1. The Darwinian theory of evolution (science) and the Biblical doctrine of creation (religion) are issues that are regarded to be contradictory. Though the intellectual world is divided into these two realms of knowledge, creation and evolution are complementary, not contradictory. There is compatibility between the two.
2. There is compatibility between creation and evolution because they respond to two complementary realities, rather than mutually exclusive ones. Moreover, creation and evolution are linked to the inner unity of faith and reason.
3. Creation explains where the image of human beings comes from, their inmost origin and their particular nature, and the theory of evolution seeks to understand and describe biological developments and how human persons come to be (Ratzinger 1995).
For Christians, creation in Genesis I is exactly what happened. However, for scientists, the incredibly long and intricate description of evolution is essentially true. The two groups have very different perspectives, but they are actually describing the very same sequence of events. For instance, Genesis begins with light. And according to scientific evidence, before the Earth and everything else, there was the indescribably immense concentration of energy that expanded to form the universe in what is known as the Big Bang. At the end of Genesis I, the last event of creation was mankind, which also happens to be the most recent major event in evolutionary history. This leads to parallelism, which attempts to explain how each belief can be absolutely true within its own realm, even though there appear to be overwhelming conflicts between them. This point of view consists of two completely parallel understandings of existence, faith and science, each are independently self-consistent. Either alone represents a perfect, correct and complete view of the world. Hence, the two perspectives can and should be developed and considered separately.
4. It has been objected, however, that the evolutionary theory has not explained well the mechanism or process of evolution. For instance, evolution is supposed to take place gradually according to Darwin. Thus, there should be intermediate fossil species which record the real process of change. These intermediate fossil forms are totally absent from the fossil record. This record provides not a single example of a series of fossils which prove that a process of evolution did take place to gradually produe a new kind of species (Stanley 1979). The fossils rather show the sudden appearance of the kinds, not the slow, continuing change of one kind to another kind.
This objection, nonetheless, may be explained scientifically by a theory of puntuated evolution, which posits that transitional species consists of very small, rapidly evolving populations that leave no fossil records. In other words, the theory would expect there to be missing links, those that correspond to these transitional species.
Nonetheless, evolution as a science does not concern itself with one area that is a central issue in religion, namely, why things came to be. Divine creation provides a purposeful and ultimately meaningful answer to the question of purpose; this is in contrast to the unpurposeful and blind random forces thought by some scientists to drive evolution.
The truth or falsehood of creation or evolution is not the question at issue, but whether there exists clear compatibility between them. Religion and Science have different views; one should respect the other and enter into dialogue about their achievement, failures, and limits of their activities.
5. In conclusion, there is no contradiction between creation and evolution, science and religion. Christians are to maintain absolute and true faith in the Lord and in every detail of the Scripture, while also welcoming all accomplishments of science as being worthwhile and not perceiving them as challenges to their faith. On the other hand, analytical scientists are to maintain their rigid logic, while also opening their minds to the wonderful potential personal value of Christian faith (Johnson 1997).
References:
Johnson, C.A. 1997. Christianity and Science are Compatible. http://mb-soft.com/public/duality.html
Ratzinger, J. 1995. Excerpts from In the beginning: a Catholic understanding of the story of Creation and the Fall. http://www.bringyou.to/apologetics/p81.htm
Stanley, S. 1979. Macroevolution--Pattern and Process. San Francisco: WH Freeman and Co.
(Gwen Alexis V. Gapay, lexi.gapay@yahoo.com)
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
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