YEC

YEC stands for Young Earth Creationism, a religious interpretation that asserts God created the Earth and the universe in a relatively short historical period, typically within the last six to ten thousand years. Proponents generally interpret the Genesis creation narratives as literal history and reject scientific models that place the Earth at about 4.5 billion years old and the universe at about 13.8 billion years old.

Core tenets include a six-day creation, a recent creation date, and a global Noah's Flood treated as a real historical event that shaped Earth's geology. Adherents typically accept a notion of 'kinds' that limit the scope of biological variation, uphold biblical inerrancy, and maintain that scientific findings must be reconciled with a young-earth chronology, sometimes through interpretations like flood geology.

History and organizations: YEC emerged more clearly in the modern era during debates over Darwinian evolution, with prominent groups such as Answers in Genesis and the Institute for Creation Research leading education and media efforts. Related institutions operate museums and publish materials advancing young-earth views.

Reception: The mainstream scientific community regards YEC as unsupported by empirical evidence and critical methods, particularly in geology and cosmology. Within Christianity, views range from strict literalism to non-literal readings that accept older ages for the Earth and universe or seek compatibility with science.