Pope to debate evolution with former students

Reuters ^

[Grendel9]

PARIS (Reuters) - Pope Benedict gathers some of his former theology students on Friday for a private weekend debate on evolution and religion, an issue conservative Christians have turned into a political cause in the United States.

Benedict, who taught theology at four German universities before rising in the Catholic Church hierarchy, has pondered weighty ideas with his former Ph.D students at annual meetings since the late 1970s without any media fuss.

But his election as pope last year and controversies over teaching evolution in the United States have aroused lively interest in this year's reunion on September 1-3 at the papal summer residence of Castel Gondolfo outside Rome.

Religion and science blogs are buzzing about whether it means the Vatican will take a more critical view of evolution and possibly embrace "Intelligent Design," which claims to have scientific proof that human life could not have simply evolved. *** At his inaugural mass after his election last year, Benedict declared: "We are not some casual and meaningless product of evolution. Each of us is the result of a thought of God."

[Grendel9]

This meeting has been touted for many months now. One has to wonder just how many of the subtopics discussed will actually be released to the public. Whatever the outcome, it will be viewed as Amusing by Atheists; Interesting by Born-Agains; Spiritually Uplifting by Family Bred Christians; and a Futile Attempt to Understanding Creation by non-Christians.

[FourtySeven]

Also, it may be viewed as more evidence of the Catholic Church being the Whore of Babylon, by some fundies, as this may be viewed as a "secret meeting to determine the best way to carve up the world in the New World Order".

Are there 11 former students in this group?

By the way, I'm Catholic. It just wouldn't surprise me if the more paranoid would think this.

[lionheart 247365]

Jimmy Carter could sure throw a monkey wrench in the theory of intelligent design .

[lionheart 247365]

You mean we all evolved from bafoons or just Jimmy ?

[nmh]

Amazing ... that a man who claims to believe in God would doubt what God clearly states in the Bible. I see no need to "debate" evolution. The evidence is clear and God is clear that He created all we see and don't see in seven 24 hour days. So sad ... that a "debate" is needed to convince him.

[thomaswest]

The RCC has never taught a literal reading of the Bible. Indeed, the Church regards this as part of the Protestant error.

The Catholic Church has never embraced Protestant creationism. Throughout Catholic Latin America, evolution is taught in church and public schools without any significant opposition or controversy.

[nmh]

"The RCC has never taught a literal reading of the Bible. Indeed, the Church regards this as part of the Protestant error. "

That's part of the problem with the RCC. It's not a "protestant error" it's an error not to take God literally when appropriate.

The RCC has no problem LITERALLY believing that bread and wine will convert to drinking His blood and eating His body. That's a literal that NO ONE should take. It's a sin to eat human flesh and a sin to drink human blood. That NEVER changed and to have imaginary cannibalism must grieve Him deeply. Communion is symbolic - not literally imagining you literally drinking His blood and literally eating His body - imagining it transforms into this - gives me the creeps - KNOWING it is SYMPBOLIC.

[gcruse]

"it will be viewed as Amusing by Atheists; Interesting by Born-Agains; Spiritually Uplifting by Family Bred Christians; and a Futile Attempt to Understanding Creation by non-Christians"

Oh, that's good. Can I play?

It will be viewed as:
Wishful thinking by atheists,
Unnecessary exegesis by born-agains,
Romanist perfidy by family bred Christians,
Rearranging deck chairs by non-Christians.

[deputac]

I was always curious about JPII's statement and how it was interpreted. Do you have any more information (links) on this matter?

[Smogger]

Spoken like a true protestant.

[DarkSavant]

The RCC has no problem LITERALLY believing that bread and wine will convert to drinking His blood and eating His body. That's a literal that NO ONE should take. It's a sin to eat human flesh and a sin to drink human blood. That NEVER changed and to have imaginary cannibalism must grieve Him deeply. Communion is symbolic - not literally imagining you literally drinking His blood and literally eating His body - imagining it transforms into this - gives me the creeps - KNOWING it is SYMPBOLIC.


[46] Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.
[47] Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
[48] I am that bread of life.
[49] Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
[50] This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
[51] I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
[52] The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
[53] Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
[54] Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
[55] For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
[56] He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
[57] As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
[58] This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.
[59] These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.
[60] Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?
[61] When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?
[62] What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?
[63] It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
[64] But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.
[65] And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.
[66] From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

You would have been one of the disciples that left him.

I suggest you actually read the doctrine of substantiation and maybe take a science class too. There's no issue with evolution. God can create however he pleases.

[gcruse]

"For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed."

Right, then. Cannibalism it is, mates!
Who's got the recipe?
Here it is, Cap'n.
Right, then.

"...flay their skin from off them, and break their bones in pieces, and chop them up like meat in a kettle, like flesh in a caldron."*

Yummy.

*Micah 3

[deputac]

Last weekend's Gospel reading for us in the Roman Catholic faith, and one of it's baisc tenents.

[thomaswest]

That's part of the problem with the RCC. It's not a "protestant error" it's an error not to take God literally when appropriate.... It's a sin to eat human flesh and a sin to drink human blood. That NEVER changed and to have imaginary cannibalism must grieve Him deeply. Communion is symbolic - not literally imagining you literally drinking His blood and literally eating His body - imagining it transforms into this - gives me the creeps -

William Wycliffe translated the Bible into English, and one his followers, John Hus, actively promoted Wycliffe’s ideas: that people should be permitted to read the Bible in their own language, and they should oppose the tyranny of the Roman church that threatened anyone possessing a non-Latin Bible with execution.

Hus was burned at the stake in 1415, with Wycliffe’s manuscript Bibles used as kindling for the fire. The last words of John Hus were that, “in 100 years, God will raise up a man whose calls for reform cannot be suppressed.” Almost exactly 100 years later, in 1517, Martin Luther nailed his famous 95 Theses of Contention (a list of 95 issues of heretical theology and crimes of the Roman Catholic Church) onto the church door at Wittenberg. The prophecy of Hus came true!

Martin Luther went on to be the first man to print the Bible in the German language. Foxe’s Book of Martyrs records that in that same year, 1517, seven people were burned at the stake by the Roman Catholic Church for the crime of teaching their children to say the Lord’s Prayer in English rather than Latin.

[thomaswest]

I am reminded of the graffiti we saw in Oaklahoma, of all places:

"Stop overpopulation. Support cannibalism."

[gcruse]

LOL

[nmh]

Catholicism isn't receptive to truth.

Similar to Muslim terrorists, in years past Catholics would as you say, literally burn you at the stake, torture you to convert to their beliefs ... sound familiar?

Who could forget "Bloody Mary" or the Inquisition and Crusades? Same thing is going on with the Muslims and neither is Christian or Biblically correct - yet people still follow the "leaders" of their "faith".


Recently released FOX journalist "converted" to Islam with a gun pointed at them ... history repeats itself and people still defend both "faiths". Go figure!

The Bible and what is says is the secular worlds biggest enemy. It always will be till Christ comes and claims His own.