How are we Catholics to answer the question of the age of the sun? Science claims its much older that the earth, but Genesis states otherwise… Also, how could light and darkness have existed before the creation of light-bearing objects? Perhaps scientist made a mistake over the age of the sun by not taking into account that celestial light. Sound plausible?
Unlike many denominations of Christianity, Catholicism doesn’t teach that certain books of the Bible are literal fact. Truth, yes…of course. Something most certainly can be truth without being a literal FACT (as far as our manmade science can prove, anyways). For instance, the Book of Genesis as you mention. The creation story was written the way it was, to illustrate more of WHY we were created than anything else. The MESSAGES conveyed are more important than how it literally happened. Our feeble minds cannot even begin to grasp the glory of God. The important things to take from Genesis are:
A) God created all things; earth, cosmos, angels, man, animals, everything…all out of nothing
B) mankind was created in His image, with souls, above all other creatures as God’s favorite
C) Man, initially created not knowing sin, intentionally sinned removing him from God’s grace.
D) all of mankind since then is born with original sin, and with a predisposition towards sin.
E) God remains faithful and loving towards man, regardless of our sin
What makes the Bible so beautiful, is that the New Covenant brings us back full circle with God as Christ gave us the means of forgiveness and reconciliation with the Father.
All of these truths cannot be discounted by any literal fact science may profess. Taking the Bible as literal fact presents us with all sorts of issues. Understanding that the message and these things in particular are what’s important and what truth should be taken from the creation narrative is a large hurdle for many Christians to overcome…but if/when they do, the pieces tend to fit together more beautifully and harmoniously.
No argument of science can overcome these truths…
Is it possible man evolved from apes?
-sure. If that’s the means God chose to create man, why not? What’s important to recognize, is that at some point Homo Sapiens came into existence…God gave us souls from that point on, ‘Adam and Eve’ sinned against God and all man since is born with original sin because of it.
Can the sun be billions of years older than the earth?
certainly. God creating all of creation in 6 days and resting on the 7th is taken too literally. One day to God can be a billion years to us…our feeble minds cannot grasp the power and immensity of God. Again, the message is what is necessary for one to acknowledge as truth…in this case, the message is that God is the author and creator of all things.
Could dinosaurs have pre-existed man as inhabitants of the earth?
Again…it is not at odds with these truths. The earth could’ve been, and likely was, trillions of years old before man’s creation. Again, who’s to say what a day is to God??
THIS IS ENTIRELY MY INTERPRETATION OF CATHOLIC TEACHING…I believe that I am far from being alone in this belief. Church teaching is that science and faith compliment each other. I don’t have my catechism handy, or perhaps its in an encyclical…but it IS addressed.
God bless!!
) And Gregor Mendel, a pioneer in genetics, was an Augustinian friar. Just two of many examples.