N-Philes :: Forums - Vatican gives a nod to evolution

01-19-2006, 10:50 AM

Machine Knight

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Vatican gives a nod to evolution

Quote:

Although not presented as an official church position, the Vatican newspaper published an article this week labeling as "correct" the decision by a judge in Pennsylvania last month that the concept of intelligent design could not be taught as a scientific alternative to evolution.

But the article, in the Vatican's most visible publication, seemed notable, given the strength of the comments on a delicate question much debated under the new pope, Benedict XVI.

"If the model proposed by Darwin is not considered sufficient, one should search for another one," Fiorenzo Facchini, a professor of evolutionary biology at the University of Bologna, wrote in the Jan. 16-17 edition of the paper, L'Osservatore Romano.

"But it is not correct from a methodological point of view to stray from the field of science while pretending to do science," he wrote. "It only creates confusion between the scientific plane and those that are philosophical or religious."

In July, Christoph Schönborn, an Austrian cardinal who is close to Benedict, seemed to call into question what has been official church teaching for years: that Catholicism and evolution are not necessarily at odds.

In an opinion piece in The New York Times, he played down a 1996 letter by Pope John Paul II that evolution was "more than a hypothesis."

He added, "Evolution in the sense of common ancestry might be true, but evolution in the neo-Darwinian sense - an unguided, unplanned process of random variation and natural selection - is not."

In the Pennsylvania case, a U.S. federal judge ruled that it was unconstitutional for a school district in Dover to present intelligent design as an alternative to evolution in high school biology courses. The judge called it a religious viewpoint that advanced "a particular version of Christianity."

The case, the first in the United States to test the legal merits of intelligent design - which posits that biological life is so complex that it must have been designed by an intelligent source - was a stinging rebuke to advocates of the concept and provided strong support for scientists who have fought to bar it from the science curriculum.

Benedict himself has signaled an interest in the issue of evolution at least twice, prompting questions about where exactly he stood on the question of intelligent design.

In April, when he was formally installed as pope, he said human beings "are not some casual and meaningless product of evolution." In November, he called the creation of the universe an "intelligent project," wording lauded by intelligent-design supporters.

Many Catholic scientists have criticized intelligent design, notably the Reverend George Coyne, director of the Vatican Observatory. "Intelligent design isn't science, even though it pretends to be," he said in November, according to the Italian press service ANSA. "Intelligent design should be taught when religion or cultural history is taught, not science."

In October, Schönborn sought to clarify his remarks, saying that he meant to question not the science of evolution but what he called "evolutionism," or an attempt to use the theory to rule out the hand of God in creation.

"I see no difficulty in joining belief in the creator with the theory of evolution, but under the prerequisite that the borders of scientific theory are maintained," the cardinal said in a speech in Vienna.

In the Osservatore article, Facchini similarly wrote that scientists could not rule out a divine "superior design" to creation and the history of mankind. But he said that Catholic thought did not rule out that that design could take place through an evolutionary process.

"God's project of creation can be carried out through secondary causes in the natural course of events, without having to think of miraculous interventions that point in this or that direction," he wrote.

Neither Facchini nor the editors of L'Osservatore could immediately be reached for comment.

Source

Really a good read to see where the church community stands on this. It's always important to keep religion and science seperate. Good to know some members of the church share that idea.

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01-19-2006, 02:50 PM	#2
~~MrSnuggles~~ Banned Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Land of the free, home of the brave Posts: 8,147	ill keep my religion out of your science, as long as you keep your science out of my religion.

01-19-2006, 02:53 PM	#3
Zanzaa FlyGuy Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Somewhere between MP2:E & SSBM Posts: 473	Science and Religion should add up perfectly. If they don't...check your Religion.

01-19-2006, 02:56 PM	#4
Batist Treasure Hunter Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Sainte Maxime Posts: 34,890	Religion is a waste of time. Science is the way to go. i won't stop you from going to church to waste your time to learn hate and become a bigot, it's your choice. __________________

01-19-2006, 03:09 PM	#5
BEan Microsoft certified Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: On a rooftop with a bullhorn. Posts: 10,871	This is a big surprise to me. As for the science vs religon: Science is jus the tools in God's tool box. He wrote the laws, we just discover them. __________________ The sounds of DKL screaming and yelling in agony is magical and relaxing.

01-19-2006, 03:17 PM

~~MrSnuggles~~

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Majinbuu

Religion is a waste of time. Science is the way to go.

i won't stop you from going to church to waste your time to learn hate and become a bigot, it's your choice.

how openminded of you.

01-19-2006, 03:19 PM

Batist

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Quote:

Originally Posted by MrSnuggles

how openminded of you.

more so then you you anti-islamic fascist.

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01-19-2006, 03:26 PM	#8
~~MrSnuggles~~ Banned Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Land of the free, home of the brave Posts: 8,147	funny you see ME as the fascist and not the muslims that would sooner saw your head off then live peacefully beside you.

01-19-2006, 03:29 PM	#9
Batist Treasure Hunter Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Sainte Maxime Posts: 34,890	what's the best remedy to stop hate? mrs nuggles -> counter them with more hate. __________________

01-19-2006, 04:04 PM

#10

BEan

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Quote:

Originally Posted by MrSnuggles

funny you see ME as the fascist and not the muslims that would sooner saw your head off then live peacefully beside you.

Are you saying all muslims or the ones involved with Alqueda?

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01-19-2006, 04:10 PM	#11
Batist Treasure Hunter Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Sainte Maxime Posts: 34,890	probably all muslims. it is the missy talking after all. __________________

01-19-2006, 04:49 PM	#12
xyxx Skeeter Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 120	majinbuu, you are a terrible person. I am glad my religion correlates with science. And its good to see the catholic church doing this.

01-19-2006, 05:07 PM

#13

Batist

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Quote:

Originally Posted by xyxx

majinbuu, you are a terrible person.

You can call me a terrible person for not believing in crap.

I think it's best to believe in the mighty Zeus then your terrible fiction?

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01-19-2006, 05:17 PM

#14

TendoGamer

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I think of it this way. Science proves a lot of things, but why is there science?

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Quote:

Originally Posted by zig

I have the display of signatures turned off because it is a dumb concept and you are dumb if you have one.

01-19-2006, 05:21 PM

#15

Batist

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Quote:

Originally Posted by TendoGamer

I think of it this way. Science proves a lot of things, but why is there science?

because jesus made science for people to stop believing in the made up crap they made in the bible.

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01-19-2006, 05:34 PM

#16

gunshow21

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Quote:

Originally Posted by TendoGamer

Science proves a lot of things, but why is there science?

Because we are human beings.

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01-19-2006, 05:54 PM	#17
Crusader De novo Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Avon Lake, Ohio Posts: 1,739	Science makes certain a priori assumptions about the universe, and it is best to use science within the limits of those presumptions. Trying to use science to explain everything is an abuse of it.

01-19-2006, 07:37 PM	#18
Good Doctor i'll be your king volcano Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Tampa Posts: 5,581	Science is the way forward... give in to its siren song with wreckless abandon. __________________ right for you again and again my velvet goldmine

01-19-2006, 08:03 PM

#19

~~MrSnuggles~~

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Quote:

Originally Posted by BEan

Are you saying all muslims or the ones involved with Alqueda?

any muslim involved in terrorism, any muslim that supports terrorism, and any muslim that supports it by not standing up against it.

01-19-2006, 08:04 PM	#20
Coconut Can has custom title? Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 15,975