Creation lesson ideas for middle school?

[Fiat_Lux]

We are starting a Salvation History Bible Study in middle school CCD class this week. The study begins with the creation story.

Does anyone have any tried-and-true activity ideas concerning the creation story for this age group? I’m not thrilled by the suggestions offered by our program’s organizers. I need something that will capture and hold the attention of “tweens”. (Being interesting was much easier when I was teaching 6-year-olds).

Thanks for any ideas!

 

[BOSS10L]

Not trying to sound like a smart aleck, but what angle are you approaching this from? Is it the “everything was created in 6 days and the Earth is only 6,000 years old” or are you going with the more scientific route about the Big Bang, Evolution, etc?

 

[Fiat_Lux]

My goal is not to get lost in disputing the details, other than to introduce the concept of allegory and recognize that the Church doesn’t conflict with evolutionary theory.

I simply want to actively illustrate and drive home the over-arching idea that God is the beginning, we were created out of love to be good and holy, and the concepts of free will and original sin.

I’ve got some questions they’ll answer in small groups, but I think it is beneficial to do something active to help it all take root. That’s where I’m hoping others might have a creative idea or two. These kid are a little too old to be drawing the garden of Eden and cutting out apples and snakes (darn it!).

Thanks!!

 

[puzzleannie]

Does anyone have any tried-and-true activity ideas concerning the creation story for this age group? I’m !

don’t know if tried and true applies, but certainly tried and they did not revolt and seemed to enjoy and benefit from the lesson and absorb the concepts.

They work in teams for each day of creation and create a group poster, or elements of a group poster, and then as the story is read again, assemble in the proper order. goal is to demonstrate
the time assigned for the project is human time, not God’s time
there is a reason for the order of creation, and point out where science verifies that the order in Genesis is in fact correct.
the place of Mankind in creation
the interdependence of the elements of creation, again pointing out where science verifies what the bible has always known
since they are starting to get the science in school at the same age, it is important to begin showing that science and religion are not in conflict.

give them a lump of clay (or playdoh) or let them choose from an assemblage of craft supplies or found objects, and ask them to create something that demonstrates God’s use of nature to reveal himself, or how created things can reflect God’s goodness or attributes of God. Ask questions about their “creations” and ask them to explain how they used their own imaginations, ability and intellegence to cooperate with God in using what he has already created to make something that honors Him.

the kinds of things you supply and the amount of direction depend on the actual ages involved (don’t give 7th grade boys anything that can become a projectile, for instance).

compare and contrast the two creation accounts, and with the help of a good resource, learn what concepts each story is meant to convey. This is for say a 6th grade class which is a beginning study of the OT.

Focus on the stewardship of creation assigned to Mankind in the context of a social justice or stewardship theme.

Start with your catechist manual and the website of the publisher to see what they suggest.

For younger grades try an echo pantomime of the story from the children’s lectionary.
we had idea for an entire “homemade” VBS on the creation story one year. It is one of the favorite themes to teach since it invites class participation on many levels.

 

[leonie]

When I taught this to my middle school kids, I was adapting the Great Adventure timeline from Ascension press.

I start talking about Salvation history as a cross. The beginning of the horizontal bar is Creation, the end is the second coming of Jesus. The central event is the incarnation of Christ. The vertical bar has Heaven at the top and Earth at the bottom. The place in which heaven and earth come together is the incarnation of Jesus. It’s a good idea to have some strips of paper and have them construct a large cross while you are talking about it. Put a big picture of Jesus in the center. Some of them might not know that the world ends when Jesus comes back, so let that soak in and see if anyone has any questions about that. In fact, I usually say that I don’t worry about end of the world scenarios in movies because I know how it will end and I’m looking forward to it (because of Jesus’s return).

I gave them this handout:

agapebiblestudy.com/documents/What%20Catholics%20believe%20about%20Creation.htm

I told them that the details about how creation happened are not known, but these truths come from the Church. We took time to talk about how God is eternal and time started with Creation. The standard joke, “What did God do before he created the universe?” Answer: nothing! Because he didn’t have any time!

I also told them the story of the creation and fall of the angels. A fun way to introduce this story is to ask, “who did the first sin?” They will say, “Adam and Eve.” To which, you can reply, no it was the devil.

We spent alot of time talking about the original state of Creation versus after the Fall. This is really important because understanding original sin is critical to understanding the whole of salvation history. I emphasize how wonderful it was in the Garden of Eden and how terrible it was after. I tell them that God has a plan for us, but if we mess up, there’s always a plan b–just like the world got plan b after Adam and Eve messed it up for us.

We construct a before and after chart: for example, before–no inclination towards sin; after, strongly inclined to sin; before, work is easy and rewarding; after–work is laborious and tedious, etc.

I had them “act out” the story of the fall, encouraging them to ham it up. They love this portion the best. Kids this age love doing little skits. We ran out of time, but I intended to have them do it set in modern time with modern slang.

I try to put in a lot of corny jokes. You can google some.

Whenever possible, get them involved physically even it is just in getting up to get supplies.

God bless. The agapebiblestudy.com has some great resources.

 

[Iheartcoffee]

My goal is not to get lost in disputing the details, other than to introduce the concept of allegory and recognize that the Church doesn’t conflict with evolutionary theory.

I simply want to actively illustrate and drive home the over-arching idea that God is the beginning, we were created out of love to be good and holy, and the concepts of free will and original sin.

I’ve got some questions they’ll answer in small groups, but I think it is beneficial to do something active to help it all take root. That’s where I’m hoping others might have a creative idea or two. These kid are a little too old to be drawing the garden of Eden and cutting out apples and snakes (darn it!).

Thanks!!

THANK YOU for doing this! I find so many Catholics that don’t realize that the Catholic Church is OK with evolution as long as there is also an understanding that God has a hand in it all. The theory of evolution is not bad. The Creation story is a beautiful allegory that does not really dispute evolution because we have found a “mitochondrial Eve” through study of our population and evolution. It appears that everyone today quite literally came from one woman whose children made it through all of these generations. (There were obviously other women and other families in her time, otherwise there would have been some serious incest for a few generations.) Evolution and the Bible have always complemented each other very beautifully in my view and I wish more could see that rather than taking a one vs. the other approach.

Anyhoo, thank you for teaching it that way!

 

[buffalo]

Here is Creation Doctrine:

• God created everything “in its whole substance” from nothing (ex nihilo) in the beginning.
  (Lateran IV; Vatican Council I)
• Genesis does not contain purified myths. (Pontifical Biblical Commission 1909[1])
• Genesis contains real history—it gives an account of things that really happened. (Pius XII)
• Adam and Eve were real human beings—the first parents of all mankind. (Pius XII)
• Polygenism (many “first parents”) contradicts Scripture and Tradition and is condemned. (Pius XII; 1994 Catechism, 360, footnote 226: Tobit 8:6—the “one ancestor” referred to in this Catechism could only be Adam.)
• The “beginning” of the world included the creation of all things, the creation of Adam and Eve and the Fall (Jesus Christ Mark 10:6]; Pope Innocent III; Blessed Pope Pius IX, Ineffabilis Deus).
• The body of Eve was specially created from a portion of Adam’s body (Leo XIII). She could not have originated via evolution.
• Various senses are employed in the Bible, but the literal obvious sense must be believed unless reason dictates or necessity requires (Leo XIII, Providentissimus Deus).
• Adam and Eve were created upon an earthly paradise and would not have known death if they had remained obedient (Pius XII).
• After their disobedience of God, Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden. But the Second Person of the Trinity would subsequently pay the ransom for fallen man (Nicene Creed).
• Original Sin is a flawed condition inherited from Adam and Eve (Council of Trent).
• The Universe suffers in travail ever since the sin of disobedience by Adam and Eve. (Romans 8, Vatican Council I).
• We must believe any interpretation of Scripture that the Fathers taught unanimously on a matter of faith or morals (Council of Trent and Vatican Council I).
• All the Fathers who wrote on the subject believed that the Creation days were no longer than 24-hour-days. (Consensus of the Fathers of the Church)
• The work of Creation was finished by the close of Day Six, and nothing completely new has since been created—except for each human rational soul at conception (Vatican Council I)
• St. Peter and Christ Himself in the New Testament confirmed the global Flood of Noah. It covered all the then high mountains and destroyed all land dwelling creatures except eight human beings and all kinds of non-human creatures aboard the Ark (Unam Sanctam, 1302)
• The historical existence of Noah’s Ark is regarded as most important in typology, as central to Redemption. (1566 Catechism of the Council of Trent)
• Evolution must not be taught as fact, but instead the pros and cons of evolution must be taught.
  (Pius XII, Humani Generis)
• Investigation into human “evolution” was allowed in 1950, but Pope Pius XII feared that an acceptance of evolutionism might adversely affect doctrinal beliefs.

 

[buffalo]

1. 
   *]God the Creator
   
   The Divine Act of Creation
   
   The Beginning or Creation of the World
   *] All that exists outside God was, in its whole substance, produced out of nothing by God. (De fide.)
   *] The world is the work of the Divine Wisdom. (Sent. certa.)
   *] God was moved by His Goodness to create the world. (De fide.)
   *] The world created for the Glorification of God. (De fide.)
   *] The Three Divine Persons are one single, common Principle of the Creation. (De fide.)
   *] God created the world free from exterior compulsion and inner necessity. (De fide.)
   *] God was free to create this world or any other. (Sent. Certa.)
   *] God has created a good world. (De fide.)
   *] The world had a beginning in time. (De fide.)
   *] God alone created the World. (De fide.)
   *] No Creature can, as Principal Cause (causa principalis) that is, from its own power, create something out of nothing. (Sent. communis.)
   
   The Continuous Preservation and Governing of the World
   *] God keeps all created things in existence. (De fide.)
   *] God co-operates immediately in every act of His creatures. (Sent. communis.)
   *] God through His providence, protects and guides all that He has created. (De fide.)
   
   The Divine Work of Creation
   
   The Doctrine of Revelation Regarding Man or "Christian Anthropology"
   *] The first man was created by God. (De fide.)
   *] The whole human race stems from one single human pair. (Sent. certa.)
   *] Man consists of two essential parts–a material body and a spiritual soul. (De fide.)
   *] The rational soul is per se the essential form of the body. (De fide.)
   *] Every human being possesses an individual soul. (De fide.)
   *] Every individual soul was immediately created out of nothing by God. (Sent. Certa.)
   *] A creature has the capacity to receive supernatural gifts. (Sent. communis.)
   *] The Supernatural presupposes Nature. (Sent communis.)
   *] God has conferred on man a supernatural Destiny. (De fide.)
   *] Our first parents, before the Fall, were endowed with sanctifying grace. (De fide.)
   *] The donum rectitudinis or integritatis in the narrower sense, i.e., the freedom from irregular desire. (Sent. fidei proxima.)
   *] The donum immortalitatis, i.e.,bodily immortality. (De fide.)
   *] The donum impassibilitatis, i.e., the freedom from suffering. (Sent. communis.)
   *] The donum scientiae, i.e., a knowledge of natural and supernatural truths infused by God. (Sent. communis.)
   *] Adam received sanctifying grace not merely for himself, but for all his posterity. (Sent. certa.)
   *] Our first parents in paradise sinned grievously through transgression of the Divine probationary commandment. (De fide.)
   *] Through the sin our first parents lost sanctifying grace and provoked the anger and the indignation of God. (De fide.)
   *] Our first parents became subject to death and to the dominion of the Devil. (De fide.) D788.
   *] Adam’s sin is transmitted to his posterity, not by imitation, but by descent. (De fide.)
   *] Original Sin consists in the deprivation of grace caused by the free act of sin committed by the head of the race. (Sent. communis.)
   *] Original sin is transmitted by natural generation. (De fide.)
   *] In the state of original sin man is deprived of sanctifying grace and all that this implies, as well as of the preternatural gifts of integrity. (De fide in regard to Sanctifying Grace and the Donum Immortalitatus. D788 et seq.)
   *] Souls who depart this life in the state of original sin are excluded from the Beatific Vision of God. (De fide.)
   
   Revelation Concerning the Angels or "Christian Angelology"
   *] In the beginning of time God created spiritual essences (angels) out of nothing. (De fide.)
   *] The nature of angels is spiritual. (De fide.)
   *] The angels are by nature immortal. (Sent. communis.)
   *] God set a supernatural final end for the angels, the immediate vision of God, and endowed them with sanctifying grace in order that they might achieve this end. (Sent. Certa.)
   *] The angels were subjected to a moral testing. (Sent. certa. as regards the fallen angels, Sent. communis as regards the good.)
   *] The evil spirits (demons) were created good by God; they became evil through their own fault.
   *] The primary task of the good angels is the glorification and the service of God. (Sent. certa.)
   *] The secondary task of the good angels is the protection of men and care for their salvation. (De fide on the ground of general teaching.)
   *] Every one of the faithful has his own special guardian angel from baptism. (Sent. certa.)
   *] The Devil posesses a certain dominion over mankind by reason of Adam’s sin. (De fide.)

 

[buffalo]

** Baltimore Catechism No. 3 - Lesson 4**

**LESSON FOURTH: On Creation **

Q. 206. What is the difference between making and creating?
A. “Making” means bringing forth or forming out of some material already existing, as workmen do. “Creating” means bringing forth out of nothing, as God alone can do.
Q. 207. Has everything that exists been created?
A. Everything that exists except God Himself has been created.
Q. 208. Who created heaven and earth, and all things?
A. God created heaven and earth, and all things.
Q. 209. From what do we learn that God created heaven and earth and all things?
A. We learn that God created heaven and earth and all things from the Bible or Holy Scripture, in which the account of the Creation is given.
Q. 210. Why did God create all things?
A. God created all things for His own glory and for their or our good.
Q. 211. Did God leave all things to themselves after He had created them?
A. God did not leave all things to themselves after He had created them; He continues to preserve and govern them.
Q. 212. What do we call the care by which God preserves and governs the world and all it contains?
A. We call the care by which God preserves and governs the world and all it contains His providence.
Q. 213. How did God create heaven and earth?
A. God created heaven and earth from nothing by His word only; that is, by a single act of His all-powerful will.
Q. 214. Which are the chief creatures of God?
A. The chief creatures of God are angels and men.
Q. 215. How may God’s creatures on earth be divided?
A. God’s creatures on earth may be divided into four classes:

1. 
   *]Things that exist, as air;
   *]Things that exist, grow and live, as plants and trees;
   *]Things that exist, grow, live and feel, as animals;
   *]Things that exist, grow, live, feel and understand, as man.
   
   Q. 216. What are angels?
   A. Angels are pure spirits without a body, created to adore and enjoy God in heaven.
   Q. 217. If Angels have no bodies, how could they appear?
   A. Angels could appear by taking bodies to render themselves visible for a time; just as the Holy Ghost took the form of a dove and the devil took the form of a serpent.
   Q. 218. Name some persons to whom Angels appeared.
   A. Angels appeared to the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph; also to Abraham, Lot, Jacob, Tobias and others.
   Q. 219. Were the angels created for any other purpose?
   A. The angels were also created to assist before the throne of God and to minister unto Him; they have often been sent as messengers from God to man; and are also appointed our guardians.
   Q. 220. Are all the Angels equal in dignity?
   A. All the Angels are not equal in dignity. There are nine choirs or classes mentioned in the Holy Scripture. The highest are called Seraphim and the lowest simply Angels. The Archangels are one class higher than ordinary Angels.
   Q. 221. Mention some Archangels and tell what they did.
   A. The Archangel Michael drove Satan out of heaven; the Archangel Gabriel announced to the Blessed Virgin that she was to become the Mother of God. The Archangel Raphael guided and protected Tobias.
   Q. 222. Were Angels ever sent to punish men?
   A. Angels were sometimes sent to punish men. An Angel killed 185,000 men in the army of a wicked king who had blasphemed God; an Angel also slew the first-born in the families of the Egyptians who had persecuted God’s people.
   Q. 223. What do our guardian Angels do for us?
   A. Our guardian Angels pray for us, protect and guide us, and offer our prayers, good works and desires to God.
   Q. 224. How do we know that Angels offer our prayers and good works to God?
   A. We know that Angels offer our prayers and good works to God because it is so stated in Holy Scripture, and Holy Scripture is the Word of God.
   Q. 225. Why did God appoint guardian Angels if He watches over us Himself?
   A. God appointed guardian Angels to secure for us their help and prayers, and also to show His great love for us in giving us these special servants and faithful friends.
   Q. 226. Were the angels, as God created them, good and happy?
   A. The angels, as God created them, were good and happy.
   Q. 227. Did all the angels remain good and happy?
   A. All the angels did not remain good and happy; many of them sinned and were cast into hell, and these are called devils or bad angels.
   Q. 228. Do we know the number of good and bad Angels?
   A. We do not know the number of the good or bad Angels, but we know it is very great.
   Q. 229. What was the devil’s name before he fell, and why was he cast out of heaven?
   A. Before he fell, Satan, or the devil, was called Lucifer, or light-bearer, a name which indicates great beauty. He was cast out of heaven because through pride he rebelled against God.
   Q. 230. How do the bad Angels act toward us?
   A. The bad Angels try by every means to lead us into sin. The efforts they make are called temptations of the devil.
   Q. 231. Why does the devil tempt us?
   A. The devil tempts us because he hates goodness, and does not wish us to enjoy the happiness which he himself has lost.
   Q. 232. Can we by our own power overcome the temptations of the devil?
   A. We cannot by our own power overcome the temptations of the devil, because the devil is wiser than we are; for, being an Angel, he is more intelligent, and he did not lose his intelligence by falling into sin any more than we do now. Therefore, to overcome his temptations we need the help of God.

 

[buffalo]

The Creation and the Fall of Man

Lesson 5 from the *Baltimore Cathechism*
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**48. What is man?**

Man is a creature composed of body and soul, and made to the image and likeness of God.
*And God created man to his own image. (Genesis 2:7)*
**49. Is this likeness to God in the body or in the soul?**

This likeness to God is chiefly in the soul.

50. How is the soul like God?

The soul is like God because it is a spirit having understanding and free will, and is destined to live forever.
*And the dust return into its earth, from whence it was, and the spirit return to God, who gave it. (Ecclesiastes 12:7)*
**51. Who were the first man and woman?**

The first man and woman were Adam and Eve, the first parents of the whole human race.
*And Adam called the name of his wife Eve. (Genesis 3:15)*
**52. What was the chief gift bestowed on Adam and Eve by God?**

The chief gift bestowed on Adam and Eve by God was sanctifying  grace, which made them children of God and gave them the right to  heaven.

53. What other gifts were bestowed on Adam and Eve by God?

The other gifts bestowed on Adam and Eve by God were happiness in  the Garden of Paradise, great knowledge, control of the passions by  reason, and freedom from suffering and death.
*He gave them counsel, and a tongue, and eyes, and ears, and a  heart to devise; and he filled them with the knowledge of understanding.  (Ecclesiasticus 17:5)*
**54. What commandment did God give Adam and Eve?**

God gave Adam and Eve the commandment not to eat of the fruit of a certain tree that grew in the Garden of Paradise.
*And he commanded him, saying: "Of every tree of paradise thou  shalt eat; but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not  eat. For in what day soever thou shalt eat of it, thou shalt die the  death." (Genesis 2:16-17)*
**55. Did Adam and Eve obey the commandment of God?**

Adam and Eve did not obey the commandment of God, but ate of the forbidden fruit.
*And the woman saw that the tree was good to eat, and fair to the  eyes, and delightful to behold; and she took of the fruit thereof, and  did eat, and gave to her husband who did eat. (Genesis 3:6)*
**56. What happened to Adam and Eve on account of their sin?**

On account of their sin Adam and Eve lost sanctifying grace, the  right to heaven, and their special gifts; they became subject to death,  to suffering, and to a strong inclination to evil, and they were driven  from the Garden of Paradise.
*In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou return  to the earth, out of which thou wast taken; for dust thou art, and into  dust thou shalt return. (Genesis 3:19)*
**57. What has happened to us on account of the sin of Adam?**

On account of the sin of Adam, we, his descendants, come into the  world deprived of sanctifying grace and inherit his punishment, as we  would have inherited his gifts had he been obedient to God.
*But, by the envy of the devil, death came into the world. (Wisdom 2:24)*
**58. What is this sin in us called?**

This sin in us is called original.

59. Why is this sin called original?

This sin is called original because it comes down to us through our origin, or descent, from Adam.
*Therefore as through one man sin entered into the world and  through sin death, and thus death has passed unto all men because all  have sinned. (Romans 5:12)*
**60. What are the chief punishments of Adam which we inherit through original sin?**

The chief punishments of Adam which we inherit through original sin  are: death, suffering, ignorance, and a strong inclination to sin.

61. Is God unjust in punishing us on account of the sin of Adam?

God is not unjust in punishing us on account of the sin of Adam,  because original sin does not take away from us anything to which we  have a strict right as human beings, but only the free gifts which God  in His goodness would have bestowed on us if Adam had not sinned.

62. Was any human person ever preserved from original sin?

The Blessed Virgin Mary was preserved from original sin in view of  the merits of her Divine Son, and this privilege is called her  Immaculate Conception.
*I will put enmities between you and the woman, between your seed  and her seed; he shall crush your head, and you shall lie in wait his  heel. (Genesis 3:15)*

 

[puzzleannie]

All the Fathers who wrote on the subject believed that the Creation days were no longer than 24-hour-days. (Consensus of the Fathers of the Church)

except Augustine

your excerpts are a bit heavy for middle school don’t you think?

 

[buffalo]

except Augustine

your excerpts are a bit heavy for middle school don’t you think?

St Augustine assented though. He postulated creation was instantaneous.

 

[buffalo]

except Augustine

your excerpts are a bit heavy for middle school don’t you think?

I learned most of this before middle school back in the day…

 

[grannymh]

When I taught this to my middle school kids, I was adapting the Great Adventure timeline from Ascension press.

I start talking about Salvation history as a cross. The beginning of the horizontal bar is Creation, the end is the second coming of Jesus. The central event is the incarnation of Christ. The vertical bar has Heaven at the top and Earth at the bottom. The place in which heaven and earth come together is the incarnation of Jesus. It’s a good idea to have some strips of paper and have them construct a large cross while you are talking about it. Put a big picture of Jesus in the center. Some of them might not know that the world ends when Jesus comes back, so let that soak in and see if anyone has any questions about that. In fact, I usually say that I don’t worry about end of the world scenarios in movies because I know how it will end and I’m looking forward to it (because of Jesus’s return).

I gave them this handout:

agapebiblestudy.com/documents/What%20Catholics%20believe%20about%20Creation.htm

I told them that the details about how creation happened are not known, but these truths come from the Church. We took time to talk about how God is eternal and time started with Creation. The standard joke, “What did God do before he created the universe?” Answer: nothing! Because he didn’t have any time!

I also told them the story of the creation and fall of the angels. A fun way to introduce this story is to ask, “who did the first sin?” They will say, “Adam and Eve.” To which, you can reply, no it was the devil.

We spent alot of time talking about the original state of Creation versus after the Fall. This is really important because understanding original sin is critical to understanding the whole of salvation history. I emphasize how wonderful it was in the Garden of Eden and how terrible it was after. I tell them that God has a plan for us, but if we mess up, there’s always a plan b–just like the world got plan b after Adam and Eve messed it up for us.

We construct a before and after chart: for example, before–no inclination towards sin; after, strongly inclined to sin; before, work is easy and rewarding; after–work is laborious and tedious, etc.

**I had them “act out” the story of the fall, encouraging them to ham it up. They love this portion the best. Kids this age love doing little skits. We ran out of time, but I intended to have them do it set in modern time with modern slang. **

I try to put in a lot of corny jokes. You can google some.

Whenever possible, get them involved physically even it is just in getting up to get supplies.

God bless. The agapebiblestudy.com has some great resources.

emphasis mine.

Just curious. What Catholic doctrines were taught?
If the skit is set in modern times, you can always get a Halloween costume for the devil?

 

[SwissGuard25]

Just teach from the Old Testament. The majority of Religious students at a school are from the Three Abrahamic Religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam)
So just Start with the Classic Genesis Words, “In the Beginning…”

 

[grannymh]

THANK YOU for doing this! I find so many Catholics that don’t realize that the Catholic Church is OK with evolution as long as there is also an understanding that God has a hand in it all. The theory of evolution is not bad. The Creation story is a beautiful allegory that does not really dispute evolution because we have found a “mitochondrial Eve” through study of our population and evolution. It appears that everyone today quite literally came from one woman whose children made it through all of these generations. (There were obviously other women and other families in her time, otherwise there would have been some serious incest for a few generations.) Evolution and the Bible have always complemented each other very beautifully in my view and I wish more could see that rather than taking a one vs. the other approach.

Anyhoo, thank you for teaching it that way!

If Catholic evangelization is going to succeed, it better get up to date regarding science in the 21st century. Also, I would suggest learning some basic Catholic doctrines regarding human nature. The media blitz about “Eve” has no relationship to Catholic doctrine.

 

[grannymh]

THANK YOU for doing this! I find so many Catholics that don’t realize that the Catholic Church is OK with evolution as long as there is also an understanding that God has a hand in it all.

From what I read, I would offer that those Catholics have no clue what is currently happening in some areas of natural science. The dismissal of the God-created spiritual soul is one of the “evolution theories” that is not OK with the Catholic Church.

 

[Cathryn]

Here is Creation Doctrine:

• God created everything “in its whole substance” from nothing (ex nihilo) in the beginning.
  (Lateran IV; Vatican Council I)
• Genesis does not contain purified myths. (Pontifical Biblical Commission 1909[1])
• Genesis contains real history—it gives an account of things that really happened. (Pius XII)
• Adam and Eve were real human beings—the first parents of all mankind. (Pius XII)
• Polygenism (many “first parents”) contradicts Scripture and Tradition and is condemned. (Pius XII; 1994 Catechism, 360, footnote 226: Tobit 8:6—the “one ancestor” referred to in this Catechism could only be Adam.)
• The “beginning” of the world included the creation of all things, the creation of Adam and Eve and the Fall (Jesus Christ Mark 10:6]; Pope Innocent III; Blessed Pope Pius IX, Ineffabilis Deus).
• The body of Eve was specially created from a portion of Adam’s body (Leo XIII). She could not have originated via evolution.
• Various senses are employed in the Bible, but the literal obvious sense must be believed unless reason dictates or necessity requires (Leo XIII, Providentissimus Deus).
• Adam and Eve were created upon an earthly paradise and would not have known death if they had remained obedient (Pius XII).
• After their disobedience of God, Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden. But the Second Person of the Trinity would subsequently pay the ransom for fallen man (Nicene Creed).
• Original Sin is a flawed condition inherited from Adam and Eve (Council of Trent).
• The Universe suffers in travail ever since the sin of disobedience by Adam and Eve. (Romans 8, Vatican Council I).
• We must believe any interpretation of Scripture that the Fathers taught unanimously on a matter of faith or morals (Council of Trent and Vatican Council I).
• All the Fathers who wrote on the subject believed that the Creation days were no longer than 24-hour-days. (Consensus of the Fathers of the Church)
• The work of Creation was finished by the close of Day Six, and nothing completely new has since been created—except for each human rational soul at conception (Vatican Council I)
• St. Peter and Christ Himself in the New Testament confirmed the global Flood of Noah. It covered all the then high mountains and destroyed all land dwelling creatures except eight human beings and all kinds of non-human creatures aboard the Ark (Unam Sanctam, 1302)
• The historical existence of Noah’s Ark is regarded as most important in typology, as central to Redemption. (1566 Catechism of the Council of Trent)
• Evolution must not be taught as fact, but instead the pros and cons of evolution must be taught.
  (Pius XII, Humani Generis)
• Investigation into human “evolution” was allowed in 1950, but Pope Pius XII feared that an acceptance of evolutionism might adversely affect doctrinal beliefs.

Thanks for posting this. Catholics should not be taught that at the same time as Adam and Eve there were other people who had evolved at the same time. Eve was not the first woman with multiple partners that produced the human race, even if some scientists think this would have been necessary for evolution to take place. Polygenism has been condemned by the Church and is incompatible with the Catholic faith. This shouldn’t be taught in CCD.

Originally Posted by Iheartcoffee
THANK YOU for doing this! I find so many Catholics that don’t realize that the Catholic Church is OK with evolution as long as there is also an understanding that God has a hand in it all. The theory of evolution is not bad. The Creation story is a beautiful allegory that does not really dispute evolution because we have found a “mitochondrial Eve” through study of our population and evolution. It appears that everyone today quite literally came from one woman whose children made it through all of these generations. (There were obviously other women and other families in her time, otherwise there would have been some serious incest for a few generations.) Evolution and the Bible have always complemented each other very beautifully in my view and I wish more could see that rather than taking a one vs. the other approach.

Anyhoo, thank you for teaching it that way!

There is more required than just God having a hand in it. It can not be contrary to the Catholic faith. What you describe here is contrary to the faith, and condemned by Pope Pius XII.

 

[grannymh]

Thanks for posting this. Catholics should not be taught that at the same time as Adam and Eve there were other people who had evolved at the same time. Eve was not the first woman with multiple partners that produced the human race, even if some scientists think this would have been necessary for evolution to take place. Polygenism has been condemned by the Church and is incompatible with the Catholic faith. This shouldn’t be taught in CCD.

There is more required than just God having a hand in it. It can not be contrary to the Catholic faith. What you describe here is contrary to the faith, and condemned by Pope Pius XII.

Humani Generis Encyclical vatican.va/holy_father/pius_xii/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xii_enc_12081950_humani-generis_en.html

 

[Cathryn]

Humani Generis Encyclical vatican.va/holy_father/pius_xii/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xii_enc_12081950_humani-generis_en.html

Thank you.

1. “When, however, there is question of another conjectural opinion, namely polygenism, the children of the Church by no means enjoy such liberty. For the faithful cannot embrace that opinion which maintains that either after Adam there existed on this earth true men who did not take their origin through natural generation from him as from the first parent of all, or that Adam represents a certain number of first parents. Now it is in no way apparent how such an opinion can be reconciled with that which the sources of revealed truth and the documents of the Teaching Authority of the Church propose with regard to original sin, which proceeds from a sin actually committed by an individual Adam and which, through generation, is passed on to all and is in everyone as his own.” Pope Pius XII Humani Generis Encyclical[12]