We the undersigned, Christian clergy from many different traditions, believe that the timeless truths of the Bible and the discoveries of modern science may comfortably coexist. We believe that the theory of evolution is a foundational scientific truth, one that has stood up to rigorous scrutiny and upon which much of human knowledge and achievement rests. To reject this truth or to treat it as one theory among others is to deliberately embrace scientific ignorance and transmit such ignorance to our children. We believe that among Gods good gifts are human minds capable of critical thought and that the failure to fully employ this gift is a rejection of the will of our Creator. To argue that Gods loving plan of salvation for humanity precludes the full employment of the God-given faculty of reason is to attempt to limit God, an act of hubris. We urge school board members to preserve the integrity of the science curriculum by affirming the teaching of the theory of evolution as a core component of human knowledge. We ask that science remain science and that religion remain religion, two very different, but complementary, forms of truth.In addition to those 10,000, here is a link to Statements from Religious Organizations, a list of Christian and Jewish denominations, including Roman Catholics, that accept (or at least don't dispute) evolution. There is also the recent statement opposing creationism by the Archbishop of Canterbury, leader of the 70-million-member Anglican Communion.
Clergymen are usually not scientists; therefore their opinions (whether pro or con) have no special significance regarding the scientific validity of evolution. What the above-referenced opinions do indicate is that for all of these clergymen and their denominations, evolution is compatible with religion.
Some religious denominations don't agree with those described above. In addition to those Christian denominations that follow a literal reading of scripture, a partial list of others that reject evolution would include the Unification Church (Rev. Sun Myung Moon): Darwinism: Why I Went for a Second Ph.D., by Jonathan Wells , Islam: Why Muslims Should Support Intelligent Design, By Mustafa Akyol, and the Raelians.
What this tells us is that evolution is a matter of dispute among various religious denominations, not a scientific controversy. Therefore, it is inappropriate for public school science classes to be involved in this issue.
In what sense (of the five or six ways it could be used) is the word "evolution" used in this context?
Cordially,