Posted on 05/05/2006 8:21:56 AM PDT by Right Wing Professor
BELIEVING that God created the universe in six days is a form of superstitious paganism, the Vatican astronomer Guy Consolmagno claimed yesterday.
Brother Consolmagno, who works in a Vatican observatory in Arizona and as curator of the Vatican meteorite collection in Italy, said a "destructive myth" had developed in modern society that religion and science were competing ideologies.
He described creationism, whose supporters want it taught in schools alongside evolution, as a "kind of paganism" because it harked back to the days of "nature gods" who were responsible for natural events.
Brother Consolmagno argued that the Christian God was a supernatural one, a belief that had led the clergy in the past to become involved in science to seek natural reasons for phenomena such as thunder and lightning, which had been previously attributed to vengeful gods. "Knowledge is dangerous, but so is ignorance. That's why science and religion need to talk to each other," he said.
"Religion needs science to keep it away from superstition and keep it close to reality, to protect it from creationism, which at the end of the day is a kind of paganism - it's turning God into a nature god. And science needs religion in order to have a conscience, to know that, just because something is possible, it may not be a good thing to do."
Brother Consolmagno, who was due to give a speech at the Glasgow Science Centre last night, entitled "Why the Pope has an Astronomer", said the idea of papal infallibility had been a "PR disaster". What it actually meant was that, on matters of faith, followers should accept "somebody has got to be the boss, the final authority".
"It's not like he has a magic power, that God whispers the truth in his ear," he said.
The Pope's astronomer -- the man is not even a priest! -- expresses an opinion and you think it's "endorsed by the Vatican"?
C'mon, people. If the head of the US Navy Observatory announced that maybe the American revolution was a mistake and he saw some merit in monarchies, would you say "what an interesting statement, that appears to be endorsed by the White House"?
Astronomers are not authoritative sources of Catholic doctrine, even if they are members of Catholic religious orders and are employed by the Vatican.
And others on the thread have called for him to be fired. It's such a disappointment when the Church doesn't act like the big old monolithic meanie others misperceive it to be.
SD
Boy am I glad I am not around today to post on this one...
Not certain why your post is intended to incite an argument. But for future referrence, please note that the statement by me was NOT directed at you, nor was it intended for anything other than what it actually says. So, it may help you quite a bit if you were to actually read the statement before making foolhardy attempts to incite an argument for no reason other than to satisfy your own desire to argue...
Wheres my picture of Jesus riding the brontosaurus?
More likely than not, your holier than thou ego has gotten so large that you are now blind.
Apostasy is more likely in your camp than his.
LOL.
If science lies to us, and is not to be believed, we must believe that events that happen happen only because the whims of the gods, or of God in our monotheistic era.There are not only these two exclusive choices. Science does not "lie" to us, though some of its interpreters might, "science" is an attempt to understand and explain that which occurs around us, to us, and in spite of us.
"No, thank you."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
No matter which side of the question you claim to be on, this quote obviously applies to you:
"Knowledge is dangerous, but so is ignorance."
Ignorance -- willfully self-imposed -- is the most worthless of positions from which to discuss...anything!
jeez. You don't think much of creation do you?
Me too. You couldn't drag me to post on this thread.
That's why I'm staying out of it!
So there really is a tree of the knowledge of good and evil? What's it look like?
"That's why I'm staying out of it!"
I wouldn't post on this thread if you paid me.
Rain, and winds, and other myriad events are in motion at all times. Does God direct them all? No, but He directed their inception and, if one believes the Scriptures, He has, at times, directed them specifically. (Which is why it is not completely outside of true Judeo-Christian faith to look up for the bolt... better than being swallowed up by the ground.)
I'm sorry, I can't disagree with any of this. :-)
I was attempting to explain what the Brother may have meant by "pagan." And how shutting yourself off in a distrust of science can lead to superstition.
SD
But it's such fun to watch! The same kind of reaction we get after things like the Dover litigation (bah, an activist judge!), or some new transitional fossil turns up (bah, all frauds, like Piltdown Man!), or some new evidence shows up that Christians have no problem with evolution (bah, they're not real Christians!).
When asking a simple yes or no question, I don't appreciate being referred generically to the works of some author.
It's not embracing ignorance to expect a straight answer.
SD
So how much did you get? (And who's the contact -- I need a new head gasket for the Triumph)
Now... back to my extended weekend away from the computer...
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