Species of Origins: America's Search for a Creation Story (American Intellectual Culture)

"In Species of Origin, Karl W. Giberson and Donald A. Yerxa argue that creation stories are an essential part of every culture because they explain how the world came to be and help answer questions about humanity's role in the larger whole. Despite their importance, however, Americans have not been able to agree on a common creation story since the late nineteenth century. Giberson and Yerxa examine the controversial debates surrounding creation and explain that while part of the discord stems from the growing cultural and religious diversity of the United States, most of the disagreement flows from two competing and distinct worldviews upon which Americans relymodern naturalistic science and traditional JudeoChristian religions. This conflict between science and religion, they argue, is at the root of America's ongoing search for its origins. Giberson and Yerxa expertly delve into this search and America's varied creation mythsmyths that the authors dub the species of origins."