Timeline: Creation to Secular Humanism

Creation to Secular Humanism Timeline

This timeline is structured to show the overlapping nature of philosophical ideas and the resulting legal and cultural actions, arguing that the denial of biblical creation (Genesis 1:1, KJV: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.") fueled the shift to human-centered worldviews.

I. The Theistic Foundation and Its Challenge (1600s – 1858)

This period establishes the Christian Theist worldview and introduces the foundational challenge of long ages (Uniformitarianism), which undermines the biblical timeline.

Date/Era	Philosophical Stage	Key Event or Idea	Cultural/Legal Impact
1620s – 1776	Christian Theism	Puritan and Pilgrim settlements establish societies based on Young Earth Creation and biblical law.	Rights established as endowed by the Creator (Declaration of Independence).
Late 1700s	Deism Emerges	The belief that God created the world but does not intervene is introduced.	The concept of a personal, active God starts to recede in elite intellectual circles.
1795	Uniformitarianism	James Hutton publishes Theory of the Earth, proposing geological processes operate over millions of years, challenging the Genesis Flood as the primary shaper of Earth's geology.	Opens the door for non-biblical interpretations of Earth's history.
Early 1800s	Theistic Evolution	The attempt to reconcile God with deep time (millions of years) and evolutionary concepts begins to gain traction.	Begins eroding the authority of the literal six-day creation account.

II. The Rise of Secular Humanism (1859 – 1970s)

The publication of Darwin's work provides the mechanism for a creation without a creator, giving rise to organized Secular Humanism and resulting in major legal changes.

Date	Philosophical Stage	Key Event or Idea	Cultural/Legal Impact
1859	Secular Humanism Takes Form	Charles Darwin publishes *On the Origin of Species*, providing the non-theistic explanation for life via natural selection.	Fuels philosophical nihilism ("God is dead") and justified the concept of "survival of the fittest."
1925	Cultural Conflict	The Scopes Monkey Trial challenges the prohibition of teaching evolution in schools.	Public opinion begins shifting toward acceptance of evolution over creation.
1929	Institutionalization	Founding of the First Humanist Church of New York City.	Humanism becomes an organized, formal religion without God.
1930	Education Infiltration	John Dewey successfully introduces Secular Humanism into public schools.	Education begins replacing biblical authority with human reason and science as ultimate sources of truth.
1933	Codification	Publication of Humanist Manifesto I, formally asserting the self-existence of the universe and man's sole responsibility to himself.	Establishes the core non-theistic creed.
1962	Legal Removal of God	*Engel v. Vitale: School-sponsored prayer is removed* from public schools.	Erosion of corporate Christian expression in the public square.
1963	Legal Removal of God	*Abington School District v. Schempp: Mandated Bible reading is removed* from public schools.	Removed a key source of moral instruction from the classroom.
1973	Ultimate Moral Rejection	*Roe v. Wade: Legalized abortion* nationwide.	Profound rejection of the biblical principle of the sanctity of life ("Thou shalt not kill," Exodus 20:13, KJV).

III. Legal Finality and Pagan Mysticism (1980s – Present)

This phase marks the legal cementing of atheistic principles and the cultural turn toward non-Christian spirituality.

Date	Philosophical Stage	Key Event or Idea	Cultural/Legal Impact
1980	Moral Symbol Removal	*Stone v. Graham: The Ten Commandments are removed* from classroom displays.	Removed a fundamental symbol of Christian morality from public view.
1987	Legal Atheism	*Edwards v. Aguillard*: Court strikes down requiring equal time for creation science.	The decision effectively made the US legally an atheistic society regarding education policy (Romans 1:21, KJV: "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools").
2005+	Ethical Conclusion	Rise of Euthanasia/Assisted Suicide acceptance.	The ultimate conclusion of an evolutionary worldview that devalues life considered "unfit" or without "quality."
Present	Pagan Mysticism	Cultural embrace of occultism, non-Christian spiritual practices, and Metaphysical Naturalism ("I am God").	A shift from the cold rationality of Humanism to a non-personal, self-focused spirituality (1 Peter 5:8, KJV: "your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about...").

*Timeline is based on findings from Jobe Martin's lecture, Evolution of a Creationist #1

Topics > Refuting Evolution