Do kids in Catholic schools have to learn about the Theory of Evolution?

Question

Yeah, Americans suck. I know because I am one and I don't like where we're going.

Answer 1

yes. I went to a catholic school and we learned about evolution. I didn't even know that anybody even thinks it makes sense to take the bible literally until I moved to the US.

Answer 2

Yes -- I learned about evolution in my catholic school. You'd be surprised how liberal the catholic school curiculuum is these days. Even the clergy who taught at my school discussed things like sexuality, evolution, the evils of church history and other "real world" stuff. In Religion class we did study the Bible but we were told, in no uncertain terms, that much of what the Bible says is symbolism and the authors did not intend for it to be taken as literal truth. We discussed the differences and contradictions of the Gospels, the influences of Hebrew tradition in the Gospels, why the Gospels were written and how the authors of the Gospels used the traditions to make their writings more influential. There was a time at which the Catholic schools' curriculuum was very strict and left no room for any interpretation, but I sensed when I was in school that the teachers went to great lengths to make sure we were given a full spectrum view of church teachings and an ample opportunity to make our own decisions. Catholicism has a bad reputation for being intolerant and it is simply not true. I feel that the intolerance is found more in the Protestant denominations where evolution is expunged as much as possible. I felt that my family, my teachers and my priests were all more interested in making sure I had all the information I could get so that I could make an informed and deeply personal decision about what form my beliefs would take as an adult than shoving raw doctrine into my brain.

Answer 3

Yes.

Most Christians do 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 theories of the big bang or evolution or both or neither.

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 theories of the big bang and evolution are the most logical scientific explanations. However tomorrow someone may come up with better ideas.

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

With love in Christ.

Answer 4

The private catholic college my son attends does not teach evolution.1 of 2 schools in the whole country.

Answer 5

I am a student of Don Bosco School, run by Salesian Roman Catholic Missionaries.

I was taught that the Earth is Round, Evolution is True, Vaccination is Good, Earth revolves around the Sun etc..

Not all Christians are that stupid.

Answer 6

I'm attending a Catholic college, and we have a whole semester dedicated to evolution.

Answer 7

In my country the theory of evolution is not taught at all because of what the religious people might say.

Answer 8

Catholic schools tend to be of a fairly high quality, so I'd think so.

Answer 9

I believe they also learn about the theory of gravity.
Oh the horror!

Answer 10

I did. It is why I am so confused as to why American Theists are so against it. I cannot believe they are all so incredibly uneducated and stupid.