The rock formation depicted here is believed to have been built by the giant Fin McCool (a.k.a. Fionn Mac Cumhaill) as a causeway to Scotland allowing the giant Benandonner to cross over so the two could engage in a competition of strength. However, a newly formed group called the "Causeway Creation Committee" now asserts that the rock formation is the result of the Noachian Flood.
From the Causeway Creation Committee's web site:
In the interests of the truth and equality the Causeway Creation Committee desires that any new visitor centre at the Giant's Causeway should include a display and information concerning its origins from a Biblical perspective. Not only do we desire to see this at the Giant's Causeway but we want to see it replicated across museums and other tourist sites throughout Northern Ireland. We also desire to see the fact of "Intelligent Design" being taught alongside the "Theory of Evolution" in our local schools.
Quoted in the Belfast Telegraph, CCC founder Stephen Moore claims:
We don't believe God created it the way it is, it was definitely a result of volcanic activity. ... we believe the cause of that activity was the flood we read about in The Bible. It says the fountains of the great deep opened up and because of that there was volcanic activity.
The other main difference in our view is the date. ... When you follow The Bible timetable it is about 4,500 years ago and due to volcanic activity that surrounds the events of a global flood.
...
"It just comes down to what glasses you are wearing.
(Or, perhaps, what brand of Kool-Ade you've been drinking.)
You will find more discussion of this on Primordial Blog and links therein. It will be interesting to see which of these two alternative theories ends up being best supported by the evidence. Was it Giants or was it a Giant Flood? What do you think?
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What I didn't mention in my post, but found interesting was that this is another example of young earth creationists demanding "to see the fact of "Intelligent Design" being taught alongside the "Theory of Evolution" in our local schools".
The fact of Intelligent Design? They need to be more specific. Which fact?
* The fact that its advocates make unsupported scientific claims.
* The fact that it is creationism in disguise.
* The fact that it is rejected by virtually all scientists.
* The fact that it is at the thin end of the Wedge Strategy.
* The fact that it is the refuge of has-been and wannabe scientists.
* The fact that it promotes a conspiratorial worldview amongst its supporters.
* The fact that it endlessly recycles invalidated hypotheses.
* . . .
Dr. Samuel Johnson said that the Giant's Causeway was "worth seeing, but not worth going to see". Maybe this will increase it's number of visitors.
Considering the current political leader of Northern Ireland is a hard line fundamentalist with a degree from Bob Jones University I'm not sure that the wedge strategy isnt a politically viable strategy. In fact its probably only the fact that it is so clearly sectarian and contrary to the science education taught in secular and catholic schools that prevent creationism being mandated as the only form of biology taught there.
That, and the Catholic church still wields some influence in Ireland - and they dont support literal creationism. They support the 'science with gaps' - defer to science on all matters purely physical, while explicitly stateing some metaphysical areas where they reserve all oppinion for themselves.