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[Caayn]

Pope Francis invites scientists to the Vatican after Catholic Church realises the Big Bang is real

Astrophysicists and other experts will attend the Vatican Observatory to discuss black holes, gravitational waves and space-time singularities as it honors the late Jesuit cosmologist considered one of the fathers of the idea that the universe began with a gigantic explosion.

 

[Aiii]

The only way for organised religion to survive is for the doctrine to adapt to facts that weren't around when it was written, so yeah, I think Pope Francis has a good grasp on this. You can retcon the Big Bang into Creation, especially since it's unlikely we'll have hard facts on what caused it in the first place either for a long time, or maybe even ever.

Seems like a smart move, incorporate modern day science into Catholicism.

 

[phxxBullet]

.......................

 

[Glass Rebel]

 

[Maledict]

Pope: It's a lie

The Catholic Church stopped opposing science around creation decades ago. Hell, John Paul said that evolution was how life developed. It's only American evangelicals who've gone down this really weird dead end of fundamentalism when it comes to the bible.

 

[SpaceWolf]

 

[brian577]

If may come as a shock to some but the Catholic Church hasn't been anti-science for centuries. Catholic schools teach evolution for fucks sake, they employee scientists and even have their own observatories.

 

[Secret_asian_man]

Pope: It's a lie

It was a Catholic preist who proposed the Big Bang theory.

 

[Ionic]

Don't be too surprised. The Vatican is pretty up to date on Cosmology. I mean, a dang priest is responsible for the theory of the big bang.They're not completely anti-science after all. Get with the program, guys.

 

[Hypron]

It was a Catholic preist who proposed the Big Bang theory.

Yup.

 

[G.ZZZ]

Why is this surprising? He isn't from the good ol' U.S.A.

 

[sphinx]

so what's the deal?

Will the Pope try to convince the scientists the Big Bang was executed by a thinking or conscious being called "God"?

nobody can answer that, all we can do is say "maybe? who knows, let's have beer and Pizza"

 

[PdotMichael]

It's always interesting how USGaf acts like everyone from whatever church is anti science.

 

[Alienfan]

Good as always to see the church accepting more science. Although, maybe now that the church is ignoring even more parts of the bible, they can ignore the part about hating gay people and whatever thing they use to justify not allowing women to be priests.

 

[Monocle]

The only way for organised religion to survive is for the doctrine to adapt to facts that weren't around when it was written, so yeah, I think Pope Francis has a good grasp on this. You can retcon the Big Bang into Creation, especially since it's unlikely we'll have hard facts on what caused it in the first place either for a long time, or maybe even ever.

Seems like a smart move, incorporate modern day science into Catholicism.

Pretty much. Science denial is a losing move in a world where religious institutions can't fully control the flow of information.

Maybe now that the church is ignoring even more parts of the bible, they can ignore the part about hating gay people and whatever thing they use to justify not allowing women to be priests.

Yes OK but then which group will they be able to exploit for their hypocritical moralizing? Gays are UNNATURAL.*

* Pls ignore all instances of homosexuality in the animal kingdom. And also ignore that humanity is as much a part of nature as any other mammalian species. Because eww, butt stuff. And also because Jesus.

 

[manueldelalas]

The only way for organised religion to survive is for the doctrine to adapt to facts that weren't around when it was written, so yeah, I think Pope Francis has a good grasp on this. You can retcon the Big Bang into Creation, especially since it's unlikely we'll have hard facts on what caused it in the first place either for a long time, or maybe even ever.

Seems like a smart move, incorporate modern day science into Catholicism.

Yes, a smart move they've been doing since forever...

 

[Ms.Galaxy]

Maybe now that the church is ignoring even more parts of the bible, they can ignore the part about hating gay people and whatever thing they use to justify not allowing women to be priests.

Give it a few more decades. At the rate things are going, I expect that the Catholic Church will eventually turn into a Church of Science in 100 years or so.

 

[daviyoung]

The big bang fits nicely into creationist thinking

 

[SolVanderlyn]

The Catholic Church stopped opposing science around creation decades ago. Hell, John Paul said that evolution was how life developed. It's only American evangelicals who've gone down this really weird dead end of fundamentalism when it comes to the bible.

^ This.

 

[sphinx]

Pretty much. Science denial is a losing move in a world where religious institutions can't fully control the flow of information.

sadly, we don't need religion nowadays to have denialists.

search "flat earth"on youtube, watch any video for 30 seconds, read just 3 comments and cry tears of frustation

 

[jsnepo]

It's always interesting how USGaf acts like everyone from whatever church is anti science.

Yeah. I grew up in a Catholic school and evolution was taught. I learned about the Big Bang through the same school.

lol

 

[Zaru]

The only way for organised religion to survive is for the doctrine to adapt to facts that weren't around when it was written

Ooooor just reproduce like crazy and indoctrinate your children while aggressively denying scientific findings

 

[witness]

Yeah. I grew up in a Catholic school and evolution was taught. I learned about the Big Bang through the same school.

lol

Yep, it was all evolution, the big bang, scientific method, etc. Nothing held back or spun differently. Actually, god wasn't brought up at all by my teachers during science classes. It wasn't censored like some of these public schools are today, and I am really proud of that.

 

[pa22word]

It's always interesting how Gaf acts like everyone from whatever church is anti science.

FTFY

Went to catholic school in states and was informed on matters of science just as well (probably better, honestly) as any secular school would have taught.

ITT what we really learn: you can be an ignorant asshat regardless of what you think about religion.

 

[Razgriz-Specter]

It's always interesting how USGaf acts like everyone from whatever church is anti science.

More like the Internet as a whole.

 

[Ms.Galaxy]

Yeah. I grew up in a Catholic school and evolution was taught. I learned about the Big Bang through the same school.

lol

Kinda the same thing with me. When I was still a Catholic as a kid, I went to Sunday school. Half of the time spent was for bible studies and such and the other half was for normal school studies like writing, math, and even science. I actually learned about evolution and dinosaurs in Sunday school before regular school.

 

[FunkyDealer]

I remember seeing a documentary that said that the big bang theory was originally panned my many scientists, because it implied the existence of a creation. As religions had (not precisely) described.

The alternative was that the universe simply had always existed and was beyond time.

 

[Carn82]

This Pope is a cool Pope.

 

[hydrophilic attack]

It's always interesting how USGaf acts like everyone from whatever church is anti science.

Most of US-gaf is asleep this time of day

 

[JonnyDBrit]

Honestly if anything, this is probably intended to stress the point that the Church accepts scientific consensus on things like the Big Bang to people who may not readily realise or accept what the Church's position has been for ages. See: 'Catholics' like Bill O'Reilly.

Edit:

I remember seeing a documentary that said that the big bang theory was originally panned my many scientists, because it implied the existence of a creation. As religions had (not precisely) described.

The alternative was that the universe simply had always existed and was beyond time.

Yep. Look up the Copleston vs Russell debate.

 

[Caayn]

It's always interesting how Gaf acts like everyone from whatever church is anti science.

I think that goes for a larger part of the internet. Some people are a little to proud to be atheist/agnostic.

 

[meppi]

 

[Aiii]

Ooooor just reproduce like crazy and indoctrinate your children while aggressively denying scientific findings

Unless you're going to control them going on the internet, like Scientology, this is a losing game since humans are nurtured to rebel past childhood.

 

[ItAintEasyBeinCheesy]

"Pope Burns Witches at the Stake"

Bout what I'm expecting from this shit house period of time.

 

[Maledict]

Unless you're going to control them going on the internet, like Scientology, this is a losing game since humans are nurtured to rebel past childhood.

Um, I think we have a vast amount of evidence to say otherwise. Most people vote for the same political party as their parents after all.

 

[Speevy]

 

[NoblesseOblige]

It's always interesting how USGaf acts like everyone from whatever church is anti science.

Weird. Always seemed more a EuroGAF thing to hate on religion. Or was that just towards religions of predominantly brown people?

 

[RoadHazard]

Weird. Always seemed more a EuroGAF thing to hate on religion. Or was that just towards religions of predominantly brown people?

Don't worry, we are disgusted by American religious fundamentalism as well.

 

[NEO0MJ]

Don't worry, we are disgusted by American religious fundamentalism as well.

You don't seem to mind taking them in, though.
.
..
...
I feel this thread will derail soon.

 

[Aiii]

Um, I think we have a vast amount of evidence to say otherwise. Most people vote for the same political party as their parents after all.

You are comparing upbringing with indoctrination. Yes, you are more likely to vote for the same political party as your parents because you were given certain values that align with said party through your upbringing, increasing the likelihood you'll be into the same political party than your parent. This is even more true in a system like the US, where you're literally choosing between only two options, which appear quite polarizing in their standpoints. It is much less prevalent in multi-party systems.

Religion is another matter, most people that leave religion do so between the ages of 10 and 17:

And it is losing Catholics at a young age. ”The interviews with youth and young adults who had left the Catholic Faith revealed that the typical age for this decision to leave was made at 13," Gray wrote. ”Nearly two-thirds of those surveyed, 63 percent, said they stopped being Catholic between the ages of 10 and 17. Another 23 percent say they left the Faith before the age of 10."

...

The most common reason given for leaving the Catholic faith, by one in five respondents, was they stopped believing in God or religion. This was evidence of a ”desire among some of them for proof, for evidence of what they're learning about their religion and about God," Gray said.

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/n...ge-10-and-what-parents-can-do-about-it-48918/

Which makes sense, because as I said, this is the age where you start questioning what you've been taught and start forming your own opinions on matters. Religion is not a matter of values, either, it's a matter of fact. If you go by the values religion teaches, you can find a home in pretty much every religion, as 95% of them teach the exact same values. The doctrine is where the changes lie, and that's where the problem is. You can tell a kid one specific deity exists and they'll accept it (your parents are an authority, after all), but you can't tell a 17-year-old that without backing it up.

That's not to say the teen will lose their faith, but I guarantee you every single teenager brought up in a religious family has questioned their faith at some point and made up their own mind.

 

[IdreamofHIME]

Maybe the invite got mistranslated. Maybe he was just inviting Sheldon and Penny

 

[Always-honest]

Kind of useless, but go ahead. Always good to have a discussion, i guess.

 

[seanoff]

Yep, catholic school kid here, k - 12.

My physics and chemistry teacher in yr11 and 12 had doctorates in both and was a priest

To say he thought creationism was utter stupidity would be to undersell his response.

 

[Despera]

The only way for organised religion to survive is for the doctrine to adapt to facts that weren't around when it was written, so yeah, I think Pope Francis has a good grasp on this. You can retcon the Big Bang into Creation, especially since it's unlikely we'll have hard facts on what caused it in the first place either for a long time, or maybe even ever.

Seems like a smart move, incorporate modern day science into Catholicism.

He's just extending a losing battle.

 

[Mario007]

The only way for organised religion to survive is for the doctrine to adapt to facts that weren't around when it was written, so yeah, I think Pope Francis has a good grasp on this. You can retcon the Big Bang into Creation, especially since it's unlikely we'll have hard facts on what caused it in the first place either for a long time, or maybe even ever.

Seems like a smart move, incorporate modern day science into Catholicism.

That's already a thing. Eversince i was small i was taught that big bang is a thing and that the seven days are meant to represent the llng time periods it toom God to create life and I'm Catholic.

 

[weremichael]

If may come as a shock to some but the Catholic Church hasn't been anti-science for centuries. Catholic schools teach evolution for fucks sake, they employee scientists and even have their own observatories.

Yet they still teach transubstantiation.

 

[Croyles]

so what's the deal?

Will the Pope try to convince the scientists the Big Bang was executed by a thinking or conscious being called "God"?

nobody can answer that, all we can do is say "maybe? who knows, let's have beer and Pizza"

Essentially this. It will be an effort to consolidate the two view points. One theory does not necessarily negate the other, which is fair enough even if it's not my thing. There will always be unanswered questions in the universe.

 

[cackhyena]

He needs to grapple with plain banging first.

 

[CloudWolf]

I do have to wonder what the hell there is to talk about.

"So scientists, about the big bang..."
"What about it, Pope?"
"It was pretty neat, wasn't it?"
"Yes, it was."

 

[HStallion]

He's just extending a losing battle.

A lot people want to believe in something, maybe even need to. If it isn't religion it'll be something else. Its just in our nature.