Evolution

[johnpaul613]

Pope Benedict XVI has been involved in several conferences dealing with evolution. The most recent conference with the Pontifical University and Notre Dame University was in March. The website http://www.evolution-rome2009.net/ has a lot of information. For those who think that

Comments

The Hitchens Problem

[wickedthought]

If you are a Catholic, you have the following problem with evolution/biology/etc

Re: The Hitchens Problem

[johnpaul613]

Non sequitur. What does your issue with the existence of evil in the world and God's response to it have to do with evolution?

The Church, although very slow to definitively engage cultural issues (often frustratingly so), is not opposed to genuine science. She does however take issue with pseudo-science that tries to be a defacto religion.

Much of our scientific patrimony has come from lay and religious members of the Church. The supposed absolute 'opposition' of religion and science that has become vougue since the enlightenment is not reality.

Re: The Hitchens Problem

[wickedthought]

Micro-organisms that cause disease are not evil. Thunder that causes fear isn't evil. Miscarriages that cause death in children and mothers are not evil. These are basic, fundamental natural events. And for 96,000 years, God did nothing

Re: The Hitchens Problem

[johnpaul613]

I will simply have to say that I profoundly disagree with these personal impressions. However, a shotgun approach is not going to get us anywhere. This discussion is about the conferences which I brought up because I found them laudatory. Are you aware of the position of the Church regarding evolution? I have found Pope John Paul II and Benedict the XVI approach to this issue very interesting and helpful to the overall improved climate of interaction between these disciplines. It seems that some improvement has happened with the Church taking a careful and measured response to new intellectual ideas.

Re: The Hitchens Problem

[johnpaul613]

And please don't misunderstand what I'm saying. The 'problem' of evil is, in my opinion, the most serious objection to the existence of a loving personal God. But personally, I've been through that already and its not the issue I was bringing to the table. What I'd like to talk about is the recent Pope's openness to a re-discovery of what science, theology and philosophy may teach each other without leaving their specific areas of competence.

Re: The Hitchens Problem

[johnpaul613]

A recent document from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (Communion and Stewardship: Human Persons Created in the Image of God)
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/cti_documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20040723_communion-stewardship_en.html

and the reference document from Pius the XIIth (Humani Generis)
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/pius_xii/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xii_enc_12081950_humani-generis_en.html

are the most recent Magisterial documents. The conferences are meant to expand of these.

Re: The Hitchens Problem

[johnpaul613]

Anouther relatively recent in depth conference with Pope Benedict and his previous doctrinal students was also published