by logansrun 42 Replies latest jw friends
Terry:
Maybe you missed this comment:
(within the bounds of the materials they work with)
The devil is in the detail
I would also add that you are taking only one theological position on the idea of "sin" (the JW one, in fact). Hence my comments to Bradley as follows:
The orthodox Christian doctrine of "the Fall" extends beyond the human (Rom.8:22).
MegaDude... no, as far as I'm aware, endorsement of evolution is not an official part of Catholic doctrine. However, it is the common position of the hierarchy and educated Catholics in most of the Western world.
Pope John Paul II gave a speech on evolution a few years back, and there is quite a bit of dispute as to how strongly he endorsed it, but pretty much all parties agree that he personally appears to believe in evolution. (More background here.)
The Bishop of Orlando has stated:
Our faith teaches the fact that God is the Creator of everything that is. While our faith does not bind us to any particular scientific theory about the origins of the universe, evolution is one such theory ... And so the Church supports the teaching of evolution as the best available account of how nature works.
And here is an excerpt from an official press release by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops:
Through open discussion, the participants will try to elucidate how evolution on the one hand and Catholic philosophy and theology on the other are compatible. "Many people, even many Catholics, are confused about the Church's position on evolution. Some mistakenly place the Church in the creationist camp, and even those who realize the Church is 'evolution-friendly' may be hard put to explain why," said David Byers, Executive Director, Secretariat for Missions/Science and Human Values.Based on what I can find on Google, evolution is definitely a matter of controversy between the more liberal and conservative wings of the church, at least here in the US; but apparently the conference of bishops does favor evolution.
I thought I would bring in the views of a few other mainstream American churches. The Episcopal Church USA states:
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.
...
Biological evolution is a web of theories strongly supported by observations and experiments. It fits in with what we know about the physical evolution of the universe, and has been confirmed by evidence
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Clergy and scientists from both the Catholic and Evangelical traditions in Anglicanism have accepted evolution from Darwin?s time to the present. In a resolution passed by General Convention in 1982, the Church affirmed the ability of God to create in any form and fashion, which would include evolution.
The United Methodist Church does not have any official position on evolution, pro or con. A couple of unofficial commentaries on their website suggest a vague agnosticism on the isssue.
The Evangelican Lutheran Church in America states:
The ELCA doesn't have an official position on creation vs. evolution, but we subscribe to the historical-critical method of biblical interpretation, so we believe God created the universe and all that is therein, only not necessarily in six 24-hour days, and that he may actually have used evolution in the process of creation.I suspect that region, culture, and denomination make a big difference in whether or not one has been exposed to Christians who accept evolution.
