Online in the Evolution Wars

An Analysis of Young Earth Creationism Cyber-Propaganda

Authors

  • Thomas Aechtner University of Oxford

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/jasr.v23i3.277

Keywords:

Evolution Wars, Internet, Cyber-Propaganda, Anti-Evolutionism, Creationism

Abstract

This paper examines the online enterprises of two Christian creationist organizations in the Evolution Wars, the collective debates of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries involving various religious beliefs and the theory of biological evolution. In affiliation with these disputes, the Institute for Creation Research and Answers in Genesis have employed every available mass media channel to circulate specific notions about faith and evolution worldwide. This paper classifies these mass media efforts as propaganda, and analyzes the online initiatives of both groups using a list of propaganda techniques developed in the work of Jowett and O’Donnell (2006). The resulting analysis exhibits how these organizations are utilizing the Internet, reveals key elements of these online anti-evolutionist enterprises, and briefly considers the significance of Evolution Wars cyber-propaganda.

Author Biography

  • Thomas Aechtner, University of Oxford
    Thomas Aechtner is a doctoral candidate at the University of Oxford, studying Science and Religion through Exeter College. As the inaugural Arthur Peacocke Scholar, he is currently engaged in a project focused on the propaganda and counter-propaganda of the contemporary Evolution Wars. This involves examining the mass media exploits of Christian creationists, intelligent design theorists, and anti-religious atheist groups. Thomas has previously earned a BSc in Biological Sciences from the University of Alberta, and has also received an MA in the Anthropology of Religion from the University of Calgary.

References

Alexa 2010a icr.org. Online: http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/icr.org (accessed May 12, 2010).

b answersingenesis.org. Online: http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/answersingenesis.org (accessed May 12, 2010).

c discovery.org. Online: http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/discovery.org (accessed May 18, 2010).

d ncse.com. Online: http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/ncse.com (accessed May 18, 2010).

Answers in Genesis (AiG) 1988 What Happened When Stalin Read Darwin? Online: http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v10/i4/stalin.asp (accessed November 6, 2009).

Evolution of the Hutu-Tutsi Slayings. Online: http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v21/i2/slayings.asp (accessed November, 6, 2009).

Block Diagram #2: Online: http://www.answersingenesis.org/Home/Area/overheads/archive/oh20010316_7_color.jpg (accessed May 19, 2010).

a Website of the Year! Online: http://www.answersingenesis.org/docs2006/0118nrb.asp (accessed January 21, 2010).

b If God Doesn’t Matter to Him, Do You? Online: http://www.answersingenesis.org/get-answers/features/you-matter-to-god (accessed May 13, 2010).

News Note, September 27, 2008. Online: http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2008/09/27/news-to-note-09272008 (accessed November 6, 2009).

a If You Don’t Matter to God, You Don’t Matter to Anyone. Online: http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2009/04/20/if-you-dont-matter-to-god-you-dont-matter-to-anyone (accessed May 13, 2010).

b If You Don’t Matter to God, You Don’t Matter to Anyone. Online: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miULdI-qocg&NR=1 (accessed July 10, 2009).

c About Answers Worldwide. Online: http://www.answersingenesis.org/worldwide/about (accessed May 18, 2010).

d InSite, March 2009. Online: http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2009/03/03/insite-0309 (accessed January 18, 2010).

a Welcome and Prepare to Believe. Online: http://creationmuseum.org (May 12, 2010).

b The Answers in Genesis Family of Websites. Online: http://www.answersingenesis.org/about/family-sites (accessed January 18, 2010).

c Answers in Genesis Mission Statement. Online: http://www.answersingenesis.org/about/mission (accessed January 18, 2010).

d Creation Scientists and Other Biographies of Interest. Online: http://www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/bios (accessed January 21, 2010).

e InSite, March 2010. Online: http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2010/03/09/insite-0310 (accessed May 17, 2010).

f Media. Online: http://www.answersingenesis.org/media#/image/cartoons (accessed May 13, 2010).

g Get Answers: InSite. Online: http://www.answersingenesis.org/get-answers/k/insite/v/recent (accessed June 12, 2010).

Bergman, Jerry 1999 Darwinism and the Nazi Race Holocaust. Online: http://www.answersingenesis.org/tj/v13/i2/nazi.asp (accessed November 6, 2009).

Darwin’s Influence on Ruthless Laissez-Faire Capitalism. Institute for Creation Research. Online: http://www.icr.org/article/darwins-influence-ruthless-laissez-faire-capitalism (accessed November 6, 2009).

Was Charles Darwin Psychotic?: A Study of Hi Mental Health. Institute for Creation Research. Online: http://www.icr.org/i/pdf/imp/imp-367.pdf (accessed January 23, 2010).

Bernays, Edward 2005 [1928] Propaganda. Ig Publishing, New York.

Black, Jay 2001 Semantics and Ethics of Propaganda. Journal of Mass Media Ethics 16(2/3): 121-37. doi:10.1207/S15327728JMME1602&3_4.

Bowler, Peter J. 2007 Monkey Trials and Gorilla Sermons: Evolution and Christianity from Darwin to Intelligent Design. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA.

CBC 2009 Evolution Classes Optional under Proposed Alberta Law. Online: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2009/04/30/cgy-bill-evolution-law-alberta-classes-teachers.html (accessed June 2, 2010).

Charity Navigator 2008a Institute for Creation Research. Online: http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=7485 (accessed July 5, 2009).

b Answers in Genesis. Online: http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=5214 (accessed July 5, 2009).

Coleman, Simon, and Leslie Carlin (eds.) 2004 The Cultures of Creationism: Anti-Evolutionism in English-Speaking Countries. Ashgate, Aldershot.

Cowan, Douglas E. 1999 ‘Bearing False Witness’: Propaganda, Reality-Maintenance, and Christian Anticult Apologetics. PhD Dissertation, University of Calgary, Calgary.

Contested Spaces: Movement, Countermovement, and E-Space Propaganda. In Dawson and Cowan 2004: 255-71.

Cunningham, Stanley B. 2002 The Idea of Propaganda: A Reconstruction. Praeger, London.

Dawson, Lorne L., and Douglas E. Cowan 2004 Introduction. In Dawson and Cowan 2004: 1-16.

Dawson, Lorne L., and Douglas E. Cowan (eds.) 2004 Religion Online: Finding Faith on the Internet. Routledge, New York.

Dewitt, David 2009 Image of God or Planet of the Apes. Online: http://www.answersingenesis.org/media/video/ondemand/planet-of-apes/planet-of-the-apes (accessed November 6, 2009).

Doob, Leonard 1935 Propaganda: Its Psychology and Technique. Henry Holt & Co., New York.

Ellul, Jacques 1973 [1965] Propaganda: The Formation of Men’s Attitudes, translated by Konrad Kellen and Jean Lerner. Vintage Books, New York.

Ford, Lawrence 2006 Graduate School Moves Overseas. Institute for Creation Research. Online: http://www.icr.org/article/graduate-school-moves-overseas (accessed May 18, 2010).

2008: Laying the Groundwork for Growth. Institute for Creation Research. Online: http://www.icr.org/article/a-2008-laying-groundwork-for-growth (accessed February 17, 2009).

Counting Our Blessings: A Year in Review, A Legacy in Perspective. Institute for Creation Research. Online: http://www.icr.org/article/5120 (accessed January 21, 2010).

Giberson, Karl W. 2008 Saving Darwin: How to Be a Christian and Believe in Evolution. Harper Collins, New York.

Giberson, Karl W., and Mariano Artigas 2007 Oracles of Science: Celebrity Scientist versus God and Religion. Oxford University Press, New York.

Goldberg, Stephen 1994 Culture Clash: Law and Science in America. New York University Press, New York.

Hackett, Rosalind I.J. 2006 Religion and the Internet. Diogenes 211: 67-76. doi:10.1177/0392192106069015.

Hadden, Jeffrey K., and Douglas E. Cowan 2000 The Promised Land or Electronic Chaos? Toward Understanding Religion on the Internet. In Hadden and Cowan 2000: 3-21.

Hadden, Jeffrey K., and Douglas E. Cowan (eds.) 2000 Religion on the Internet: Research Prospects and Promises. JAI Press, London.

Hall, Raymond 2005 Darwin’s Impact: The Bloodstained Legacy of Evolution. Online: http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v27/i2/darwin.asp (accessed November 6, 2009).

Ham, Ken n.d. Around the World with Ken Ham. Online: http://blogs.answersingenesis.org/blogs/ken-ham (accessed July 10, 2009).

Creating Doubt—Satan’s Best Tactic? Online: http://www.answersingenesis.org/media/audio/answers-daily/volume-062/creating-doubt-satans-best-tactic (accessed November 6, 2009).

AiG’s International Training Seminar. Online: http://blogs.answersingenesis.org/blogs/ken-ham/2007/12/24/aig%E2%80%99s-international-training-seminar (accessed January 20, 2009).

a Intolerant Evolutionists Launch Another Attack against AiG. Online: http://blogs.answersingenesis.org/blogs/ken-ham/2008/12/02/intolerant-evolutionists-launch-another-attack-against-aig (accessed January 23, 2010).

b History—Satan’s Greatest Weapon! Online: http://www.answersingenesis.org/media/audio/answers-daily/volume-082/history-satans-greatest-weapon (accessed November 6, 2009).

Three-Quarters of a Million Visitors! Online: http://blogs.answersingenesis.org/blogs/ken-ham/2009/06/27/three-quarters-of-a-million-visitors (accessed January 23, 2010).

a The History of AiG through April 2010. Online: http://www.answersingenesis.org/about/history (accessed May 12, 2010).

b Pray for AiG. Online: http://www.answersingenesis.org/prayer/default.aspx#requests (accessed January 18, 2010).

Helland, Christopher 2005 Online Religion as Lived Religion: Methodological Issues in the Study of Religious Participation on the Internet. Online—Heidelberg Journal of Religions on the Internet 1(1): 1-16. Online: http://www.online.uni-hd.de (accessed May 12, 2010).

Horsfall, Sara 2000 How Religious Organizations Use the Internet: A Preliminary Inquiry. In Hadden and Cowan 2000: 153-82.

Humber, Paul 1987 Stalin’s Brutal Faith. Institute for Creation Research. Online: http://www.icr.org/article/stalins-brutal-faith/ (accessed November 6, 2009).

Institute for Creation Research (ICR) n.d.a A Short history of ICR. Online: http://www.icr.org/discover/index/discover_history (accessed January 10, 2009).

n.d.b ICR Research. Online: http://www.icr.org/research (accessed January 18, 2010).

n.d.c ICR Scientists and Faculty. Online: http://www.icr.org/research/scientists_faculty (accessed January 21, 2010).

n.d.d ICR Technical Advisory Board. Online: http://www.icr.org/research/tech_adv_board (accessed January 21, 2010).

Institute for Propaganda Analysis 1937 How to Detect Propaganda. Propaganda Analysis 1: 1-4.

Jowett, Garth S., and Victoria O’Donnell 2006 Propaganda and Persuasion. 4th edn. Sage, Newbury Park.

Kennedy, Donald 2005 Twilight for the Enlightenment? Science 308(5719): 165. doi:10.1126/science.1112920.

Lasswell, Harold D. 1927 Propaganda Technique in the World War. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.

Lasswell, Harold D., and Dorothy Blumenstock 1939 World Revolutionary Propaganda. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.

Lazarsfeld, Paul F., and Robert K. Merton 1948 Mass Communication, Popular Taste and Organized Social Action. In The Communication of Ideas, edited by Lyman Bryson, 95-118. Institute for Religious and Social Studies, New York.

Lee, Alfred M., and Elizabeth B. Lee 1939 The Fine Art of Propaganda: A Study of Father Coughlin’s Speeches. Harcourt Brace & Co., New York.

Lisle, Jason 2008 Evolution: The Anti-Science. Online: http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/aid/v3/n1/evolution-anti-science (accessed July 10, 2009).

Looy, Mark 2005 The ‘Why?’ Question: Why Is School Violence in the Headlines Again? Online: http://www.answersingenesis.org/docs2005/0329school_violence.asp (accessed May 18, 2010).

Lumley, Frank E. 1933 The Propaganda Menace. Century, New York.

MacCullagh, A. 1980 Creation and the Family. Online: http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v3/i1/family.asp (accessed November 6, 2009).

Mackenzie, Alexander J. 1938 Propaganda Boom. The Right Book Club, London.

Marlin, Randal 2002 Propaganda and the Ethics of Persuasion. Broadview, Peterborough.

Matthews, Michael 2002 New Poll of Public School Students: Teach Us Creation! Online: http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/2002/01/15/poll-teach-us-creation (accessed May 12, 2010).

Miller, Mark C. 2005 Introduction. In Bernays 2005: 9-36.

Moore, James 1993 The Creationist Cosmos of Protestant Fundamentalism. In Fundamentalisms and Society: Reclaiming the Sciences, the Family, and Education, edited by Martin E. Marty and R. Scott Appleby, 42-72. University of Chicago Press, Chicago.

Morris, Henry 1982 Bible-Believing Scientists of the Past. Institute for Creation Research. Online: http://www.icr.org/article/bible-believing-scientists-past (accessed January 18, 2010).

Christ and the Time of Creation. Institute for Creation Research. Online: http://www.icr.org/article/christ-time-creation (accessed January 23, 2010).

Reason or Rhetoric. Institute for Creation Research. Online: http://www.icr.org/article/reason-or-rhetoric (accessed January 23, 2010).

Creation Evangelism. Institute for Creation Research. Online: http://www.icr.org/article/863 (accessed July 10, 2009).

Evil-Ution. Institute for Creation Research. Online: http://www.icr.org/i/pdf/btg/btg-140.pdf (accessed November 6, 2009).

ICR—Its Origin and Goal. Institute for Creation Research. Online: http://www.icr.org/article/icr-its-origin-goal (accessed November 6, 2009).

ICR, Prophecy, and the International Gospel. Institute for Creation Research. Online: http://www.icr.org/article/icr-prophecy-international-gospel (accessed January 18, 2010).

Morris, John D. 1999 Reaching Those in Positions of Influence. Institute for Creation Research. Online: http://www.icr.org/article/reaching-those-positions-influence (January 21, 2010).

What Do Americans Believe about Origins, according to the Polls? Institute for Creation Research. Online: http://www.icr.org/article/what-do-americans-believe-about-origins-according-/ (accessed January 18, 2010).

Creation and the World Wide Web. Institute for Creation Research. Online: http://www.icr.org/article/creation-world-wide-web (accessed May 18, 2010).

From the President: Issues of Life. Institute for Creation Research. Online: http://www.icr.org/article/issues-life (accessed May 18, 2010).

Mortenson, Terry 2007 Where Did the Idea of ‘Millions of Years’ Come From? Online: http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/wow/where-did-millions-of-years-come-from (accessed January 15, 2009).

The National Academy of Sciences 1999 Science and Creationism: A View from the National Academy of Sciences. 2nd edn. Online: http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=6024 (accessed May 18, 2010).

Numbers, Ronald L. 2004 Creationists and their Critics in Australia: An Autonomous Culture or ‘the USA with Kangaroos’? In The Cultures of Creationism: Anti-Evolutionism in English-Speaking Countries, edited by Simon Coleman and Leslie Carlin, 109-24. Ashgate, Aldershot.

The Creationists: From Scientific Creationism to Intelligent Design. 2nd edn. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA.

Paton, Graeme 2009 Creationism Should Be Taught in Science Lessons. The Telegraph, March 9. Online: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/4961698/Creationism-should-be-taught-in-science-lessons.html (accessed April 16, 2009).

Patterson, Roger 2007 Evolution Exposed: Chapter 1: What Is Science? Online: http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/ee/what-is-science (accessed July 10, 2009).

Pratkanis, Anthony R., and Elliot Aronson 2001 Age of Propaganda: The Everyday Use and Abuse of Persuasion. W.H. Freeman & Company, New York.

Provenzo, Eugene F. 1990 Religious Fundamentalism and American Education: The Battle for the Public Schools. State University of New York Press, Albany, NY.

Roberts, Michael 2008 Evangelicals and Science. Greenwood, Westport.

Ruse, Michael 2008 The Evolution Wars: A Guide to the Debates. 2nd edn. Grey House, Millerton.

Scott, Eugenie 2009 Evolution vs. Creationism: An Introduction. 2nd edn. Greenwood, Westport.

Siepmann, Charles A. 1950 Radio, Television, and Society. Oxford University Press, New York.

Taylor, Philip M. 2003 Munitions of the Mind: A History of Propaganda from the Ancient World to the Present Era. 3nd edn. University of Manchester Press, Manchester.

Time 2005 Evolution Wars. Online: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1090909,00.html (accessed September 22, 2009).

Toumey, Christopher P. 1994 God’s Own Scientists: Creationists in a Secular World. Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick.

Welch, David 1999 Powers of Persuasion. History Today 49(8): 24-26.

Downloads

Published

2011-01-28

Issue

Vol. 23 No. 3 (2010): Special Issue: New Virtual Frontiers: Religion and Spirituality in Cyberspace/Guest Editor: Roxanne D. Marcotte

Section

Articles

License

Equinox Publishing Ltd.

How to Cite

Aechtner, T. (2011). Online in the Evolution Wars: An Analysis of Young Earth Creationism Cyber-Propaganda. Journal for the Academic Study of Religion, 23(3), 277-300. https://doi.org/10.1558/jasr.v23i3.277