poop,’ trilled a woman about a rock
the size and shape of an armadillo.” It ridiculed the members as naive biblical literalists
assaulting science. The lecturer at that meeting, a Lutheran minister, brought his fossil
collection, which included dinosaur coprolites, and presented the standard creationist
young-earth Flood Geology scenario. Some of the people who attend these meetings are
indeed quite naïve scientifically, and willing to believe almost anything as long as a
trustworthy authority pronounces it biblical, but (despite the rather smug tone of the
Times column) most also have a genuine interest in nature, and many are trained in
technical fields.
The South Bay Creation Science Association, in Torrance, is similarly organized,
and many lecturers have appeared before both groups. Its statement of belief affirms
1. Special Creation rather than a creation by development from one form of life to another.
2. Divine design and purpose in nature, as opposed to an unorganized, chance development
3. A universal Noahian flood
4. Christ as God and Man, as our ONLY Substitute and Savior.
It is “dedicated to bringing to light the amazing new scientific evidence against megaevolution
and in favor of Biblical Creation.” The president, Fred Willson, a biology
teacher at South Torrance High School, has written reports such as A Method of Teaching
Creation/Evolution in the Secular School System (n.d.) based on his teaching experience.
Recently, he has joined Richard Bliss of ICR in presenting ICR Science Curriculum