Posted on 02/14/2010 9:38:05 AM PST by SeekAndFind
The Church of England's governing body on Friday approved a motion that emphasizes the compatibility of belief in both God and science.
Dr. Peter Capon, a former computer science lecturer, introduced the motion arguing that "rejecting much mainstream science does nothing to support those Christians who are scientists ... or strengthen the Christian voice in the scientific area."
He urged Christians to take scientific evidence seriously and avoid prejudging science for theological reasons.
The vote comes as more than 850 congregations throughout the globe are celebrating Evolution Weekend with the aim of demonstrating that evolution poses no problems for their faith.
Religion and science are not adversaries, they say. Rather, the two fields should be seen as complementary, they maintain.
Evolution Weekend, which kicked off Friday, is supported by those of various faith traditions including Christians, Jews, Muslims and Unitarian Universalists.
"Religious leaders around the world are coming together to elevate the quality of the discussion about this important topic. They are demonstrating to their congregations that people can accept all that modern science has learned while retaining their faith," said Michael Zimmerman, founder of Evolution Weekend and professor of Biology at Butler University in Indianapolis.
Since 2004 more than 12,400 Christian clergypersons from various denominations in the United States have signed "The Clergy Letter," expressing their belief "that the timeless truths of the Bible and the discoveries of modern science may comfortably coexist."
In the letter, Christian clergy contend, "Religious truth is of a different order from scientific truth. Its purpose is not to convey scientific information but to transform hearts.
"We ask that science remain science and that religion remain religion, two very different, but complementary, forms of truth."
Zimmerman, who is leading "The Clergy Letter Project," says those who promote "narrow religious views" and reject the compatibility of science and faith do not speak for all of the world's religious communities.
"Evolution Weekend shows that the disagreement is actually not between religious leaders and scientists, but rather between those who believe that their particular religious views should be incorporated into the science curriculum and clergy who recognize and respect the diversity of different faith traditions," he noted.
The compatibility, or lack thereof, of evolution and faith remains a hot debate among Christians. Prominent evangelical theologian Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr. has said he finds it impossible to reconcile the two. While he does not deny that changes do take place in the animal kingdom and that there is even a process of natural selection, he firmly rejects theistic evolution and the argument that the process is entirely natural and in no case supernatural.
"God was not merely fashioning the creation of what was already pre-existent, nor was He merely working with a process in order to guide it in some generalized way, nor was He waiting to see how it would turn out," Mohler has said.
Evolution Weekend is scheduled to be celebrated in conjunction with Charles Darwin's birthday and the anniversary of the publication of his book, On the Origin of Species.
Religion and science are certainly not adversaries. Atheistic secularism and religion are adversaries, though.
Church of England also thinks men fascinated with swapping fecal matter orally or otherwise with one another passes for love and God sanctioned passion.
They haven’t been the same since Henry died.
Church of England. No wonder Prince Charles is so screwed up.
Science of this week or last week or next week?
Wake me when they settle on a final version and then I’ll compare it with the Textus Receptus.
To me, evolutionary theory and atheistic secularism are Siamese twins. The “Church” of England is an embarrassment. Bob
That’s easy to do when you call your leaders “Primates.”
If people have to “believe in” science, then evidence is lacking. This committee is probably pushing ESCR, even though real science has moved on.
Maybe someday evolutionary scientists will come to grips with the fact that they have no evidence.
There is no known mechanism for evolution.
I think Roman Catholicism believes this too. Though without taking on their theologies, I’d advise passing on the macro, with evolution’s best evidence lying within its microscopic aspects, i.e., at its molecular and even sub-molecular levels wherein possibly even cosmic radiation could have a mutative effect, for good...or for ill which would usually mean eventual extinction.
Your total lack of even a basic understanding of science, and denial of history is astonishing
Why does the creationist/i.d crowed keep asking for the evidence when it is here? All you have to do is go to a museum and see it for yourself. You can take a look at Australopithecus, Homo habilis, Homo erectus, and Homo sapiens and see the clear transition.
Your statement is not correct; the two main mechanisms that produce evolution are natural selection and genetic drift.
Do you really believe that? Have you learned nothing from ClimateGate? I call it DarwinGate...a bigger fraud than even ClimateGate!
Clear transition?...
re: men fascinated with swapping fecal matter orally or otherwise with one another passes for love and God sanctioned passion
Thanks for the short description which says it all with regard to homosexual male false use of the term “love”. I don’t like to beat around the bush. Whenever I need to hit someone on the head to make them wake up to what homosexuality is, I bring up this same point of yours, however, as a Catholic I had to go through mental gymnastics to say it without scandalizing people. Your brief words says it all. Makes things easy to say now.
If I may add to it:
Deluded people who think that men fascinated with swapping fecal matter orally or otherwise with one another, passes for love and God sanctioned passion
yes in my family fag hags have had to have doses of reality from me on occasion
Yes the evidence shows a clear transition to anybody who does not deny history, and has a rudimentary knowledge of science.
So since you answered my question with a questions here is one for you.
Please explain why we find no trilobites above the Permian strata, and why we find no dinosaurs above the cretaceous strata, or no mammals in the Cambrian strata?”
I accept the observable facts of natural selection, and genetic drift, it is not a matter of belief. That is like asking if I believe in gravity, or that the sky is blue.
I will give you credit for your attempted straw man argument. I was born at night but it was not last night so that tactic will not work here. Your original statement is still incorrect and you have provided no evidence to show otherwise.
Gosh, nothing like the $65,000 Question, eh?
Trilobites.... My guess is that conditions for them changed, and/or with the profusion of other predatory life forms in the Cambrian they were considered quite tasty. Just a guess though. I'd have to study the issue in more detail.
Dinosaurs.... There seems to be a fairly good fit with the idea of a huge impact in the Gulf Of Mexico region at the end of the Cretaceous, or perhaps designating its end. There's pretty good evidence for a worldwide layer of Iridium in contemporaneous strata.
Some primitive mammals seem to have appeared during the Jurassic/Creataceous transition with representatives of that order surviving to the current day.
My view of evolution is based primarily on the molecular and sub-molecular level which makes these form all the more susceptible to cosmic ray bombardment. However, if I understood the details I should be nominated for a Nobel or at least a McArthur award.
It is enough in itself to believe that God is involved in everything. And with always more study those details as well become themselves all the more clear.
Here is a "fair" representation of the Geologic Column from the Cambrian on, at least so far as I understand it.
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