What is the Episcopal and Catholic church view on evolution?

Answer 1

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 2

While Kiwi is right as to the official line of the Episcopal Church on Evolution she left out the the Present Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church of the US is a trained Biologists and she believes that science and religion can co- exist.

The modern US Episcopal Church believes that while the Bible is the word of God as recorded by the Prophets and the Saints there is enough room in the tent for those people who hold different views . God created a world that today shows itself to far older than any any of us can imagine and that we have evidence of a very diverse creation in is not inconceivable that the God who created us could not have created Dinosaurs, and Dire Wolfs, Woolly Mammoths and Dodo Birds.

God is able to do anything she wants to do it is her creation. So you could say that we believe in the Theory of Evolution because it is a theory and it makes sense from the evidence that we see in the world today.

Answer 3

This may have changed, but during my confirmation as a teen in the Episcopal church, I was taught that Adam and Eve was more of a story, that represented in terms people could understand, of evolution. Adam and Eve in reality were tribes of people that began to interact and evolve. This made evolution congruous with the Bible as the Bible often tried to teach the proper mores and ways of life in ways that people that lived thousands of years ago could understand. My understanding of my confirmation courses was that evolution is in agreement with the Episcopal views. The creation of man and the evolution of intelligent life don't conflict with a figurative reading of the Bible.

I cannot speak for Catholic views since I was not exposed to their views as deeply.

Answer 4

Check out this link for a good read about the Episcopal view.

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/19021_58398_ENG_HTM.htm

Some good points:

Episcopalians believe that the Bible “contains all things necessary to salvation”...the Bible does not contain all necessary truths about everything else. The Bible, including Genesis, is not a divinely dictated scientific textbook. We discover scientific knowledge about God’s universe in nature not Scripture.

God inspired the ancient writers to describe the world in concepts and language they and their audiences could understand, not in our concepts and language.

science and Christian theology can complement one another in the quest for truth and understanding.

Is it proper to speak of an evolving creation?

Yes. When astronomers look out into space they look back in time. Thus, they are able to see our universe at many stages of cosmic evolution since its beginning in the Big Bang. Here on earth biologists, paleontologists, geneticists and other scientists are showing that life has evolved over four billion years, and are reconstructing evolution’s history. None of these scientific discoveries and the theories that explain them stands in conflict with what the Bible reveals about God’s relationship to the creation.

We humans share almost identical DNA and key protein molecules with chimpanzees.

Answer 5

Both believed the bible contains spiritual truth but not historical truths. Therefore, members are permitted to believe in evolution if they want to. There is no bias against evolution.

Answer 6

I went through Catechism for 17 years and was never told that evolution was wrong. I no longer practice but I'm grateful that no one ever forced me to believe that it was incorrect.

Answer 7

Read this article for the Catholic perspective:
http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/2004/0401bt.asp

Answer 8

They both all but endorse it. Here is the Catholic position: http://www.catholic.com/library/adam_eve_and_evolution.asp

Answer 9

I assume they think it's false. One of my old friends was a catholic and he was forever telling me I'm going to hell--just for even going to public school.