In a blow to believers of creation theory and intelligent design, a leading Vatican official declared yesterday that Darwin’s theory of evolution was compatible with Christian faith, and could even be traced to St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas. “In fact, what we mean by evolution is the world as created by God,” said Archbishop Gianfranco Ravasi.
This is a ruling that will no doubt infuriate some on the religious right, but as Marc Leclerc, who teaches natural philosophy at the Gregorian University points out:
[T]oo many opponents of Darwin – above all Creationists – had mistakenly claimed that his theories were “totally incompatible with a religious vision of reality”, as did proponents of Intelligent Design.
Darwin’s theories had never been formally condemned by the Roman Catholic Church, Monsignor Ravasi insisted. His rehabilitation had begun as long ago as 1950, when Pius XII described evolution as a valid scientific approach to the development of humans. In 1996 John Paul II said that it was “more than a hypothesis”.
I’ve always held the belief that evolution makes sense and is “good science,” and I’ve long held the belief that evolution and the Biblical creation story weren’t necessarily at odds, and so it’s good to hear that my church isn’t going to excommunicate me for supporting Darwin’s theory of evolution. After all, if the theory of evolution is good enough for my church, then it’s good enough for me…
I have to say I like the way you put it…”religious right”… s if no one on the left or liberal side is religious, and I am humored that you are using the Vatican as a credible source of information.
Sorry, that’s “as if no one…”
Anon, when I referred to the religious right, I was referring specifically to folks like Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell. I know full well there are religious folks on both sides of the political spectrum, and shockingly enough, I’d actually consider myself to be among those folks.
As to your comment about the Vatican as a credible source of information, I’ll just say that I’m Catholic, and so I do tend to put some stock in what comes from Rome.
I don’t think the “religious right” looks to Rome for advice.
They agree on a few issues–abortion and often, birth control (see Pro-Life Wisconsin), but mostly show no respect for Catholics.
Didn’t McCain “catch hell” for an endorsement of John Hagee who called the Catholic Church “the Great Whore”? And remember Bob Jones calling the pope the anti-Christ and the church a satanic cult??
John McCain was not far from distance associated with John Haggee.
John Haggee did not invent story about Catholic church as a hore. It is in Catholic Bible Rev 17:9 and 18 chapter. And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains (Rome), on which the woman sitteth.
Read the rest of chapter and then ch. 18.
The word whore in biblical term means unfaithful to the teaching of Jesus.