Does Darwin's theory of evolution contradict Catholicsm?

[Techno2000]

Why has there been 300 posts in 4 days. Really

Well I guess it’s better that 1 post in 4 days… you gotta get while the gettin good.

 

[Glark]

Evolution theory has its purpose, it is useful to understand how things evolve. So it is not useless entirely.

Please give one example of how understanding how life evolved has proven useful. By the way, there is a world of difference between understanding and thinking you understand.

Which part of the theology is “junk” regarding evolution theory?

For example, if Adam and Eve weren’t real historical people, a lot of Scripture is reduced to fable, which seriously undermines its the authority … not to mention the authority of the Magisterium.

 

[Glark]

Oh, I understand your version; I just disagree with it.

Which parts do you disagree with?

If by ‘seriously’ you mean, “with reverence and solemnity”, then you’re very mistaken.

Biologos treats Scripture “with solemnity and reverence”? Yeah right! That might be what their website spiel says, but the truth is, Biologos does what all theistic evolutionists do to any Scripture that threatens their sacred-cow of evolution - they twist and mangle and distort so grossly that it may as well never have been written down in the first place. This process of Scripture-cide is euphemistically called allegorisation. It’s a joke.

Many different types of folks – from a variety of faith traditions and backgrounds – disagree with a fundamentalist-style purely literalistic Scriptural
hermeneutic.

“fundamentalist-style”? In that case, about 99.99% of the early Church Fathers also held “fundamentalist-style” beliefs about Genesis. So I’m in excellent company - thanks for the compliment!

 

[Glark]

Evolution isn’t in the Bible because it has no relevance to Salvation, which is what the Bible’s about. It’s not about science

This is another falsehood that theistic evolutionist habitually peddle - that literal creationists claim the Genesis is a book of “science”. Genesis is HISTORY, not science. Evolution denies the HISTORY recorded in the Bible.

Do you think God would be so stupid as to try and describe the miracle of creation with a puny, limited thing called science?

 

[Glark]

I saw no specifics there about Adam’s origins - beyond the fact that he (like all of us) came from the earth. And right reason makes clear that Adam pre-dates mummies much older than what you personally deem to be the age of life on earth.

Which details of the miracle of Adam’s creation would you like God to explain to you?

---

Ah, yes … those dating techniques are soooo reliable!

 

[Glark]

Why presume an ill motive?

Because the whole raison d’etre of Satan’s theory of evolution is to usurp belief in a Divine Creator and replace it with a godless natural process. Get rid of the need for a Creator to explain where life came from and you’ve gone a long way to getting rid of God altogether. You haven’t worked that out yet?

Have you never wondered why so much emphasis and dogma surrounds a theory that is UNPROVEN and is COMPLETELY USELESS in any practical sense? Have you never wondered why the Church is willing to be theologically reckless in order to accommodate a theory that is UNPROVEN and is COMPLETELY USELESS? None of this BIZARRE phenomena has set any alarm bells ringing on your spiritual radar?

 

[Glark]

… and children

And 99.9% of the early Church Fathers!

 

[Glark]

Yeah, they know all this from a millimeter long bone.

Gosh, isn’t evolution science AWESOME! Reminds me of Nebraska Man, who was invented solely on the evidence of one tooth. The tooth turned out to be from a pig, but so what? Humans evolved from pigs didn’t they?

 

[Glark]

Origen was well before Darwin:

“What intelligent person will suppose that there was a first, a second and a third day, that there was evening and morning without the existence of the sun and moon and stars? Or that there was a first day without a sky?”

as quoted in the Philocalia

"What intelligent person? How about 99.9% of the other early Church Fathers?

The most common explanation is that, even though there was no Sun until Day 4, the references to “evening” and “morning” describe a period of time - 24 hours.
Notice v.5 - “And he called the light Day, and the darkness Night; and there was evening and morning, one day.” It is not called “the first day” because it is defining what “one day” is. All the other days are numbered using different terminology - “second day, third day … sixth day”.

 

[Glark]

Right , and telling an atheist there’s no evolution is like telling a kid there’s no Santa Clause.

That’s why they get so angry at creationists. Theistic evolutionists are not too far behind in the animus stakes, come to think of it. They can’t do without their science-fiction, either.

Those Genesis-literalists are real party-poopers, not mention just plain ignorant, stupid, haters of science and weird.

 

[Rau]

Because the whole raison d’etre of Satan’s theory of evolution is to usurp belief in a Divine Creator and replace it with a godless natural process. Get rid of the need for a Creator to explain where life came from and you’ve gone a long way to getting rid of God altogether. You haven’t worked that out yet?

Ummm… no! Question remains - why this lack of charity? Might not many in the science community and many arm-chair students of science simply be mistaken? You know…like you agreed earlier that scientists keep making a mistake when they do carbon-dating. And why this crazy notion that a Big Bang billions of years ago, planets born of exploding stars & life evolving over billions of years…why this crazy idea that any of this means “no God”? Just because a talking head on TV made that leap??

Have you never wondered why so much emphasis and dogma surrounds a theory that is UNPROVEN and is COMPLETELY USELESS in any practical sense?

Umm…no. First, I’ve not noticed any “dogma”. And second, we are pretty curious creatures you know. Who wouldn’t want to enquire into the fabulous complexity and discover how things seem to work? Have you studied particle physics? Paleontology? Have you read about the discovery of mummies of people who lived more than 6000 years ago, which by your reckoning is before creation!

Have you never wondered why the Church is willing to…[acknowledge] a theory that is UNPROVEN and is COMPLETELY USELESS? None of this BIZARRE phenomena has set any alarm bells ringing on your spiritual radar?

Ummm…yes! Because right reason recognises that facts in our face oughtn’t to be ignored, and that neither faith nor the salvation of souls relies on a literal reading of Genesis.

 

[Glark]

How did beavers survive before the first engineer amongst them built a dam? That same proto-engineer - luckily for him - just happened to have big, tough teeth that could chomp through a tree.

The digestive acids in a crocodile’s gut can dissolve cast iron. Love to know how that evolved.

And how about that Bomdardier beetle? Whoa!

Evolution is incredible.

 

[Rau]

Those Genesis-literalists are real party-poopers, not mention just plain ignorant, stupid, haters of science and weird.

Well, at least you are even-handed in your lack of charity! But no, I don’t think that’s true. I think they should be cut some slack, and allowed to find God in their own way. And they should allow “non-literalist Genesis readers” to do the same. And they should cease hurling abuse in the direction of the Church and Magisterium.

 

[Glark]

Apparently, the ugly, hairy, stinking, ape-like creature that God installed the first soul in was made in the image of God.

 

[Glark]

I wish I were even HALF that good-looking!

 

[IWantGod]

Do you even know what being made in the image of God actually means? I don’t think you do.

 

[Rau]

Which details of the miracle of Adam’s creation would you like God to explain to you?

None. God’s ways are far above man’s. I can wait to meet him for that kind of enlightenment. In the meantime, we can plod along using our God given reason to study his creation and learn what we can.

those dating techniques are soooo reliable!

I’m pretty sure they are good enough to reliably distinguish 100 years, 5000 years and 50,000 years (about the age of aboriginal occupation in Australia).

 

[IWantGod]

I agree Natural Evolution is incredible. I would go even further than that and say that Natural evolution actually helps prove the existence of God.

 

[Glark]

It’s the duty of every Christian to oppose the works of the devil.

Next you’ll be telling me that those Catholic bishops who support same-sex marriage are beyond reproach and that their opinions should be respected.

 

[Rau]

It’s the duty of every Christian to oppose the works of the devil.

Right (and in an appropriate manner). I’d also urge you to follow the Church’s guidance on what is and what is not the work of the devil.

Next you’ll be telling me that those Catholic bishops who support same-sex marriage are beyond reproach and that their opinions should be respected.

I’d offer just the same advice as above. What does the Church teach about marriage?

And if any Priest or Bishop counsels you in opposition to the teaching of the Church (not your personal opinion mind you!!) then of course you should ignore them.