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Evolution in the bible, says Vatican
News.com ^ | 11/7/05 | Mikey_1962

Posted on 11/07/2005 12:05:04 PM PST by Mikey_1962

THE Vatican has issued a stout defence of Charles Darwin, voicing strong criticism of Christian fundamentalists who reject his theory of evolution and interpret the biblical account of creation literally.

Cardinal Paul Poupard, head of the Pontifical Council for Culture, said the Genesis description of how God created the universe and Darwin's theory of evolution were "perfectly compatible" if the Bible were read correctly. His statement was a clear attack on creationist campaigners in the US, who see evolution and the Genesis account as mutually exclusive.

"The fundamentalists want to give a scientific meaning to words that had no scientific aim," he said at a Vatican press conference. He said the real message in Genesis was that "the universe didn't make itself and had a creator".

This idea was part of theology, Cardinal Poupard emphasised, while the precise details of how creation and the development of the species came about belonged to a different realm - science. Cardinal Poupard said that it was important for Catholic believers to know how science saw things so as to "understand things better".

His statements were interpreted in Italy as a rejection of the "intelligent design" view, which says the universe is so complex that some higher being must have designed every detail.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.com.au ...


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KEYWORDS: catholic; crevolist; religion
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To: VadeRetro

There's nothing slippery about it. And I've no need to obfuscate. I'm not the one on the defensive here. lol


681 posted on 11/08/2005 5:36:56 PM PST by Havoc (President George and King George.. coincidence?)
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To: js1138
But one can reasonable deduce that a lot of crap has been written by men and attributed to God.

No deduction needed.


682 posted on 11/08/2005 5:40:29 PM PST by AndrewC (Darwinian logic -- It is just-so if it is just-so)
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To: Palisades
Clearly. But we weren't discussing the conditions required for life, we were discussing whether or not the Earth is a closed system.

No you brought up the fact that the earth was not a closed system. The discussion started with Our self-importance makes us want to believe that science is the ultimate authority, yet I haven't been able to figure out how it demonstrates superior intelligence to acknowledge that matter goes from order to disorder over time, but if you give it enough time it goes from disorder to incredibly complex order.

It is generally accepted that the original statement(order to disorder) is true when the word spontaneously is used. And yes I inadvertantly omitted the "not" just before the closed. My aim should be apparent from my use of "although", my general argument, and my acknowledgement of the introduction of energy to the systems I named.

683 posted on 11/08/2005 5:51:20 PM PST by AndrewC (Darwinian logic -- It is just-so if it is just-so)
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To: Junior
By my saying "I get the impression" the onus of any misconceptions falls to me.

You don't need to say anything. Your misconception falls on you and only you. And I still say you most certainly did.

684 posted on 11/08/2005 5:58:13 PM PST by AndrewC (Darwinian logic -- It is just-so if it is just-so)
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To: b_sharp
Define 'order'.

A big Mac and fries.

685 posted on 11/08/2005 5:59:27 PM PST by AndrewC (Darwinian logic -- It is just-so if it is just-so)
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To: The_Reader_David
The Holy Scriptures were not composed by and for modern rationalists.

I agree, but in the case of Noah's flood, the theology of the story does not make much sense to me if the flood did not wipe out most of humanity.

Perhaps I'm missing the broader point.

What's your take on the story? How, for instance, do you interpret the post-flood covenant?

686 posted on 11/08/2005 6:01:28 PM PST by curiosity (Cronyism is not conservative)
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To: Aquinasfan
I don't see how the doctrine of mongenism would be compromised if Adam and Eve's descendants interbread with subhuman homonids, who we know co-existed with our species for tens of thousands of years.

As far as I can see, this is the only way to reconcile mongenism with the genetic evidence.

687 posted on 11/08/2005 6:04:19 PM PST by curiosity (Cronyism is not conservative)
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To: Blzbba
But the entire human race wasn't wiped out by this localized event, else all of humanity would be inbred, mildly-brown-skinned descendants of Noah and his incestual children.

If this event happened 70,000 years ago, AND some of Noah's descendents interbred with sub-human homonids afterwards, then I don't think we would be experiencing the problems to which you are referring. Plenty of time for distinct races to evolve, and plenty of opportunity to introduce new genetic material into the human population.

Another possibility is that Noah and his sons represent clans or tribes, and the Ark perhaps symbolizes various means of escaping the delluge that God gave to the clans who would listen to him. Many individuals early Genesis can be interpreted as standing for groups of people, IMHO. Thus the delluge wiped all but the 2,000 or so people in those clans.

688 posted on 11/08/2005 6:10:54 PM PST by curiosity (Cronyism is not conservative)
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To: Junior
genetic "bottleneck" event did occur for the human race ~70k years ago. However, approximately 2000 individuals made it through that event, rather than just eight. No other such drastic events have been recorded in the genome.

See post #688. I'm curious about your take on it.

689 posted on 11/08/2005 6:15:19 PM PST by curiosity (Cronyism is not conservative)
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To: Havoc
There's nothing slippery about it. And I've no need to obfuscate. I'm not the one on the defensive here. lol

So you're going to deal with how Behe's two statements, one denying the religious nature of ID and one proudly flourishing it, appear to contradict each other?

690 posted on 11/08/2005 6:31:30 PM PST by VadeRetro (Liberalism is a cancer on society. Creationism is a cancer on conservatism.)
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To: Dimensio
"...nothing in science is "conclusively proven"."

I see...so you're admitting that you exercise some amount of faith when it comes to the issue of the evolution of feathers?

Is not the theory of gravity "conclusively proven"?

Aside from your disdain for my "conclusively proven" statement, can you provide the evidence that demonstrates that feathers evolved on dinosaurs and how?

691 posted on 11/08/2005 6:38:16 PM PST by pby
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To: AndrewC
And I still say you most certainly did.

Then you would be wrong. But then again, of late you usually are.

692 posted on 11/08/2005 6:44:13 PM PST by Junior (From now on, I'll stick to science, and leave the hunting alien mutants to the experts!)
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To: pby
Aside from your disdain for my "conclusively proven" statement, can you provide the evidence that demonstrates that feathers evolved on dinosaurs and how?

A Web Page on Feathered Dinosaurs. Note how many species have so far been identified.

693 posted on 11/08/2005 6:46:09 PM PST by VadeRetro (Liberalism is a cancer on society. Creationism is a cancer on conservatism.)
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To: Havoc
If their observations and experiments can be reproduced, they will be published.

Like I said, you live in a paranoid fantasy. If that's because your own doctoral thesis would've been rejected by anyone but the diploma mill you matriculated with, then that's your problem.

694 posted on 11/08/2005 6:46:55 PM PST by Junior (From now on, I'll stick to science, and leave the hunting alien mutants to the experts!)
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To: curiosity

My take is that the Flood story was lifted wholesale from the Mesopotamians. The moral of the story, however, became "trust in God and everything will be alright." In other words, it's a morality tale.


695 posted on 11/08/2005 6:54:07 PM PST by Junior (From now on, I'll stick to science, and leave the hunting alien mutants to the experts!)
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To: pby
I see...so you're admitting that you exercise some amount of faith when it comes to the issue of the evolution of feathers?

Correct. For example, I have 'faith' that fossil finds are actually as they appear to be, and weren't manufactured by some divine agent Last Thursday and planted in various labs along with the memories of them for the amusement of said agent.

Is not the theory of gravity "conclusively proven"?

Nope. Theories in science are never proven.

Aside from your disdain for my "conclusively proven" statement, can you provide the evidence that demonstrates that feathers evolved on dinosaurs and how?

You could start for information about the evolution of feathers.
696 posted on 11/08/2005 6:57:35 PM PST by Dimensio (http://angryflower.com/bobsqu.gif <-- required reading before you use your next apostrophe!)
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To: Junior
I meant, what's your reaction to my take on it? Is the admittedly speculative scenario I sketch out scientifically plausible in your view?
697 posted on 11/08/2005 6:58:44 PM PST by curiosity (Cronyism is not conservative)
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To: Junior
Then you would be wrong.

You did say(superflously) that the onus was on you for your misconceptions.

698 posted on 11/08/2005 7:00:53 PM PST by AndrewC (Darwinian logic -- It is just-so if it is just-so)
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To: pby
Is not the theory of gravity "conclusively proven"?

Which theory of gravity? The fact that objects attract each other is demonstrable. The reason they do it (theory) is on more shaky ground. Is it because they exchange gravitons? Or is it because they warp space?

699 posted on 11/08/2005 7:04:28 PM PST by Junior (From now on, I'll stick to science, and leave the hunting alien mutants to the experts!)
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To: AndrewC

And I did say I wasn't talking for the Almighty (which you accused me of). Nice twisting and turning there, counselor.


700 posted on 11/08/2005 7:06:56 PM PST by Junior (From now on, I'll stick to science, and leave the hunting alien mutants to the experts!)
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