creationism

noun cre·a·tion·ism \ krē-ˈā-shə-ˌni-zəm \

Updated on: 29 Mar 2018

Definition of creationism

: a doctrine or theory holding that matter, the various forms of life, and the world were created by God out of nothing and usually in the way described in Genesis

Once again, science and religion collided last week. This time the battleground was the U.S. Supreme Court, where the Justices decreed that a Louisiana law requiring that creationism be taught along with evolution in the public schools was unconstitutional.
—Alain L. Sanders

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creationist

play \krē-ˈā-shə-nist\ noun or adjective

See creationism defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of creationism from the Web

Ben Carson, the renowned neurosurgeon, hews closely to Seventh-day Adventist teachings, which include observing the Sabbath on Saturday and a literal belief in creationism.

— matthew cooper, Newsweek, "How the Presidential Candidates Found Their Faith," 2 Apr. 2015
Opposition to universal civil rights drew on shoddy science, just as fallacious belief in creationism informs some people’s antipathy to public schooling.

— alan levinovitz, Slate Magazine, "Today’s political climate doesn’t require more tolerance. It requires less.," 20 Mar. 2017
The belief in creationism — that life originated and changed through divine creation — is widespread in Turkey.

— Washington Post, "Uproar in Turkey over removing evolution from biology class," 17 Sep. 2017
How entertainment merged with everything in our culture, how creationism met evolution in public schools — all those things were sparks.

— christopher borrelli, chicagotribune.com, "'Fantasyland' author Kurt Andersen on how Americans believe what they want," 11 Sep. 2017
His likeness stands on the opposite side of the courthouse from a 2005 statue of William Jennings Bryan, the Christian defender of biblical creationism.

— mark zaleski, The Seattle Times, "Statue of ‘Scopes monkey trial’ evolution backer unveiled," 14 July 2017
His likeness stands on the opposite side of the courthouse from a 2005 statue of William Jennings Bryan, the Christian defender of biblical creationism.

— Washington Post, "Statue of ‘Scopes monkey trial’ evolution backer unveiled," 14 July 2017
School choice critics point to the fact that most private school don’t need state accreditation to operate and that some private schools teach creationism in science classes.

— Washington Post, "AP-NORC poll: Most know little about charter schools," 13 May 2017
The culturally conservative party has vetoed same-sex marriage legislation, opposes making abortion legal, and its members deny climate change and have supported the teaching of creationism.

— lorraine boissoneault, Smithsonian, "Why the New U.K. Political Coalition Could Undermine Peace in Ireland," 5 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'creationism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.