For creationists, mankind and every animal species are the fruit of the God's Universe Creation. The most powerful and structured forms of the "biblical" creationism stay among fundamentalist Protestants (Pentecotists, Adventists of the Seventh Day, Baptists…) and Jehovah's Witnesses. They are promoting a literal reading of Genesis according to which Creation would have taken place 6000 years ago and are trying to support this with "scientific" evidences. We can also note the existence of an extraterrestrial creationism (For instance: Raelian Movement).
Except in front of a credulous audience or a one which is unaware of what is a scientific process, it is however difficult for creationists to defend such statements in front of the discoveries of science and, in particular, the theory of Evolution resulting from Charles Darwin's work.
Today, to solve this contradiction, the supporters of creationism advance subtle but very offensive theories. Without denying Evolution, they defend, always with supporting "evidence", the theory according to which world and mankind were wished and planned by a creator. For them, it could be neither chance nor natural selection. Behind the emergence of life and that of mankind (the ultimate purpose of Creation), there would be a will, inevitably a divine one. In the United States, this theory is called "Intelligent Design". In France, it is supported by the Interdisciplinary Institute of Paris. Some Moslems, following in Dr. Bucaille's wake (cf. his book "Bible, Koran and Science") want to do of Koran a book of science, which would contain evidences of Universe Creation by Allah.
Having their own research institutes and being very active on Internet, the supporters of "Intelligent Design" succeed in spreading doubt among students and professors with a fallacious presentation of facts and pretence of logical and scientific process. In some towns of the United States, parents of pupils managed to make "Intelligent Design" and the theory of Evolution taught on the same level in the school syllabus.
Principal distortions made by creationists with the scientific principles
Absence of scepticism
The scientific experiments, as it is called, of creationists do not respect the principle of scepticism which must guide experimentation or a scientific theory. However the faith in a creator is a preconceived idea of the expected result. Faith is a deep certainty which accepts the result of experiment only if it goes in its own direction. Creationism, presented like irrefutable, is consequently not scientific.
Logical errors
Generally, the logical reasoning is based on false premises or on a tendentious selection from among experimental facts. The selected facts are put away to become "consistent" in order to support the theory that one would like to demonstrate.
Interference of spirituality in science
Spirituality is what deals with spirit apart from any materiality. However only experimentation and observation realized on matter allow to guarantee their reproducible, objective and therefore scientist character. Any introduction of an element of spirituality into a theory makes it non-testable, then non-scientific. None creationist theory can propose the smallest prediction.
Moreover, the introduction of the divine as a part of a scientific theory infringes the principle of parsimony which consists in choosing only the simplest and testable hypothesis. This principle is also called the Occam's (Ockham's) razor.
Disinformation and underhand manoeuvre
Creationists are searching for small inconsistencies in scientific communication. They isolate them from their context and avoid to mention that such problem have been already resolved.
One of their strategies is to put bad questions, to use reasoning by analogy for raising false objections.
"One does it at a level of detail which puts the greatest part of public in difficulties: the apparent education inspires respect; in the same time one let public unprotected for lack of expertise in front underhand manoeuvre. The process functions: the compasses of journalists get in a panic; the latter fall into the trap or only timidly object.
(Guillaume Lecointre / Evolution and creationisms)
Established fraud
Beyond aberrant interpretations induced by a mystical blindness, we are sometimes confronted with fabricated facts. Examples:
The Australian geologist, Ian Plimer, author of "Telling lies for God, Reason versus creationism", has showed such frauds at the time of his lawsuits against creationists.
False evidences of the cohabitation of mankind and dinosaurs (Glen Pink, Texas).
False scientific diplomas (Kent Hovind).
False interviews to trap renowned scientists (Richard Dawkins).
All these "scientific creationism" movements and all those who try to introduce spirituality into science - which, by definition, is materialist -, constitute intellectual impostures with religious goals. They use science like a means of justifying dogmas hoaxing the most ingenuous, the less informed readers or listeners.
These creationist theories also attempt to take science out its role so that it brings its guarantee to the field of morals or to the one of policy. Therefore, abortion and homosexuality would transgress the "intelligent design", because they are not in conformity with the natural laws, therefore with the God's will. The precedents of using of science to this end must be recalled: the Nazi anthropology to prove the inferiority of some races. We all know where that has led.
Bibliography:
"Telling lies for God, Reason versus creationism": Ian Plimer (1994)
"For Darwin": under the direction of Patrick Tort (PUF, 1997)
"Intellectual Impostures": Alain Sokal and Jean Bricmont (J'ai Lu, 1999)
"Intellectual Impostures: Postmodern Philosophers' Abuse of Science" : Jean Dubessy and Guillaume Lecointre (Profile Books, 1998)