Creationism, the belief that a god -- not evolution -- shaped life on Earth, is ... spreading in the very stronghold of evolution, Europe. That’s the conclusion of five years of research that’s been put into new book on creationism. The book details how creationism is on the march throughout most of Europe.
"Creationism is most dominant in Eastern Europe and Turkey, but even some schools in the Netherlands are teaching creationism," says one of the book’s authors Hans Henrik Hjermitslev, University College South Denmark. "Politicians in some German federal states are advocating that schools use creationist books alongside those about evolutionary theory in their lessons. This kind of struggle is going on on a small scale in many places."...
"Over the last ten years we’ve seen the emergence of big-city creationism. London is a good example," says Kjærgaar.
Here, noticeably more young people have been signed up to various local and religious groups.
"And this doesn't just apply to young Muslims as many people might think. Christian groups are also recruiting young people...
Creationism has particularly been on the rise in step with the internet, which according to Peter Kjærgaard has made it much easier for people to become activists...
In April of 2010, professor Eric Kauffmann declared that "the rate of secularisation has flattened to zero in most of Protestant Europe and France."
Although these statistics have no doubt changed due to many religious immigrants arriving in Europe and secularization halting in Protestant Europe, in 2005, the Netherlands was ranked the 13th most atheistic country in the world and the website adherents.com reported that in 2005 39 - 44%% of the Dutch were agnostics/atheists/non-believers in God.