The original question was: I have noticed that when referring to creation, the term “Special Creation” is often used. I assume that the use of the word “Special” is for a reason.

Answer by John Mackay

The term Special Creation seems to have arisen to distinguish the more vague views on Creation, e.g. Intelligent Design, from the description of purposeful creation by the personal Creator God, as described in Genesis. This term is normally applied to the belief that the world was specially created in six days, with the living things specially created in separate kinds. The word “special” and “species” are related, and so its origin is connected to the creation of separate kinds, although the modern use of the term “species” refers to subgroups within the basic kinds. The term Special Creation is a helpful concept to distinguish a literal belief in Genesis from a belief in a deistic creator who may have used evolution over millions of years.

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