Is intelligent design the same as creationism?
While most ID proponents believe that the Designer is God, there are important distinctions between the ID and creation.2 First, biblical creationists readily acknowledge that God is the Creator and that they believe the Genesis account of creation. ID proponents in contrast tend to be more circumspect. While they may accept God as the designer as a matter of belief, they do not claim that scientific evidence proves that God created everything. Instead, they hold to the idea that design in nature is detectable and that scientific means may be used to demonstrate that there is some intelligent agency behind life. Such a view is not unlike forensics or archaeology where scientists distinguish between objects or events that result from natural causes or human intervention. ID proponents further claim that the naturalistic presupposition of science prevents even asking the question whether design exists in nature.
