Muddling words is a favorite spit wad. I'll never forget the lengthy discussion on realism v. realism which took the whole thread away from the point you were making. Jeepers!
The word “Creationism” is another case-in-point in that most on the evolution side of the debate really mean to say “Young Earth Creationism.” And yet there are many different flavors of beliefs within the reach of the term itself depending on how one wishes to wield it in a debate: TalkOrigins.org on ‘what is creationism?’
Panspermia (alien seeding) for instance, is just another creationist belief though it certainly is not Judeo/Christian nor does it have anything to do with Western culture over the millenia. Nor do Islamic views have anything to do with the insights of Jerusalem, Athens and Rome.
And here, there appears to be a desire to paint Christian views of creation with the Islamic brush. LOL! The two concepts of the Creator couldn’t possibly be further apart. One would have you kill and die for Him – the other died for you. And it goes from there.
Moreover, within Judeo/Christian beliefs there are several different views of creation – some in opposition to evolution, some not – but all of them originating from different interpretations of Scriptures – not the record in nature or science.
The main difference among Christians has to do with Romans 5:12–14 and I Corinthians 15:42–48: one side says that Adam was the first mortal man and the other says that Adam was the first ensouled man. Thus, the interpretation among Christians concerning Genesis 1-3 (the origin of man) cuts this way, generally speaking:
Gosse Omphalus Hypothesis which says that Adam was the first mortal man and that God created an old looking universe some 6000 years ago in proper or absolute time.
Old Earth Creationism which says that Adam was the first ensouled man, that the universe is some 15 billion years old in proper or absolute time, that evolution occurred and Adam was ensouled some 6000 years ago in proper or absolute time.
Special Creationism which says that Adam was created some 6000 years ago in some unspecified time and place.
My view – which is akin to Jewish physicist Gerald Schroeder's is that we must consider both relativity and inflationary theory – that some 15 billion years from our space/time coordinates is equal to 6 equivalent earth days at the inception space/time coordinates. There is no conflict with Genesis 1.
It's kind of interesting that you associate the practice of "muddling words" as being more or less exclusive to the evolutionists.
It's odd, Alamo-Girl, that people seemingly prefer to have a one-size-fits-all definition rather than recognize that it's important to be discriminating WRT "objects" that seem to have something in common but which, if you dig a little deeper, are rather more unlike than alike. But then, maybe this is just intellectual laziness. Doctrinal thinking is "nice" because it means the thinking's already been done for you -- it's "pre-fab." Just invoke and repeat as often as needed. Sigh....
Anyhoot, that's just the way the cookie crumbles, I guess!
Thank you for your uplifting essay/post, my dearest sister in Christ!
The Biblical typologists and numerologists have a strong case for metaphorical inference.. Right now I'm thinking of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey.. Jesus was a Spirit, became a Spirit and is now a Spirit..
What I mean is there is a big difference between a biblical literalist and a biblical metaphoricalist.. Amazing that even some of the literal events in the bible are metaphorical in character.. maybe even MOST literal events..
Anyway you seem to have overlooked the metaphoricalists being a type of Creationist.. A NEW classification?.. Maybe..