Creation, Evolution, and Reported Papal Statements.
 

HH Pope Francis has reportedly made statements to the effect that evolution and the big bang theory " 'do not contradict' the idea of creation" according to an NBC report.

NOTE: These are by no means ex cathedra (infallible) declarations. They are, of course, of interest.

See:

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/po...e-real-n235696

Not really news. He's not the first pope to say that evolution and the Big Bang aren't inconsistent with Scripture or Church teachings about creation; popes have indicated an openness about this since the 1950s if not earlier. Benedict XVI (granted, before he was pope) wrote of Church teaching about creation and evolution/the Big Bang as complimentary rather than exclusive realities. The Catechism of the Catholic Church reflects a similar openness.

The idea that Genesis must be understood literally and that evolution and the Big Bang must be rejected because they conflict with a literal understanding of Genesis is primarily a fundamentalist, evangelical Protestant position. Catholic, classical/mainline Protestant and, I think, Orthodox teaching have long allowed for non-literal understandings of Genesis.

This is just one in what seems to me to be a long line of "STOP THE PRESSES! POPE FRANCIS STATES LONG-HELD CATHOLIC TENETS, BUT SOMEHOW WE ARE AMAZED!" stories.

I expect journalists to do at least a LITTLE research, and given that the Roman Catholic catechism is all there in black and white, I'd think it would be relatively easy. Oh, well . . .

I know, right? I mean next, they'll be trying to tell us that evolution is taught in Catholic schools. :rolleyes:



Oh, wait. ;)

Differences in doctrine and teaching of various Christian groups is completely lost on too many journalists. Too often, the press just doesn't get religion.

I also think one of the issues is the more traditional and conservative religious institutions and individuals have been allowed to be THE voice of the religion. Then we hear more people call themselves "recovering Catholics" as though they escaped an environment in which everyone combats evolution and hates things like birth control.

It is like when some Southern Baptists are shocked that most people consider Southern Baptists to be homophobic, heterocentric, patriarchal, sexist, xenophobic, racist, etc. Don't want people to believe all or most Southern Baptists are that way, stop allowing certain ideologies to monopolize communities and the media.

This, though I might quibble about what exactly is meant by "traditional and conservative." It'd be hard to be more traditional, and in some ways conservative, than the Roman Catholic Church. I think that, at least in the American context, that for a variety of reasons it's the more evangelical Christian institutions and individuals that have been allowed to be seen as representing THE voice of Christianity in general, at least when it comes to questions of science and faith.

The views of members of the Catholic Church vary widely and to an extent, the Church is even tolerant of members who take positions that are considered heresy by the Church (e.g., ecclesiastical law says you will be denied the Eucharist of you support a woman's right to choose, but the Eucharist is rarely denied).

By and large, the Church's diversity is a huge strenght as well as a huge weakness. There are many Catholics who believe the Bible is the inerrant word of God. I know that my years in "Vacation Bible School" were spent with me learning that the Noah's Ark myth is literally true, etc., but in Catholic High School, we studied Acquinas and St. Anthony and were invited to form our own opinions about Scripture. The creation myth was not taught in any science class.

The church's diversity is a weakness because you can't point your finger at someone and say that they are what is representative of a 100% Catholic, because the Church just isn't dogmatic like that.

Here locally, we have such a wide variety of Catholic churches with some having rock bands at the services and others chanting latin and singing traditional hyms and forbidding Mozart on the premises (because he was a Mason).

Good to see my parish priest from 1965-67 (who later left the Church to be married) got it right way back then.

Given that Pope Pius XII first declared it in 1951, your parish priest was just repeating the party line.

Here's his speech: http://www.ewtn.com/library/PAPALDOC/P12EXIST.HTM

SO true! I can't understand why he is considered so controversial or new and different. He hasn't created anything new (that I'm aware of). I guess he's just bringing to light to established tenets that people have overlooked for one reason or another.

When I went through the RCIA in 1988, the priest discussed at length how the original word for "day" in Genesis was epoch which is more like era than day. He said there is nothing in the Bible about HOW these things were created and that it could have very well happened over millions of years, etc. It was completely on the side of Intelligent Design.