num_pages: 272
description: Why do so many Americans reject the modern theory of evolution? Why does creationism thoroughly refuted by scientists retain such popularity among the public? Is the perceived conflict between evolution and Christianity genuine or is it merely an illusion peculiar to Protestant fundamentalism?Seeking answers to these questions mathematician Jason Rosenhouse became a regular attendee at creationist conferences and other gatherings. After ten years of attending events like the giant Creation Mega-Conference in Lynchburg Virginia and visiting sites like the Creation Museum in Petersburg Kentucky and after hundreds of surprisingly friendly conversations with creationists of varying stripes he has emerged with a story to tell a story that goes well beyond the usual stereotypes of Bible-thumping fanatics railing against coldly rational scientists. Through anecdotes personal reflections and scientific and philosophical discussion Rosenhouse presents a more down-to-earth picture of modern creationism and the people who espouse it. He is neither polemical nor insulting but he does not pull punches when he spots an error in the logical or scientific reasoning of creationists especially when they wander into his own field mathematics. Along the way he also tells thestory of his own nonbeliever's attempt to understand a major aspect of American religion. Forced to wrestle with his views about God and evolution Rosenhouse found himself drawn into a new world of ideas previously unknown to him arriving at a sharper understanding of the reality of science-versus-religion disputes and how these debates look to those beyond the ivory tower.A personal memoir of one scientist's attempt to come to grips with this controversy-by immersing himself in the culture of the anti-evolutionists-Among the Creationists is a fair fresh and insightful account of the modern American debate over Darwinism.
language: English
title: Among the Creationists: Dispatches from the Anti-Evolutionist Front Line
publisher: Oxford University Press