The catholic church is finally seeing sense. Pope Benedict is calling the experts together to reject 'intellegent' design, ie creationism (who know what will come next - contraception?). This is an enormous victory for science, the theory of evolution and good old common sense. Now the only major religion that rejects evolution is islam. Will the fundamentalists who wish to promote creationism as science in schools now turn to the Immams for leadership?
2006-09-07 15:25:32 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Nature 443, 10-11(7 September 2006) | doi:10.1038/443010a; Published online 6 September 2006
When science and theology meet
Declan Butler
Abstract
Catholic Church ready to reject intelligent design.
Religion is religion, science is science, and good fences make good neighbours. That seems likely to be the thrust of an expected clarification by the Roman Catholic Church of its position on biological evolution, according to a prominent biologist who spoke at a retreat on the topic held last weekend by Pope Benedict XVI.
This outcome would be a blow to supporters of intelligent design who had hoped that factions in the Vatican sympathetic to their ideas might prevail in an internal feud over evolution that has opened since the death of Pope John Paul II in April last year. That could have given a global axis to what has been largely a US cultural phenomenon.
2006-09-07 18:51:18 · update #1
Don't start breathing yet. The Pope is only calling for a study. The last time a Pope called for a study, it was for the birth control pill. The first group studied it and recommended for it. So the Pope got a second group to go against the pill.
2006-09-07 15:28:44 · answer #1 · answered by hawkthree 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
First off, the Catholic church has recognized evolution as valid science for quite some time. Rejecting intelligent design isn't a victory for science, it's just an overdue announcement from a huge, monolithic organization that moves very slowly. Intelligent design doesn't lose any validity from this action (since it never had any scientific validity in the first place), and evolution doesn't gain anything (since it's proven scientific fact whether the Catholic church accepts that or not).
Still, it does mean that perhaps a few more Catholics will feel free to use reason instead of dogma in their thinking -- never a bad thing :)
2006-09-07 22:34:38 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Church has always taught creation with the idea of it possibly taking huge periods of time and even possibly evolution of certain species in the process. Nonetheless, the basic Creation by an Intelligent Designer has always, and will continue to always be taught and believed by the Church.
The Pope, nor the Church will ever "reject an Intelligent Designer", aka God.
2006-09-07 22:35:49 · answer #3 · answered by Augustine 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Catholic Church was never anti-science. Not even with Galileo. Prot deformers were anti-science, not the Catholic Church.
The truth of science cannot contradict the truths of faith, because both come from the same source. God.
Pope B16 is not doing anything new. Pope Pius XII declared that "the teaching authority of the Church does not forbid that, in conformity with the present state of human sciences and sacred theology, research and discussions . . . take place with regard to the doctrine of evolution, in as far as it inquires into the origin of the human body as coming from pre-existent and living matter—[but] the Catholic faith obliges us to hold that souls are immediately created by God" (Pius XII, Humani Generis 36).
2006-09-07 22:49:20 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Even the Catholic Church is made up of individuals who can think for themselves. But, you must remember, the Pope is not the leader of the Christian Church, he just leads the Catholic Church.
Regardless of what the Pope "decrees" as Catholic dogma, True Christians will follow what the Bible teaches us, and we will remain Christians.
God's Word does not change. The Bible will stand forever.
So, no, we won't be coming to Islam, nor to Allah. We'll stick close to Jesus, thank you.
2006-09-07 22:35:13 · answer #5 · answered by Bob L 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The pope is the false prophet mentioned in Revelations. The whore of Babylon who will help the antichrist lead the world into confusion.
2006-09-07 22:28:28 · answer #6 · answered by strengthfornow 1 · 1⤊ 3⤋
errrr... the second biggest religion in America is Southern Baptist and they don't believe in evolution. Neither do Pentecostals and there are hundreds of millions of Pentecostals in the world.
2006-09-07 22:28:12 · answer #7 · answered by Kev 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The Pope is endorsing intelligent design.
http://www.Catholic.com
What a misleading, and false question!
2006-09-07 22:28:41 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
I never paid any attention to what any Pope says, I follow the bible. What would I care about what he would have to say now?
2006-09-07 22:27:01 · answer #9 · answered by christian_lady_2001 5 · 1⤊ 2⤋
I D is false prophecy ... Genisis 1:1
2006-09-07 22:29:16 · answer #10 · answered by GIDDYUP 4 · 1⤊ 2⤋