Species of Origins: America's Search for a Creation Story

Human beings need creation stories. Each culture has one, and is defined in part by its unique explanation of how things came to be. Despite the many differences in the creation stories of various cultures, each seems to serve much the same purpose: to answer questions about humanity's role in the larger whole. The people of the United States are no exception. Since the late-19th century, however, the country as a whole has not been able to agree on a common creation story. Part of the discord stems, of course, from the growing cultural and religious diversity of the USA. But Karl W. Giberson and Donald A. Yerxa explain that most of it flows from the reality that Americans rely heavily on two competing, very distinct, worldviews: modern naturalistic science and traditional Judeo-Christian religions. The interplay of these two ideals is at the base of America's ongoing search for its origins. Giberson and Yerxa delve into this search and America's diverse creation myths, myths that the authors dub the species of origins.