Creation Science Rebuttals

     The December 2004 issue of Creation magazine, a publication of the creation science ministry Answers in Genesis, contained an article titled "Taming your Caveman Children?"¹  This article was used as a daily feature on the Creation Ministries International website on 7 April 2006. 

     The first statement that Carl Wieland, the young earth author, makes is "Evolutionary psychology has been the rage for some time now."  This is the first time I have ever heard of this psychology (perhaps it is the rage in Australia, Wieland's home).  This so-called method of rearing children has the parents coming down to the toddler's level.  Think of the child (12-18 months old) as a chimpanzee, and the 24-36 month old as "a neanderthal."  The psychologist apparently urges parents to "Get down and grunt in 'caveman.'"

     I laugh at this picture, just as Wieland does.  However, have any of you ever seen this happen?  If it is all the rage, where are the parents using this technique?  I haven't seen any?  It appears that Wieland has picked out some obscure psychology theme to prove his creation points.  However, there may be some truth to what he says.

    If you look up one of the psychologists books on Amazon.com, it gets  great reviews by the readers of this book.  One should realize, however, that there are many styles of parenting...what works for one child may not work with another child.  It appears that this style of parenting works for many parents. 

     Does this mean you are bowing to evolution, and saying that these stages your child is going through is proof of his evolutionary background?  Not at all.  They are merely sight-pictures, a way of thinking about your children to help you visualize an approach to your child that may be more effective in your parenting skills.  If you want to read this book, and try to use the techniques that it proposes, go for it.  It may work for your children...it may not.

     I do not feel that this has anything to do with a parent accepting evolution, however.  It did, however, provide Answers in Genesis another avenue to criticize evolution.

¹  Taming your Caveman Children, Creation Magazine, Volume 27, Issue 1, December 2004.  Published on the web at http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/2015