• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Pope declares evolution & Big Bang are right & God isn't a magician with a magic wand

Status
Not open for further replies.
statham

statham

Member
Pope Francis declares evolution and Big Bang theory are right and God isn't 'a magician with a magic wand'
Click to expand...
The theories of evolution and the Big Bang are real and God is not “a magician with a magic wand”, Pope Francis has declared.
Speaking at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, the Pope made comments which experts said put an end to the “pseudo theories” of creationism and intelligent design that some argue were encouraged by his predecessor, Benedict XVI.
Francis explained that both scientific theories were not incompatible with the existence of a creator – arguing instead that they “require it”.
“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,” Francis said.
He added: “He created human beings and let them develop according to the internal laws that he gave to each one so they would reach their fulfilment.
Click to expand...
“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.”
The Catholic Church has long had a reputation for being anti-science – most famously when Galileo faced the inquisition and was forced to retract his “heretic” theory that the Earth revolved around the Sun.
Click to expand...

continues here
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...snt-a-magician-with-a-magic-wand-9822514.html
 
T

The Technomancer

card-carrying scientician
Yeah considered posting this as well. Not a radical new platform or anything, the church has been cool with science for a while, but still good to see it re-affirmed.
 
adamsapple

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Not a Christian (mulim) but even I have to say that this new Pope has been saying and doing nothing but the right things since he was elected.
 
K

kinggroin

Banned
This is not new. Amongst Catholics Muslims or christians.


Maybe if your only view of religion comes from exposure to GAF threads in the subject...


Still, glad to hear the reaffirmation
 
Northeastmonk

Northeastmonk

Gold Member
The catholic church's stance of evolution has always been an acceptance of the biological world. I learned that from taking a Biology entry level course that focused its entire premise around evolution. My professor had also received his masters degree under Richard Dawkins. This was at a private catholic college too.

This may be new news to people, but evolution basically explains science in a way that can be proven with theories and research.

I also think the church has their head caught up with glorifying saints and Mary to the point where it's past being monotheistic. I can't pray to saints, so believing in actual science makes sense to me.
 
D

DiipuSurotu

Banned
iKiHBypNAuwy5.gif
 
R

ratcliffja

Member
Yeah I pretty much agree with what he said. As a Christian, I believe that evolution and the Big Bang are instruments of God. Heck, the Bible has people pop out of nowhere in Genesis without any explanation, so that alone would imply that humanity is more than just a magic wand creating 2 people to procreate.
 
L

Lucky Forward

Member
Yeah, but...

http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnfarrell/2011/08/11/can-theology-evolve/

The Catholic Church indeed of all the Christian churches faces a particular quandary. The Council of Trent is quite explicit on the topic. Catholics are required to believe not only that Adam is the single father of the human race, but that Original Sin is passed on by physical generation from him to the entire human race. It’s not something symbolic or allegorical (although it is regarded as ultimately mysterious). The First Vatican Council reiterated the doctrine, as did Pope Pius XII in his 1950 encyclical Humani Generis.

For the faithful cannot embrace that opinion which maintains that either after Adam there existed on this earth true men who did not take their origin through natural generation from him as from the first parent of all, or that Adam represents a certain number of first parents. Now it is in no way apparent how such an opinion can be reconciled with that which the sources of revealed truth and the documents of the Teaching Authority of the Church propose with regard to original sin, which proceeds from a sin actually committed by an individual Adam and which, through generation, is passed on to all and is in everyone as his own.
Click to expand...

Catholic apologists who point to Pope John Paul II’s 1996 address to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences as evidence of the Church’s acceptance of evolution often fail to notice that the late Pope completely passed over the question of monogenism, and indeed never did discuss the problem that genetics poses to the doctrine.
Click to expand...

If there was no Adam then there was no Original Sin, and no need for Christ's sacrifice.
 
S

Servbot24

Banned
Most religious people don't believe in creationism so this is not very surprising. Creationists are really only something you read about on GAF.
 
B

Blader

Member
People keep saying this isn't new, yet how many millions of Christians continue to believe in creationism and reject evolution? Even if plenty of churches or individuals have accepted this on their own already, it's still a big deal for the reigning Pope of all people to be this forward about it.
 
M

Muskieratboi

Member
Is this actually legit?

Cause that's "The pope Died mysteriously yesterday..." Territory for some of the higher cardinals.

You know, since he just Retconned most of the book of Genesis.
 
J

Joni

Member
Choppasmith said:
Wow. Pope Francis with one surprise after another. It's good news, but I fear for the guy's life now.
Click to expand...
Both scientific discoveries were heavily influenced by members of the Catholic Church and have been accepted forever. They teach the divine element as part of it, but they follow the scientific element completely. It is why catholic schools worldwide teach both.

Blader said:
People keep saying this isn't new, yet how many millions of Christians continue to believe in creationism and reject evolution? Even if plenty of churches or individuals have accepted this on their own already, it's still a big deal for the reigning Pope of all people to be this forward about it.
Click to expand...
Those Christians don't follow the pope and the Catholic Church. You have one billion Christians that want nothing to do with it aside from the one billion Catholics that follow the Catholic Church. Most of those loud Christians you hear aren't catholics.

Muskieratboi said:
Is this actually legit?

Cause that's "The pope Died mysteriously yesterday..." Territory for some of the higher cardinals.

You know, since he just Retconned most of the book of Genesis.
Click to expand...
He didn't retcon Genesis. Genesis has been taught as an allegory. The seven days are a longer period. For instance, we are still on the seventh day.
 
D

DiipuSurotu

Banned
Blader said:
People keep saying this isn't new, yet how many millions of Christians continue to believe in creationism and reject evolution? Even if plenty of churches or individuals have accepted this on their own already, it's still a big deal for the reigning Pope of all people to be this forward about it.
Click to expand...

Christians =/= Catholics. For example, most of the United States is Protestant.
 
T

The Technomancer

card-carrying scientician
Muskieratboi said:
Is this actually legit?

Cause that's "The pope Died mysteriously yesterday..." Territory for some of the higher cardinals.

You know, since he just Retconned most of the book of Genesis.
Click to expand...
Again, the Catholic church specifically has basically held the stance that Genesis is a metaphor and the Big Bang (and later on evolution) are compatible with faith for...at least a couple decades?
 
C

ccbfan

Member
Does every pope topic became a "I don't understand the difference become Catholics and Christians but I'll act like I'm an expert" discussion?
 
A

AkuMifune

Banned
Fireblend said:
So, is the pope saying god is forced to obey the laws of physics now? What happened to omnipotence?
Click to expand...

Eh, the laws of physics are completely arbitrary though. Probably broken in other universes.

We only happen to exist in one where they're balanced or you couldn't be reading this right now.
 
T

teruterubozu

Member
Blader said:
People keep saying this isn't new, yet how many millions of Christians continue to believe in creationism and reject evolution? Even if plenty of churches or individuals have accepted this on their own already, it's still a big deal for the reigning Pope of all people to be this forward about it.
Click to expand...

wut?
 
C

ced

Member
The Technomancer said:
Again, the Catholic church specifically has basically held the stance that Genesis is a metaphor and the Big Bang (and later on evolution) are compatible with faith for...at least a couple decades?
Click to expand...

I don't get this, they are compatible with a creator of the universe and the evolutionary process, but that creator is not what is represented in the bible.

I guess you mean a couple decades until another scientific breakthrough on abiogenesis or mutli-verses etc?

I'm glad their progressive and at least a little pro science but they really just move the goal posts.
 
Northeastmonk

Northeastmonk

Gold Member
The Technomancer said:
Again, the Catholic church specifically has basically held the stance that Genesis is a metaphor and the Big Bang (and later on evolution) are compatible with faith for...at least a couple decades?
Click to expand...

Yes, a lot of the stories of Noah, Daniel, Adam and Eve, etc are all deemed as symbolism. I knew a guy who was going to a Baptist college and he tried arguing with me over rather or not Revelations was in fact real or not. He claimed it represented Rome and I just stopped caring about it all period.

They taught me that in one of their mandatory theology courses at Creighton University.

From what all I remember everything is BS and the book of Job is all made up. Apparently after years and years of rewriting the Bible and the experts who study the biblical teachings all believe it has been misinterpreted.
 
Y

Yuuichi

Member
Muskieratboi said:
Is this actually legit?

Cause that's "The pope Died mysteriously yesterday..." Territory for some of the higher cardinals.

You know, since he just Retconned most of the book of Genesis.
Click to expand...

Only a few secs of Christianity actually take everything literally any more and the Vatican hasn't for quite some time. It's probably not helping that he's a Jesuit, who are super progressive (and super cool, thanks Jesuit HS) anyway.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Pope invites scientists into the Vatican to talk about the Big Bang
2 3 4
168
18K
Artdayne replied
New Book | Rizwan Virk, The simulation hypothesis
1
302
DunDunDunpachi replied
  • Locked
POPE FRANCIS WARNS LARGE HADRON COLLIDER COULD ‘OPEN GATES OF HELL’
2 3 4
168
16K
bender replied
[Atlantic] America Has a Drinking Problem
2 3
149
18K
Hawking Radiation replied
Phil Spencer: Xbox Series X will have Microsoft’s ‘most diverse collection of first-party games’
Opinion Game Dev Platform 2
56
4K
Hezekiah replied
Top Bottom