Is it true that the Catholic Church accepts evolution and the 4.5B year old earth?

Question

The last two recent Popes seem to have made statements that they take no issue with evolutionary science. But what is really passed down to the flock?

Thanks all. I'm getting a lot of consistent answers here. I guess I never realized that there was such a significant split on this issue between the Catholics and the Protestants.

So-I guess the Protestants are the ones who believe the earth is 6,000-10,000 years old?

Answer 1

Kind of. It accepts evolution at a theory.

The Catholic Church does not take the stories of creation in the Bible literally. Catholics believe the book of Genesis tells religious truth and not necessarily historical fact.

One of the religious truths is that God created everything and declared all was good.

Catholics can believe in the theory of evolution. Or not. The Church does not require belief in evolution.

On August 12, 1950 Pope Pius XII said in his encyclical Humani generis:

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, on the part of men experienced in both fields, 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 - for the Catholic faith obliges us to hold that souls are immediately created by God.

Here is the complete encyclical: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/pius_xii/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xii_enc_12081950_humani-generis_en.html

The Church supports science in the discovery of God's creation. At this time, the theory of evolution is the most logical scientific explanation. However tomorrow someone may come up with a better idea.

As long as we believe that God started the whole thing, both the Bible and modern science can live in harmony.

With love in Christ.

Answer 2

i think of the Catholic Church does not regard the thought of evolution as a topic. Catholics are loose to verify whether or no longer they have faith it or no longer. it is no longer a count of religion. this does not advise the Catholic Church formally "accepts" evolution. it may be silly for a non secular physique to declare authority over concerns of technology, that are constantly changing. there replaced right into a time while scientists theory that phlogiston replaced right into a factor contained in flamable components; and that once such gadgets burn, the phlogiston is absorbed into the air, and the substance will become dephlogisticated. Now, if the Church had "regular" this theory, they could seem silly.

Answer 3

YES. And it's true. The whole thing of making it in days would not make sense because God does not exist in our 4 dimensions of the x,y,z and time. So God did not really have time. Therefore his day could have been anything. You also have to take into account the translation from Hebrew to English.

Second, evolution as natural selection is a very efficient and a very intelligent way to create a lot of things. God created evolution and used it to create all the species on the earth. When God came to the point when he was ready to create humans, he made them out of his previous designs and added to them a soul and fashioned them different and in his own image but improved from an earlier design.,

Answer 4

I spent the first 9 years of school in a Catholic school. While they do teach the creation story in religion class, they teach it as allegorical. We had it explained that it was a story to explain and illustrate god's hand in nature; and that it was not to be taken literally. Evolution and the Big Bang are taught, in science class, as the generally accepted origin of the universe and how life came to be as we know it. There is alot of rationalization to link the myth with the facts, but yes, Catholics tend to hold the scientific evidence to be true (or as Stan put forth, god is the why...evolution is the how).

Answer 5

The general idea is that God could have caused the cosmos and mankind to develop in any way he chose, using any system he wished.

This is the opinion of the last two popes, but it is not necessarily the official opinion of the Church.

The Church tends to leave these things open to debate until solid evidence presents itself, one way, or the other, or until some wacko fringe group attempts to speak authoratively on the subject, with no real authority to do so.

Answer 6

>>But what is really passed down to the flock?<<

I've been Catholic for 8 years, my husband has been Catholic for 42 years, and neither of us has heard one word against evolution and/or the 4.5B year old earth from the Catholic Church.

Answer 7

Official church doctrine is that evolution is accepted, as far as individual beliefs, I can only speak for a biology teacher I had back in highschool (I graduated 03) he was catholic, and an evolutionist. However he differed from official church doctrine in some other ways.

Answer 8

My wife's Catholic bible has creative evolution taught in the front before the book of Genesis.. Whether they actually teach it in church is another story. Or in the US also .. This is a spanish catholic bible.. A guy called me a liar once and I had to send him a scanned copy to prove it..

Answer 9

they are very flexible as far as keeping their flock is
so they go with the wind i Guess ,they would not have agreed to this 100 years ago ,but now it has become unavoidable ,too much evidence .

And the church tries to remain with in the realm of credibility,although talking snakes ,guys with wings
that are of a different bone structure than the rest of the bodies bones ,and a women that becomes pregnant by thought is still pushing it ,
not to mention burning bushes that speak.

No wonder people have trouble knowing whether they are dreaming or if this is the real thing

Answer 10

Evolotion is taught in the Catholic schools in North America. And almost all Catholic universities.