The Vatican has admitted that Charles Darwin was on the right track when he claimed that Man descended from apes. A leading official declared yesterday that Darwin's theory of evolution was compatible with Christian faith, and could even be traced to St Augustine and St Thomas Aquinas.
In fact, what we mean by evolution is the world as created by God, said Archbishop Gianfranco Ravasi, head of the Pontifical Council for Culture. The Vatican also dealt the final blow to speculation that Pope Benedict XVI might be prepared to endorse the theory of Intelligent Design, whose advocates credit a higher power
for the complexities of life.
Organisers of a papal-backed conference next month marking the 150th anniversary of Darwin's On the Origin of Species said that at first it had even been proposed to ban Intelligent Design from the event, as poor theology and poor science.
Intelligent Design would be discussed at the fringes of the conference at the Pontifical Gregorian University, but merely as a cultural phenomenon, rather than a scientific or theological issue, organisers said.
The conference is seen as a landmark in relations between faith and science. Three years ago advocates of Intelligent Design seized on the Pope's reference to an intelligent project as proof that he favoured their views.
Conceding that the Church had been hostile to Darwin because his theory appeared to conflict with the account of creation in Genesis, Archbishop Ravasi argued yesterday that biological evolution and the Christian view of Creation were complementary.
Marc Leclerc, who teaches natural philosophy at the Gregorian University, said that no scholar could remain indifferent to the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth tomorrow. There was, however, question of celebrating it.
The Vatican would take the measure of an event, which has left its mark for ever on the history of science and has influenced the way we understand our humanity. The time has come for a rigorous and objective valuation of Darwin by the Church, he said.
Professor Leclerc said that too many opponents of Darwin above all Creationists had mistakenly claimed that his theories were totally incompatible with a religious vision of reality, as did proponents of Intelligent Design.
Darwin's theories had never been formally condemned by the Roman Catholic Church, Monsignor Ravasi insisted. His rehabilitation had begun as long ago as 1950, when Pius XII described evolution as a valid scientific approach to the development of humans. In 1996 John Paul II said that it was more than a hypothesis.
Father Giuseppe Tanzella-Nitti, Professor of Theology at the Pontifical Santa Croce University in Rome, said that Darwin had been anticipated by St Augustine of Hippo. The 4th-century theologian had never heard the term evolution, but knew that big fish eat smaller fish and that forms of life had been transformed slowly over time. Aquinas had made similar observations in the Middle Ages, he added.
He said it was time that theologians as well as scientists grappled with the mysteries of genetic codes and whether the diversification of life forms is the result of competition or cooperation between species. As for the origins of Man, although we shared 97 per cent of our genetic inheritance with apes, the remaining 3 per cent is what makes us unique, including religion.
I maintain that the idea of evolution has a place in Christian theology, Professor Tanzella-Nitti added.
Creationism remains powerful in the US, however, notably among Protestants, and its followers object to evolution being taught in state schools.
The Church of England is seeking to bring Darwin back into the fold with a page on its website paying tribute to his forgotten work in his local parish, to illustrate how science and Church need not be at odds. Several pages celebrate Darwin's significant scientific progress to mark his bicentenary and also the 150th anniversary of On the Origin of Species.
The Church wants to correct the impression that Darwin's relationship with Anglicanism was contentious. The Anglican Church as a whole did not condemn Darwin or his beliefs. It says that although he lost his faith, he did not become antiChurch or antireligious.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
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Religions and Christianity in particular have been known to eat their words in the past.
ReplyDeleteThe Vatican declaration is not surprising. It is one more example of how fallible Christianity is. A clear
indication that what people are fed daily in their quest for eternity is nothing but human conjectures
based on unfounded expectations.
Most religion, (especially Christianity and Islam) flourish by the use of expletives about the hereafter;
(Heaven and hell). No one knows where humans come from and no one know where we are going from
here! At least not yet!
The fact that people allow themselves to be hood winked through religion is what is surprising not
because religion, and in this case the Vatican, shamelessly aligned itself to science after 150 years of
opposing it! Science differs from religion only because it holds its devotees to the highest ethical
practice and responsible for their actions. Science demands of its practitioners prove of any claim they
make. Religion on the other hand encourages blind devotion/acceptance of things not seen but hoped
for erroneously called faith.
Fraudsters hide under this faith garbage to fool the less designing minds, these so called messengers of,
I don’t know what, live off the sweat of poverty ridden and confused rich and middle of the road men
and women of the world.
The way most of us fail to grasp the theories and formulas in science is the same way most religious
aficionados’ fails to understand the teachings and belief systems and patterns of their faith. While we
see the realities of science and its achievements daily and we can question what we don’t understand,
we are branded as messengers of the devil when we question religion. Most people follow the
teachings of their religious leaders who in most cases know next to nothing about what they preach!
Not surprisingly the stories in the so-called holy books over time have pandered to the reasoning, whims
and quirk of the men and women of the moment. Little wonder why we have so many interpretations of
the so called infallible holy books by the same faith.
This admission by the Vatican is a clear case of man trying to unify it’s thought and reasoning process in
our search for the origin of the species. I can only hope that the majority of Christians who oppose
Darwin will come round, not to accept his theory hook line and sinker but to admit the fact that the
story of creation in the Bible leaves too much room for our imagination.
Science as opposed to religion is always reinventing itself and it has not given itself the toga of Alfa,
Omni and Omega as religions have. If only humans will admit the fact that all religions are human made
to control human excesses and is subject to mistake and therefore reviews as we come across new
ideas. If only humans would tell themselves the truth that we don’t know what the future hold and we
are like people with two eyes operating in pitch darkness. If only we will come round to admitting that
our knowledge of the hereafter is as limited as our knowledge of who God or what God is or where
heaven and hell is located. I assure you that religion would become more interactive and not an
absolute as it is today.
In the past, there are religions that worshipped the moon until science cracked that deceit. Cows are still
worshipped in India today while in Nigeria and elsewhere we enjoy cow meat (beef) in pepper soup and
other meals with chilled bottle of stout or other drink. Are you going to tell those that worship cow that
they are wrong? By whose standard would anyone make such ignominious declaration or statement?
Definitely not by Christian standard.
For the Vatican to dig deep into the past shamelessly to justify what science is yet to completely prove in
away rob us of the other side of the argument on creation. This is nothing short of a desperate move by
the Vatican to be seen as progressive; however, we must encourage them to continue on this path if
only it would lead to more funding for research in this area but most importantly, this is a clarion call on
Africa to look at its use and relationship with imported religion and how they affect our thought process.
One is basically what one believes and humans are the product of their thought process.
I won’t be surprise if new churches emerge in Nigeria tomorrow and look for ways to use this old new
idea to justify its religiosity. One wonders why the Vatican is doing this now. They have condemned this
for so long that the reasons advanced pales when juxtaposed with previous stand.
It is only a matter of time before organized religions and its leaders begin to question the foundation of
their belief system openly. Science will continue to prove too much for faith.
Religion for the foreseeable future would continue to serve man, rightly or wrongly but one thing is
guaranteed. Once the proponents of blind devotion otherwise called religion find other easier ways to
leave their opulent decadence life of lies, they will jump ship! I hope the gullible parishioners survive the
turbulence.
Inaju