I don’t agree with you obviously, but I think you take too seriously what some Catholics feel towards the “fundies” that believe the earth is only a few thousand years old.
You realize, do you not, that "fundie" is an ethno-cultural slur? Why are "fundies" who believe in the literal truth of Genesis 1-11 any more stupid or funny than Catholics who believe in the virgin birth, the Fatima "sun dance," transubstantiation, or any number of other things? Why are any of these the slightest bit more "scientific" or "rational" or "intellectual" than six day young earth creationism? I don't see any difference at all other than "our miracles are great and 'theirs' are stupid."
The Church does not say that one must believe or discount as fantasy the first eleven books of the Bible. It is open to the science of the big bang, though closed as to the author of the universe and of life.
You are wrong. The Catholic Church is at war with the literal interpretation of Genesis and is currently doing everything in its power to discourage and eventually extirpate it so that not one Genesis "literalist" will be left in the Catholic Church. This also means that for all practical purposes belief in evolution has been made into a dogma which one must believe before one can convert to the Catholic Church.
I don’t make a judgment actually. I don’t know. I stand by my original statement that it is a mystery that I can live without fully knowing unless and until God chooses to confirm or correct what is said in Genesis. He created everything from nothing. I accept that in faith and it is enough for me.
Having written Genesis in the first place, why would G-d ever need to "correct" it?
I simply do not understand why you cannot in good conscience accept the literal historical truth of Genesis 1-11. Do you have the same trouble with John 6?
You know . . . mormons don't even claim to believe in creation ex nihilo. They admit that they believe the universe is an eternal thing made up of worlds, each with its own "gxd" (who used to be a man) and that each "saved" person will eventually become a "gxd" of his own world. Yet they don't spend any time attacking the literal interpretation of Genesis. The Catholic Church claims to believe in creatio ex nihilo, yet it is at war with Genesis. Does this make any sense to you?
Now it is my turn to apologize. The use of the word “fundies” was careless, but not meant in any way more than that is the way they are referred to. I harbor no ill will toward them, nor do I think that they are any less intelligent than me.
I believe in Genesis, I believe that God breathed and the world came into existence. The Catholic Church has made no pronouncement, no declaration as binding on Catholics that they reject the literal words of Genesis. That some are hostile to it, I don’t or can’t deny or confirm, since I haven’t any knowledge of them.
It is nothing new that there are those in the Church who wish to fundamentally change her and as the Holy Spirit is her guide and instructor, they will not succeed.
I would be interested in reading what you have, provided is it by respected Catholic authors and not the “fringe” types.
I don’t believe that what Pope Benedict said rises to the level of him having a desire to expunge from the Church those who hold to the literal reading of Genesis.
I firmly agree that the God of the Bible is capable of creating it all in the six day time frame that we are familiar with as humans.
As for correcting, I meant in that God would correct our understanding of it. Of course His word is inerrant.
Actually, no I do not realize that. One of my acquaintances in seminary was as literalist in his approach to Scripture as anyone I have every met. But we all were open to one another.
One night when the Ten COmmandments was on TV a bunch of us watched and at the end when Charlton Heston puts some scrolls in the ark our friend cheered and we all laughed. We called him a "fundie," and he bore the title proudly.