Genesis notDarwin

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Meow1

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I am a recent revert…I am having doubts about coming back to the Church because I hear that the Church endorses evolution, whereas I believe in the Biblical Creation account written in Genesis. I don’t believe in a millions of years earth ; I believe fossils were created by the Great Flood.
I am not looking for a debate if my beliefs; rather my question is should I leave the Church since I do not believe evolutionary theory?
 
I believe such issues are left to the individual and are not dogma.
 
Meow1 said:
I am not looking for a debate if my beliefs; rather my question is should I leave the Church since I do not believe evolutionary theory?
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The Church does not deny science, but it does not require you to accept it, either.
 
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How do you explain the facts that genetic material is passed on by descent and that all living things share genetic material? All living things are therefore related by descent. The only possible thing you could postulate to argue against that is that God make each individual bacteria, fungus, plant and animal in a separate act of creation. But you accept Genesis, and Genesis teach the opposite: species creation. Joining the Church and advocating such views poses the risk of scandal, as people with an understanding of science and the difference between fact and theory may confuse your beliefs with those of the Church.
 
FiveLinden said:
Joining the Church and advocating such views poses the risk of scandal,
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Again, the Church allows it. People are free to believe the Earth is 6000 years old, flat, and balanced on the back of a turtle, if that’s what they want to believe. The Church is concerned with the fate of our souls. As far as I know, denying scientific evidence doesn’t affect that.
 
Do not leave the Church! You can hold any view you want on the age of the earth. The Church says you can believe in evolution, but there is no requirement to. Stay Catholic. Evolution is a option, not a requirement.
 
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angel12 said:
Again, the Church allows it. People are free to believe the Earth is 6000 years old, flat, and balanced on the back of a turtle, if that’s what they want to believe. The Church is concerned with the fate of our souls. As far as I know, denying scientific evidence doesn’t affect that.
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Certainly not. But some of the faithful and potential Catholics may be scandalised by the rejection of usual standards of observation and reason. It brings into doubt the thinking processes behind acceptance of Church doctrine. Also as the turtle thing is a Hindu belief I think that might not be ok for Catholics to believe.
 
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meow, the first 11 chapters of Genesis, we are free to take literally or not.

Abraham is where the historic Biblical scriptures of the Jewish people and their relationship with God begins.

If you are thinking of leaving the Church, it is because of whats in your heart for Jesus, not because you find a point like being fundamentalist as far as the creation stories are concerned.

Science does not define faith and faith does not define science
faith does not equal belief.

Has anyone had a chat with you about how to read the Scriptures.
because you will get into a lot of hot water taking everything literally.
 
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FiveLinden said:
Also as the turtle thing is a Hindu belief I think that might not be ok for Catholics to believe.
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I apologize, I do forget that not everyone gets hyperbole.

I am far more concerned with the example given by Christians who don’t live Christ’s teachings, than those who don’t accept science. And I don’t believe we, as individuals, have the right to tell people they have to accept more than the Church requires.
 
FiveLinden said:
potential Catholics may be scandalised by the rejection of usual standards of observation and reason
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I would think, then, that the onus is on the potentials to investigate thoroughly beforehand. No one should take any layman’s ideas for doctrine.
 
As a science teacher my advice to you would be to concern yourself with God and not worry about how the world was made it makes no difference to your salvation (thankfully)
 
Facts about the world knowable by natural reason are by definition not matters of faith, and are therefore not things that create or destroy communion in the Church, which is founded upon and delineated by baptism, profession of faith, and the social bond of hierarchical unity.
 
Is science really facts or theories? People of science for centuries have thought they’ve proven many things only to be discounted years later. But thanks for assuring me on the God over science
 
I spent years in the Missionary Church and the Baptist Church. I must say I hold the belief that if you toss out Genesis you toss out the whole Bible. How could Catholics deny this, when Catholics had the Bible before any other Christians?
 
Yeah, the certainty of knowledge acquired through the scientific method is of course less than the certainty of divine faith in what God has revealed, since he does not deceive and cannot be deceived.
 
I spoke to a priest about this in confession and he basically said the same thing. Then I heard on CA last night “evangelistic through science “ that ,According to the guest? We are decended from ape like creatures. The Bible clearly states that God created Adam and Eve
 
I do take the scriptures literally. How can we not ? If the Bible is the Word of God it must be interpreted literally. Curious, are you saying the first 11 books are written for the Jews; we New Testament Christians are not bound by the law? If not, what is your basis for that? Thanks for your (name removed by moderator)ut
 
It says He created Adam and Eve from the slime of the earth, but does not give the details about how that slime was fashioned. It could have been a longer process. Remember, Adam’s body was formed before God breathed his soul into him. The Catholic faith holds the creation of the soul to be immediate–the rest of the process is open to further inquiry.

Take for example one of the explanations St. Augustine gave in his “Literal Meaning of Genesis.”

In Book 6 on the creation of man, he explains the idea that the six days represent not literal days, but a scheme or plan of creation. The actual creation during those “days” was instantaneous and of things in potency and causation, but not necessarily their final visible form which would be shaped later over time. For example, he places the actual formation of man’s body after the seventh day (thus, the second creation account in Genesis):

St. Augustine
There can be no doubt, then, that the work whereby man was formed from the slime of the earth and a wife fashioned for him from his side belongs not to that creation by which all thing were made together, after completing which, God rested, but to that work of God which takes place with the unfolding of the ages as He works even now.
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He compares this to how mountains and rivers, etc. are shaped over time.

This interpretation works well with concepts like an old universe, the big bang, and evolution–ie God created all things at once in potency (the big bang) and then formed them over time (old universe, evolution).
 
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God does everything as a process - nothing just pops up as it is. Even a baby develops in the womb and doesn’t look like a fully recognisable human from the moment of conception - even though it is fully human! No reason to think creation of the universe and Adam and Eve couldn’t be a process.
 
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