The founder of the Brazilian Creationist Society (SCB), Dr. Ruy Carlos de Camargo Vieira, died on the afternoon of Friday, July 17, in Brasilia, Brazil, where he lived. At the age of 96, he remained active as the historic president of the institution founded in 1972 to spread biblical creationism from a scientific perspective.

Born in 1930 in the city of São Carlos, in the interior of São Paulo, Vieira grew up in a home with no religious practice. He considered himself an atheist until the end of his undergraduate studies. In the 1950s, he read the Bible, had contact with creationism, and understood the importance of Sabbath observance, becoming a Seventh-day Adventist.

Vieira's history as the head of the SCB began in 1971, after he discovered a creationist research society in the United States. He noted the scarcity of literature on the subject in Portuguese. So, at the end of that year, he began translating English content to Portuguese from his home. In 1972 he founded SCB and published the first issue of Folha Criacionista, known today as Revista Criacionista.

Vieira's presided over the entity for 45 years during which he translated, edited, and prepared numerous books and articles that are part of the SCB catalog. Additionally, he expanded the institution's presence to several centers throughout Brazil. He was also responsible for mentoring professionals and expanding the debate on creationism in schools, universities, religious communities, and in the scientific community. One of SBC's highest accomplishments was reviving the story of Guilherme Stein Jr., the first Adventist baptized in Brazil, first editor of the Brazilian Publishing House (CPB), and pioneer in the study of creationism in the country.

As a writer, Vieira produced Life and Work of Guilherme Stein Jr.: Roots of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Brazil and The Age and Pioneering Work of Guilherme Stein Jr., as well as titles such as The Week of Creation and Questions and Answers on Creationism and Evolutionism.

Vieira created the headquarters and cultural center of the SCB in Brasilia, which annually receives hundreds of visitors looking to learn about creationist objects and evidence found around the world, including in Brazil.

Science-based training

Vieira's contributions go far beyond creationism. He graduated from the Polytechnic School of the University of São Paulo (USP) in 1953 as a mechanical engineer and electrician. The following year, he became a professor at the Technological Institute of Aeronautics (ITA). In July 1956, he began teaching at USP in São Carlos, becoming fulltime professor. In 1970, he became director of the Department of Hydraulics and Sanitation, where he founded a graduate program that is now considered a national reference in the area, in addition to participating in the creation of the Center for Water Resources and Applied Ecology of the School of Engineering of São Carlos.

Throughout his career, Vieira was a member of the Commission of Specialists in Engineering Education of the Ministry of Education (MEC), a scientific director of the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) from 1979 to 1985, a representative of MEC on the Board of the Brazilian Space Agency, and a member of the Federal Council of Education.

Recognition

"Dr. Vieira leaves a huge legacy for the Seventh-day Adventist Church," said Stanley Arco, president of the South American Division (SAD). "He dedicated his life to studying and showing the coherence between the biblical narrative and scientific evidence. His work has enormous relevance for those who seek to understand God as the creator of the universe and ruler of natural laws."

"He was a tireless man, a great scholar and trainer of a generation of creationist researchers committed to continuing what he started," Arco continued. "Even in the face of the pain of grief experienced by those who remain here, Christ's promise in John 11:25 will soon be fulfilled."

Dr. Francislê Neri de Souza, director of the Geoscience Research Institute (GRI) for South America, lamented the loss and highlighted that Vieira was an "example that academic rigor and faith in the Word of God are not mutually exclusive, but complementary when conducted with ethics and excellence. He was the model of the scientist who understood that the true investigation of nature points inevitably to its Creator."

Dr. Antônio Marcos Alves, director of Adventist Education for SAD, stressed that Vieira's pioneering vision was one of the most robust pillars in strengthening the confessional and pedagogical identity of the education network. "The vast literature produced under his leadership—including textbooks, popular magazines, and top-notch scientific journals—has provided our students and faculty with the intellectual framework necessary to harmonize academic excellence with biblical truths. His legacy lives on in every student who today contemplates nature and recognizes the signature of the Creator," Alves said.

In his blog, Michelson Borges, journalist and vice president of SCB, wrote an article that highlights the work of the pioneer and recalls significant moments of Vieira's life.

"I met him when I was still a young journalist who had just abandoned evolutionism and embraced the creationist worldview. I wrote a booklet gathering the arguments that convinced me of the reliability of the biblical account of creation, and, without much expectation, I sent that material to Dr. Vieira. Sometime later, the phone rang. It was him!" he said.

"Instead of a protocol response, he dedicated long minutes to comment on the text, point out corrections, offer suggestions and, above all, encourage that young author who could hardly imagine the paths along which God would lead him. That simple gesture never left my memory. Years later, that booklet matured and became the book The History of Life, printed by the Brazilian Publishing House. I can say, without exaggeration, that Dr. Vieira's encouragement was part of this story."

The burial took place on Saturday, July 18, at Campo da Esperança, chapel 7, in Brasilia.

The original article was published on the South American Division news site.