Creation v Evolution: is it Science v Religion or Religion v Religion??

Question

If ToE is a fact of science, why does it take faith to believe it?
And if it is fact, would the conclusions be obvious to everyone who looks into it?

(ref: Climbing mount improbable - Richard Dawkins)

Answer 1

Agostine Monk and Abbot, Gregor Mendel, did more to advance the science of change and evolution with his plant studies. He's considered the Father of Genetics. He actually made "intellgent design" in plants possible.

Then there's Father Georges-Henri Lemaître a Roman Catholic priest, honorary prelate, professor of physics and astronomer. He gave us the Big Bang theory.

Isn't it funny how the actually scientific theories are conjured up by Religious Priests.

Answer 2

1.) A Theory of Everything is a theory, not a scientific fact, since it cannot be proven due to a lack of data. A scientific theory is not something to be taken on faith; that would undermine the objectivity that math and science require.

2) Creationism is a religious belief, because it is based upon religious scriptures of the Judeo-Christian religion. The Bible, like the Koran or any other holy book, must be accepted through faith.

3) Evolution is a description of the mechanism by which "God" has developed self-replicating molecular structures (life), and is not in the same class as a religion. It does not require faith and belief to accept. It requires duplicatable observation. Furthermore, it does not directly challenge Christianity anymore than it challenges the Cargo Cult, Animism, Ancestor Worship, or any other religion.

Answer 3

Evolution is a science, not a religion. It makes no attempt to disprove anything, or its no longer a science. It is a study of the fossil record. Period.

Some people's faith is threatened by ToE when in fact, they need not be.

The Catholic Church has always taught that "no real disagreement can exist between the theologian and the scientist provided each keeps within his own limits. . . . If nevertheless there is a disagreement . . . it should be remembered that the sacred writers, or more truly ‘the Spirit of God who spoke through them, did not wish to teach men such truths (as the inner structure of visible objects) which do not help anyone to salvation’; and that, for this reason, rather than trying to provide a scientific exposition of nature, they sometimes describe and treat these matters either in a somewhat figurative language or as the common manner of speech those times required, and indeed still requires nowadays in everyday life, even amongst most learned people" (Leo XIII, Providentissimus Deus 18).

As the Catechism puts it, "Methodical research in all branches of knowledge, provided it is carried out in a truly scientific manner and does not override moral laws, can never conflict with the faith, because the things of the world and the things the of the faith derive from the same God. The humble and persevering investigator of the secrets of nature is being led, as it were, by the hand of God in spite of himself, for it is God, the conserver of all things, who made them what they are" (CCC 159). The Catholic Church has no fear of science or scientific discovery.

Answer 4

"Fact" is a difficult word - nothing, absolutely nothing is beyond revision.

- I don't think TofE does need faith to believe it - a great many people believe TofE without resorting to "faith". There reasons may be right or wrong but they see it as a robust and supported scientific theory.

- On "Science v Religion" you have to appreciate that most religious leaders in the world and most (educated) people of religious faith have absolutely no problem combining faith with TofE. Pope John Paul II specifically said that evoltion was "more than a theory", the Archbishop of Canterbury has said that evolution should be taught in schools and ID/Creation should NOT be taught in schools. On this basis there is NO conflict between Evolution and religion. So why the debate? It is a small (pretty well US-only) group of people who have a problem mixing their faith and evolution. To cut to the chase: its the fundies, isn't it? So its not really "religion" v evolution but:

Religion AND science v a small sub-set of religion

Answer 5

Evolution doesn't require any faith at all. If you have read Climbing Mount Improbable and understand it then you would know that.

I would argue that the conclusions are obvious to anyone who looks into it with an open mind. If you go into it with a major bias against it already then you will do all kinds of mental gymnastics in order to try to discount it.

Answer 6

If you do not study science and develop critical reasoning, you can take evolution on faith. If you investigate and analyze it is science. The core facts are as plain as day to anyone investigates honestly. There is some contoversy at the periphery where the data is sparse, but the bulk -- especially the molecular data -- are sound and not at all controversial. There are a few people out there who make controversies where there are none, purely for political reasons. There are some fringe elements who take every word of the Bible literally, no matter how hard they have to strecth them to fit. This is the only conflict.

Answer 7

The ToE is a fact of science. There is no faith about it. The evidence is there for everyone to examine, along with the lab tests that prove it.

The conclusions are obvious to anyone who takes a look at it. Unfortunately the Creationists don't look at it at all. They construct a straw man of the ToE and bash that. When their claims are deconstructed and revealed as absurd, they stick their fingers in their ears and scream "I can't hear you" until you go away...and then go right back to using their discreditied claims.

It isn't science vs. religion. It's religious dogma vs. scietific reality.

Answer 8

I don't think that there is a creation v evolution. I believe in both. I believe in evolution, but I believe God started off the whole process. If there was a big bang, God somehow started it. That's all. The Biblical creation account is not meant to be a literal and chronological account. It is just pointing out that God created everything. The method which He did that though, we do not know.

God Bless.

Answer 9

It takes "faith" to believe in Evolution if you believe 100% in what the Bible says, since you are not open to contradictory ideas. Evolution, being a theory, is not a fact. It is convenient to view it as a religion if you don't believe in it, but that is not what it is. It is a scientific study of the origin of life, not an arbitrary guess with no evidence other than a book to back it up. So to answer your question...Science vs. Religion.

Answer 10

The theory of evolution is a scientific theory that makes predictions about the nature of biological beings that are both accurate and provable. Faith is not required. Naturalistic explanations of life are the only way to investigate science. Including theistic explanations stops science dead in its tracks.