Esben Lunde Larsen – the new minister for education and research, who will be responsible for scientific research in Denmark – is making headlines due to his scientific scepticism and belief that God created the Earth.
When asked by Jyllands-Posten whether humans are descended from apes, the 36-year-old from the so-called Bible belt near Rinkøbing answered that there was a divine hand at play.
“I think there is a creator God behind it. How he has done it, I haven’t considered too much,” he said.
Favours biblical explanation
When asked whether the Earth was created in a Big Bang, the new minister appeared to favour the biblical version of events.
“I believe there is a creator God behind most things in the world, and how it was created is explained by the Bible on the one hand and by science on the other,” he said.
“It’s not crucial for me. The crucial thing is that the world was created. And I, as a person of faith, believe God behind it.”
But Larsen insists that his personal beliefs will not interfere with scientific freedom in the country and will not dictate the research agenda.
The last time Larsen made the headlines was last year when the politician publicly declared that he would only refer to black people as ‘negre’ – a term considered by many to be derogatory.
