Cardinal backs evolution and "intelligent design"

Reuters - Science ^ | 2005-10-04

[Junior]

PARIS (Reuters) - A senior Roman Catholic cardinal seen as a champion of "intelligent design" against Darwin's explanation of life has described the theory of evolution as "one of the very great works of intellectual history."

Vienna Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn said he could believe both in divine creation and in evolution because one was a question of religion and the other of science, two realms that complimented rather than contradicted each other.

Schoenborn's view, presented in a lecture published by his office on Tuesday, tempered earlier statements that seemed to ally the Church with United States conservatives campaigning against the teaching of evolution in public schools.

A court in Pennsylvania is now hearing a suit brought by parents against a school district that teaches intelligent design -- the view that life is so complex some higher being must have designed it -- alongside evolution in biology class.

"Without a doubt, Darwin pulled off quite a feat with his main work and it remains one of the very great works of intellectual history," Schoenborn declared in a lecture in St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna on Sunday.

"I see no problem combining belief in the Creator with the theory of evolution, under one condition -- that the limits of a scientific theory are respected," he said.

Science studies what is observable and scientists overstep the boundaries of their discipline when they conclude evolution proves there was no creator, said the cardinal, 60, a top Church doctrinal expert and close associate of Pope Benedict.

"It is fully reasonable to assume some sense or design even if the scientific method demands restrictions that shut out this question," said the cardinal.

JUST A MISUNDERSTANDING?

Schoenborn, who ranked among the papal hopefuls last April, caused an uproar in the United States last July with a New York Times article that seemed to say the Church no longer accepted evolution and backed intelligent design.

Proponents of intelligent design argue that Darwin's natural selection theory is flawed and alternatives should be taught.

Scientists reject this as a disguised form of Creationism, the literal belief in Creation as described in the Bible and barred by the U.S. Supreme Court from being taught in public schools.

Even Catholic scientists, including chief Vatican astronomer Rev. George Coyne S.J., contested Schoenborn's view.

In his lecture, Schoenborn said his article had led to misunderstandings and sometimes polemics. "Maybe one did not express oneself clearly enough or thoughts were not clear enough," he said. "Such misunderstandings can be cleared up."

Schoenborn said he believed God created "the things of the world" but did not explain how a divine will to bring about mankind would have influenced its actual evolution.

"They were so to speak let free into their own existence," he said.

[Junior]

CrevoSci threads for the past week:

1. 2005-10-04 A space station view on giant lightning (May play role in global warming!)
2. 2005-10-04 Cardinal backs evolution and "intelligent design"
3. 2005-10-04 Potatoes came from Peru, US study finds
4. 2005-10-04 The Nobel Prize in Physics 2005 is awarded to Roy J. Glauber, John L. Hall and Theodor W. Hänsch
5. 2005-10-03 Live from Pennsylvania: Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District
6. 2005-10-03 Returning to Dover [evolution trial in Dover, PA: week 2]
7. 2005-10-03 Systemic determinants of gene evolution and function
8. 2005-10-03 The timeless truth of creation
9. 2005-10-01 ‘Why?’ versus ‘How?’ [evolution trial in Dover, PA, end of week one]
10. 2005-10-01 Eugenie Scott Makes False Claims About Peer-Reviewed Paper on MSNBC
11. 2005-10-01 For the Anti-Evolutionists, Hope in High Places
12. 2005-10-01 Liars’ brains make fibbing come naturally
13. 2005-10-01 Study: Sun's Changes to Blame for Part of Global Warming
14. 2005-10-01 That Famous Equation and You
15. 2005-09-30 [Pennsylvania] Gov. Rendell backs evolution
16. 2005-09-30 150 attend meeting on 'stupid' theory (including Darwin's great-grandson)
17. 2005-09-30 A remarkable Cassini picture: Hyperion (moon of Saturn)
18. 2005-09-30 An Intelligent Design for Education
19. 2005-09-30 Genes Tied To Recent Brain Evolution
20. 2005-09-30 Grow Some Testables: Intelligent design ducks the rigors of science.
21. 2005-09-30 Orthodoxy and Creationism
22. 2005-09-30 Science and Scripture - 'Intelligent design' theory definitely belongs in biology class
23. 2005-09-30 Spider 'is 20 million years old'
24. 2005-09-30 The ‘Darwinist Inquisition’ Starts Another Round
25. 2005-09-30 The Beauty of Branes [Cosmology & Lisa Randall]
26. 2005-09-30 The Buckingham school: No civil liberties allowed
27. 2005-09-29 Darwin and Malthus
28. 2005-09-29 Have you ever really looked at intelligent design?
29. 2005-09-29 How Leonardo gave top surgeon change of heart
30. 2005-09-29 In defense of science
31. 2005-09-29 Intelligent Design Advocates Fight Back
32. 2005-09-29 No Science, Please – We’re British
33. 2005-09-29 Poll: Most doctors (63%) favor evolution theory over I.D. (However, Protestant Doctors...)
34. 2005-09-29 Religious idea forced on classes, court told
35. 2005-09-29 Theory of Evolution -- Not Intelligent Design -- Is Most Like Creationism
36. 2005-09-29 Witness: 'Intelligent Design' doesn't qualify as science [Day 4 of trial in Dover, PA]
37. 2005-09-28 Ex-Teacher Testifies in Evolution Case [Day 3 of trial in Dover, PA]
38. 2005-09-28 Intelligent design on trial
39. 2005-09-28 Intimidation Alleged On 'Intelligent Design'
40. 2005-09-28 The Discovery Institute Retreats from Dover
41. 2005-09-28 Why scientists dismiss 'intelligent design' - It would ‘become the death of science’
42. 2005-09-28 Witness: intelligent design has identified God as designer

CrevoSci Warrior Freepdays for the month of October:

1998-10-18 AZLiberty
1999-10-14 blam
2000-10-19 cogitator
2001-10-21 Coyoteman
2004-10-26 curiosity
1998-10-29 Dataman
2000-10-29 dila813
2001-10-14 dread78645
1998-10-03 Elsie
1998-10-17 f.Christian
2002-10-08 FairOpinion
2001-10-26 Genesis defender
2000-10-08 guitarist
2004-10-10 joeclarke
1998-10-03 js1138
2000-10-08 LibWhacker
2002-10-25 m1-lightning
2001-10-10 Michael_Michaelangelo
2001-10-09 Mother Abigail
2004-10-25 MRMEAN
2004-10-03 Nicholas Conradin
1999-10-28 PatrickHenry
1998-10-01 Physicist
1998-10-25 plain talk
2005-10-04 ret_medic
2001-10-23 RightWingNilla
2004-10-09 snarks_when_bored
2002-10-22 sumocide
2004-10-21 WildHorseCrash
2001-10-23 yankeedame
2002-10-20 Z in Oregon

In Memoriam.
Fallen CrevoSci Warriors:

ALS
Area Freeper
Aric2000
Askel5
bluepistolero
churchillbuff
ConservababeJen
DittoJed2
Ed Current
f.Christian
followerofchrist
goodseedhomeschool
gore3000
Jedigirl
JesseShurun
Le-Roy
Marathon
medved
metacognative
Modernman
Ogmios
peg the prophet
Phoroneus
ret_medic
RickyJ
SeaLion
Tomax
tpaine
WaveThatFlag
xm177e2

Bring back Modernman and SeaLion!

[Junior]

Ping.

[ex-snook]

So life evolved. It didn't create itself. Makes sense.

[Junior]

Evolution makes no mention of the origin of life. For that you'll have to tackle biogenesis.

[edcoil]

Or, it was created and the evolved based on changes in the world. The ability for a creature or human to evolve to the worlds different environments seems fairly common sense to me.

[Aquinasfan]

"Without a doubt, Darwin pulled off quite a feat with his main work and it remains one of the very great works of intellectual history," Schoenborn declared in a lecture in St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna on Sunday.

In the sense that Marx's writings were "great works of intellectual history": influential, but baseless and pernicious.

[PatrickHenry]

EvolutionPing

A pro-evolution science list with over 300 names. See the list's explanation at my freeper homepage. Then FReepmail to be added or dropped. See what's new in The List-O-Links.

[Junior]

Influential, yes. Baseless, no (at least one other researcher had arrived at the same conclusion based upon the same evidence, but Darwin beat him to the punch). Pernicious -- maybe to those who cling to an unsupported interpretation of Scripture.

[ex-snook]

"Or, it was created and the evolved based on changes in the world."

That's how I see it also.

[Paradox]

Those Godless, athiest Catholics! Whats next, that the earth moves around the sun?

[PatrickHenry]

Your list of "fallen warriors" is growing -- especially with the phenomenon of short-lived sneakbacks. I suggest you don't display them vertically, as the thing is soon going to take up more than a full screen.

[Junior]

I was thinking of breaking them up into columns and laying them out side-by-side. I also need a good Skull-and-Crossbones graphic to put at the top.

[js1138]

I have the same birthday as Elsie. Must be yin/yang.

[Junior]

The term is "Freepday." It's the day you registered.

My condolences.

[jennyp]

I STILL don't know what the Freepdays table means.

[BikerNYC]

Modernman was banned? His posts were consistently thoughtful.

[dangus]

SPIN ALERT!

"Intelligent Design" is the notion that the universe, and life in particular, was created by God. "Evolution" does not espouse the antithetical view. The problem with evolution is the false inference that it denies a Creator, because it denies the young-earth hypothesis held by many literalist Christians.

Hence, anyone professing a belief in God, but asserting that he believes in Evolution is simply rejecting the atheistic inferences from Evolution. That position, held by Schoenborn if the rest of the article can be believed, is precisely the position of "Intelligent Design."

[Junior]

It's the day you registered. It's sorta like, "Birthdays in the Month of..." but with registration dates. The list is pretty much restricted to those who have posted on crevo or science threads (hence the "CrevoSci").

[jennyp]

Ha, Darwin Central even controls the Catholic Church! Kudos to the Enforcement Committee. I knew the good cardinal would choose wisely once we gave him an offer he couldn't refuse.