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The Independent reports that Pope Francis, speaking at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, has declared that the theories of evolution and the Big Bang are real.
“When we read about Creation in Genesis, we run the risk of imagining God was a magician, with a magic wand able to do everything. But that is not so,” said Francis.
“He created human beings and let them develop according to the internal laws that he gave to each one so they would reach their fulfillment."
Francis explained that both scientific theories were not incompatible with the existence of a creator – arguing instead that they “require it”.
“The Big Bang, which today we hold to be the origin of the world, does not contradict the intervention of the divine creator but, rather, requires it. Evolution in nature is not inconsistent with the notion of creation, because evolution requires the creation of beings that evolve.”
Experts say the Pope's comments put an end to the “pseudo theories” of creationism and intelligent design that some argue were encouraged by his predecessor, Benedict XVI who spoke out against taking Darwin too far.
(Score: 2) by TrumpetPower! on Wednesday October 29 2014, @02:05AM
It's right there in the direct quote:
This is pure, unadulterated, 100% Intelligent Design Creationism, and no different whatsoever from what got the big smackdown in the Dover trial.
There not only isn’t even the slightest hint of evidence of divine interference in the development of life on Earth, there's overwhelming evidence that, if there is any such interference, it is of the most perniciously malicious and / or grossly incompetent variety. And, yet, here’s the Pope continuing to insist that “[God] created human beings.”
I can understand why the Church would wish to spin its fantasy faery tales as being all hunky-dory with science; that’s the propaganda line they’re trying to sell, after all, to make them seem hip to the next generation of marks. But can we please refrain from regurgitating that same propaganda?
I mean, really. Is it too much to ask for even the slightest hint of awareness of the most fundamental findings of modern biology? Were the Church instead hung up on Intelligent Falling, we wouldn’t let slip some support for all things falling naturally save human parachutists who get special attention, would we?
No?
So why distort biology so grossly? And to further a most shameless confidence scam, to boot....
Cheers,
b&
All but God can prove this sentence true.
(Score: 2) by VLM on Wednesday October 29 2014, @11:38AM
As a disclaimer I'm not even a believer and yet if you just bold up a different phrase "let them develop according to the internal laws that he gave to each one" then its not so bad.
Physics types are going to get all pissed off about the "no hidden local variables" vs his little phrase, but its really not that bad for a scientific layman.
He probably means to write something like his god created the conditions for human beings and maybe decided exactly when, where, and to whom (oh the pun... say it out loud) some arbitrary first fertilized egg thats in our species. Its still a little overly species-ist.
My attempts at theological writing would probably suck worse than his attempt at scientific writing. He just Fed up a minor phrase by having it slightly conflict with the rest of the same line of text. Its not perfect but its pretty darn good.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday October 29 2014, @12:22PM
There not only isn’t even the slightest hint of evidence of divine interference in the development of life on Earth
Nor is there even the slightest hint of evidence of its absence. Welcome to supernatural explanations.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by DrMag on Wednesday October 29 2014, @05:07PM
There not only isn’t even the slightest hint of evidence of divine interference in the development of life on Earth, there's overwhelming evidence that, if there is any such interference, it is of the most perniciously malicious and / or grossly incompetent variety. And, yet, here’s the Pope continuing to insist that “[God] created human beings.”
Except what Francis is saying is in no way akin to saying "God interferes with the natural order". He's saying that the natural order is God's order. You may believe that there is no scientific evidence for the existence of God, but to assume that that evidence appears only as an interference from how things would otherwise work in the universe is misunderstanding the situation entirely.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 31 2014, @12:13AM
There are many instances in the Bible where God supposedly interferes with the natural order. If you disregard all of those what you have left is nothing like the god Christians worship. For instance, if God impregnated Mary so she would give birth to his son, that is interfering with the natural order, and again bringing Jesus back to life after he was crucified is interfering with the natural order.
What Francis is doing is misinterpreting the science (whether deliberately or not) and creatively interpreting the Bible so they don't seem to conflict.