Why Evolution Should Be Taught in Church
source: http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/science/4208/why_evolution_should_be_taught_in_chu...
-
-
- DeliaTheArtist
- added this
The church, in its ignorance of and hostility to evolution (and science in general), is passing up one of its greatest opportunities to apprehend the very God it claims to represent. This irony is due to a terrible case of what may be called “small-god-ism” and is, unfortunately, encouraged by much popular theology. This theology makes claims about scripture and church practice that reduce God to a cheerleader, or a cosmic vending machine, or some domesticated and pale image of our own confused selves. Such a god is clearly not sufficient to contain all of reality. And in the face of the challenge posed by modern science, instead of rejecting whatever idea of God one has constructed, reality itself is rejected. So evolution is like sex—it’s there, all right, but it is not to be mentioned in church. What would decent people think? What would God think?
If “God” is not large enough to contain this universe in all its immensity and complexity and age, then it’s just not God. God is not a thing; God does not exist like we exist, or like the moon exists. God is like nothing we can know in language or image. God transcends these things and all we can know or imagine. This includes what we know of evolution, cosmology, geology, and any other science. Christians have absolutely nothing to fear.
Rather sentimental people often argue that the more science one knows, the less mysterious and wondrous nature becomes. But this is simply not so. The insistence that the wonder of nature is reduced by scientific knowledge is no different than the insistence that scripture can only be understood literally; both are fixated on appearances and are based in the fear of the unknown."
This article is much longer and very interesting!
http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/science/4208/why_evolution_should_be_t...
-
- groups:
- Culture, Science, US Politics, Humanism, 4 more
-
-
Ares
-
Using existence as a predicate, I love that fallacy!
What ever happened to religion and science being two paths to the same goal? Or is that too boring? Must there be controversy and strife to keep life interesting? It would appear so.
Interestingly slanted article, but actually most protestant preachers acknowledge and even encourage consideration and contemplation of evolutionary discussions.
- 1 year ago
-
Ares
-
-
DeliaTheArtist
-
Ares:
I actually thought this article was more on board with a religion + science happy medium than most. What the author is saying is that science isn't really trying to explain god or take away from god, as the concept transcends our ability to understand and categorize it, nor does science take away from the mystery and beauty of creation simply by attempting to explain it. For some people, one can enhance the other.
- 1 year ago
-
DeliaTheArtist
