Does Darwin's theory of evolution contradict Catholicsm?

[Aloysium]

Aloysium:

To whom or what will you surrender your mind and heart?

The problem is people who twist the question to become what you write here.

No twisting needed to see an insult. But, in this case I am glad to be a problem.

Again, its your choice whether to follow the truth, known through the grace of the Holy Spirit and as revealed in the person of Jesus Christ or not. Where that will bring you with respect to the otherwise totally inconsequential understanding of our origins, is up to you and your willingness to open your heart and mind.

 

[edwest211]

Very well said. I watched as corruption seeped into institutions of higher learning. This theory is being heavily promoted so that we are accountable to no one like God. Why believe? Science is God. The media is god. We are moving toward a dictatorship that tells us to accept this or that without full knowledge. The theory allows anyone to say “I am god” because we are just a collection of flesh parts and nothing more.

"Pope Benedict XVI goes on to say:

"We are moving toward a dictatorship of relativism which does not recognize anything as for certain and which has as its highest goal one’s own ego and one’s own desires. The church must defend itself against threats such as “radical individualism” and “vague religious mysticism”. [emphasis added]

Commentary by the Practical Catholic:

“Pope Benedict does not play language games, he is unconcerned with the postmodernist’s corner on untruth. Neither should we be. Notice how he calls relativism a “dictatorship” instead of agreeing that no values and no Truth are the way forward for society. What many fail to recognize is that imposing nihilism and arbitrary tribalism is a form of dictatorship. Where untruth or half truth is the common order, there can only be oppression. Political correctness has asked us to abandon our value-laden language and to pick up a new language proper to the secular forum. However, this secular newspeak is value-laden against the traditional claims of the Western world and as such, is a poison rather than a new order. We can and should bring our own conviction laden language to the table, if we’re going to have any sort of real dialogue at all. Misinformation and restrained convictions are not the proper building blocks for a democracy.”

The Practical Catholic

 

[Glark]

You want me to stop using the word “evolution” because it sounds like “evilution”?

 

[Glark]

Evolution is taught in every Catholic college and university and you will be hard pressed to find a Catholic college that teaches creationism.

… which poves nothing - except that mainstream Catholicism is corrupt and has sold out to the secular Zeitgeist.

While the Catholic Church does not say that creationism is bogus we can safely assume from their actions that it is pretty safe to say that the Catholic Church accepts evolution theory.

… because it is foolish enough to listen to the spirit of atheism that dominates the Pontifical Academy of the Sciences, which in turn simply reflects the scientific community in general. To make things worse, the Pontifical Bible Commission has somehow decided that evolution is compatible with the Bible. The “gates of hell will not prevail” against the Church - even if at times it seems otherwise.

 

[Glark]

I interpret that statement to mean “it’s ok to believe in creationism.” Pope Francis shortened the leash somewhat.

… only if you think the opinion of one Pope on an untestable scientific theory is worth something. Fortunately for the sake of the Church’s credibility, the Pope’s infallibility doesn’t extend to matters of science.

 

[Glark]

God has all the choices that there. It is you who seek to constrain His choices.

So, God takes billions of years for Adam to evolve, but then decides to creates Eve in an instant. Evidently, this patent absurdity presents no problem to evo-Catholics. And why should it? The Church’s Darwinists don’t care what Scripture says.

 

[Glark]

If you have a material body and a material brain then you are at least in part made of mindless chemicals. I suggest that you read up on “emergent properties” – something that is not present in the ingredients but is present in the final product. Intelligence is one such emergent property. Some animals exhibit a degree of intelligence, so it is not just confined to human intelligence. A dog can learn to follow commands. Some great apes have learned sign language.

You forgot to mention the Tooth Fairy - evolution has provided her with some pretty awesome powers.

 

[Glark]

Well said, brother!

 

[Glark]

Most of the media has become the Ministry of Propaganda. Regarding the topic, it is brought up so many times here as if it was the most important theory on earth. It presents a distorted view of who human beings really are.

To seems to have never occured to Darwinists that is mighty curious that a scientific theory that can never be tested and is utterly uselss in any applied sense has become the most important theory on earth. As for me, this phenomenon is nothing short of astounding and bizarre, like some kind of anti-miracle.

 

[Glark]

Your sensitivity to it may lead you to think that. I don’t hear much about it.

If the Church declared evolution to be incompatible to the faith, suddenly you yourself would become very “sensitive” to it.

 

[Glark]

The verdict is: Evolution is an elaborate, demonically-inspired hoax that is incompatible with Scripture and is therefore incompatible with the Catholic faith.

 

[Melchior_1]

Darwin was not the first person to come up with evolutionary theories, he was predated by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, a Catholic scientist. Although Lamarckism has some holes in it, he’s generally regarded as having the first truly cohesive theory of biological evolution. Lamarck himself was adamant that the creation of Man was to be found in Scripture.

Meanwhile, in modern times, a fascinating occurrence is happening here in Canada. It’s been observed that Polar Bears have mated with Grizzly Bears, with their offspring containing a mix of traits of both bears. It’s been theorized that Polar Bears are migrating south due to melting ice in the Arctic, resulting in their liaisons. It’s been confirmed that “Grolar Bears” are fertile, as a “second generation” Grolar Bear was found in 2010 (unlike mules, who are not fertile). It’s interesting because the Grolar Bears are a mixture of both parents. There’s a lot of physical characteristics which are blended, while some other characteristic are that of only one of the parents. One of the former is the partial hair found on their paws.

The partial hair on their paws is important; it helps insulate Polar Bear’s feet from the Arctic cold. Centuries and/or millennia from now, Grolar Bears could become more prevalent, and have the adaptability to survive in Albertan forests or the frozen waters of the Arctic.They could survive either increased global temperature, or another ice age - unlike their parents, who could only survive one of those a piece (for example, Grizzly bears might survive in the Arctic, but it would be incredibly difficult for them. Polar Bears could survive in warm climates, but it wouldn’t be ideal for them).

 

[Rau]

No twisting needed to see an insult. But, in this case I am glad to be a problem.

No insult given or intended. To give credence to evolutionary theories, the age of the universe, of the earth, the evolving nature of life on earth over aeons (rather than a mere 5778 years as proposed by some), is rational and evidence based, and not in itself at odds with any Christian principle. It is not the “surrendering” of either mind or heart. You merely wish to see it that way.

 

[Rau]

The theory allows anyone to say “I am god” because we are just a collection of flesh parts and nothing more.

The theory does not argue against the existence or creative role of God - but it is surely blind to it, which while no surprise, appears to be a source of offence to some. Many Catholics accept the likelihood of evolutionary development and also the creative role of God. Do they (including me) know precisely how the 2 play together? No. What is the alternative “more Godly” position that others here hold? That God snapped his fingers and created during a 6-day window (about 5778 years ago) everything including every plant and animal that has ever existed on earth (and despite any and all evidence suggesting otherwise). That is not a view of history the Church proclaims as literal (and the Church takes no interest in whether you accept it literally or not) and I suggest that such a literal ‘take’ represents no more understanding of the detail than I have, and discards all manner of evidence.

 

[Rau]

mainstream Catholicism is corrupt

A big call by Glark.

the Tooth Fairy - evolution has provided her with some pretty awesome powers

Another big call by Glark

Evolution is an elaborate, demonically-inspired hoax that is incompatible with Scripture and is therefore incompatible with the Catholic faith…

…as taught by Glark, though not as taught by the Catholic Church…

 

[Rau]

If the Church declared evolution to be incompatible to the faith, suddenly you yourself would become very “sensitive” to it.

The Church has declared some specific predictions of evolution, as they pertain to humans, incompatible with the faith. I accept that. It is not a cause of grief - science does not rule out divine acts any more than it teaches them. The Church obviously concludes it has no reason to object to matters such as the age of the Earth, the Sun and the history of life on earth for which their is copious scientific evidence. Perhaps this is due to the corruption to which you refer.

 

[frobert]

frobert:

Evolution is taught in every Catholic college and university and you will be hard pressed to find a Catholic college that teaches creationism.

… which poves nothing - except that mainstream Catholicism is corrupt and has sold out to the secular Zeitgeist.

While the Catholic Church does not say that creationism is bogus we can safely assume from their actions that it is pretty safe to say that the Catholic Church accepts evolution theory.

… because it is foolish enough to listen to the spirit of atheism that dominates the Pontifical Academy of the Sciences, which in turn simply reflects the scientific community in general. To make things worse, the Pontifical Bible Commission has somehow decided that evolution is compatible with the Bible. The “gates of hell will not prevail” against the Church - even if at times it seems otherwise.

Perhaps it’s not just main stream Catholicism or perhaps something else completely.

 

[frobert]

frobert:

I interpret that statement to mean “it’s ok to believe in creationism.” Pope Francis shortened the leash somewhat.

… only if you think the opinion of one Pope on an untestable scientific theory is worth something. Fortunately for the sake of the Church’s credibility, the Pope’s infallibility doesn’t extend to matters of science.

Did you test it?

 

[IWantGod]

There will always be the conspiracy theorist claiming we didn’t go to the moon. I have no reason to think that scientists are trying to deceive the human race much less think that the last two popes who spoke favorably of evolution are in the grips of a satanic delusion…

 

[Aloysium]

I wish you would say what you believe happened rather than leaving it with just the word evolution.

I use it in the strict scientific sense as a process that rests fundamentally on a molecular level, involving solely those processes associated with matter. So, it’s all about the DNA, which is not a surprising finding when the research is all about the DNA and how it changes in time. There is no connection here between what the church teaches about creation and evolution.

What shapes the final form of the plant or animal is asserted to be its capacity to survive and proceate. While “mental” activity is required in the process of mating and even in insects involved in pollenation, there are only the oddest speculations as to its sources and development; and, then it is considered to be important insofar as it identifies the fittest.

What also remains unclarified is why there are sexes, why living creatures have a life expectancy, not to mention why the growing complexity, why us - mathematics, philosophy, science - how these enhance survival.

There is so much fail in materialistic explanations, it’s a wonder why science bothers at all. The science of Evolution is an embarrassment, being a modern version of astrology, with its underlying belief that the material governs the workings of the world. But in an evolutionary world where new is better, people lap it up.

In view of the reality of God and His relationship with mankind, any discussion as to how God created us in the world, would be about preferences. What I mean by this is that the truth is centred around God, and outside of that, we are merely creating a narrative that suits our perspective of the world. In the future, things may be different. But today, it’s a matter of people prefering one story over another. (I saw some people eating some sort of pinkish ice cream; I prefer chocolate, exclusively.) However, if disconnected from the Truth, all that remains is a groundless story - fantasy.

If you advocate for an evolutionary creation, you might want to present that vision, since I don’t know what you are talking about, being no fan of the 6k view of human history, and most definitely disagreeing with “evolution” as it is taught and propagated within society.