Hindu Creationism vs. Darwin

Creationist opposition to Darwin and evolution are typically seen as being feature of fundamentalist Christianity - but that isn't always the case. One person who breaks this creationist stereotype is Michael Cremo, research associate at the Bhaktivedanta Institute for consciousness studies in California. Cremo is what one can call a "Hindu creationist" - he believes in a cyclical conception of time and argues that there existed advanced civilizations thousands of years ago, long before modern humans "evolved."

Cremo is quoted at Beliefnet as saying:

"When operating from a different metaphysical perspective, I seem to see the evidence in a different light. ...I was surprised to find there was so much evidence that is consistent with the Puranas."

Reputable scientists and archaeologists, however, don't accept his "findings." According to Jonathan Marks, a biological anthropologist at the University of North Carolina:

What Cremo does in `Forbidden Archaeology' is he takes all this stuff that has been confined to the rubbish pile and says, `Look at all this evidence that archaeologists have ignored.' It's not evidence at all. He believes humans existed in the Precambrian era, but the world was a very different place then. There was no oxygen, there was no life; without multi-cellular organisms, there wouldn't have been anything for them to eat."

It is perhaps refreshing to see Creationism that isn't based upon fundamentalist Christianity, but that doesn't make it any more scientific or rational.

Read More:

• What is Creationism?
• Is Creationism Science?