Comments on: Can Catholics Believe in Evolution?

By: Jeff Falls

Jeff Falls — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:38:25 +0000

Using carbon isotopes is only one very limited methodology used to calculate the age of facies in the stratigraphic record. In fact, it’s rarely employed by geologists or geophysicists for precisely the reason that you suggested. Most of the absolute dating of the rock record employs the decay of radioactive isotopes found in crystalline, igneous rocks. Some expamples are the decay of Potassium-40 to Argon-40, Rubidium-37 to Strontium-37, and Uranium-237 to Lead-207. This is all stuff that you might need to take a lower-division geology course to discover, so being unaware of these techniques is totally forgivable. Appealing to a false authority on the other hand…

By: Donovan

Donovan — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 04:29:42 +0000

Thank you Dana!!! That’s exactly what I have been saying my whole life, it only makes the most sense. we were talking about it in a religious ed class and I brought that up and our group leader said it sounds possible, because it seems logical.

By: Steve

Steve — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 19:57:18 +0000

Matthew – love your posts and this one got me thinking…I doubt many would argue that adaptation doesn’t happen but evolution implies more then bugs changing colors to adapt to their environment.

Perhaps you could clarify about what you mean by evolution, good science, and what you believe to be true. I know you’ve indicated that you are open to God and however he created the Earth but because evolution is such a loaded topic it would help to have a line that we can draw that indicates what the Church believes and what it does not. Can you please post what has caused you to believe in evolution and what scientific proof you used to make that decision?

By: Young-Earth Creationists’ Explanation of Dinosaur Extinction - Fallible Blogma

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 18:36:16 +0000

[...] own boring, small, limited minds. Good science is a friend to true religion. And true religion is not scared of good science. Please share this post with others: tweetmeme_source = 'MatthewWarner'; [...]

By: Matthew Warner

Matthew Warner — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 21:13:56 +0000

Lozen, your comment is complete fiction. I’d check your source of the information you’ve been given.

By: lozen

lozen — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 20:46:00 +0000

Of course you cannot be Catholic and believe in evolution!Just like you couldn’t be catholic in the 1300s and not believe in witches and burning them! Just like you couldn’t be catholic in Galileo’s time and believe the earth was round and went around the sun!

By: Christina Dunkin

Christina Dunkin — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 12:36:56 +0000

As a Catholic who is, after several years of examining both sides of the Creation/Evolution debate, “on the fence” so to speak, (thus far finding arguments for either side to be unconvincing/uncompelling) I think we need to be charitable to both sides. I have found that many creationists are not trying to dodge science and reason anymore than many Christian evolutionists are trying to dodge the word of God. Let’s love one another in Christ, okay? And lets’ also remember to study the Scripture-from trustworthy Catholic/Christian sources- and judge Scripture by its context. The Genesis creation account as allegorical? Perhaps. The Gospel as merely figurative but not historical? No!

By: Matthew Warner

Matthew Warner — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 22:56:52 +0000

Delores,

In the post I quite clearly express just what you are suggesting. I said “While Christians are free to be open to that possibility” (that evolution is not true and the Earth was created in 7 literal days).

Also, if you read the comments, I re-iterate that it is certainly compatible with our faith and possible that evolution is not true. Additionally, it’s smart to expect that parts of the theory of biological evolution certainly aren’t true. It’s just a theory. Parts have been shown to be very likely. Others have not. Surely we have much more to learn.

But the main reason you probably don’t hear many people make the point that it’s “okay to not believe in evolution and have faith in God and the bible” is because nobody is challenging that point. In fact, I’m not sure I’ve ever heard anybody argue that you had to believe in evolution in order to have faith in God and the Bible. So, as a result, you won’t hear many people defending that position. It’s a given.

Peace!

By: Delores

Delores — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 22:39:05 +0000

This is one thing that always bothers me on posts like this: you clearly indicate it is okay to believe in evolution and have faith in God and the bible. Why don’t you also indicate that it is okay to not believe in evolution and have faith in God and the bible? So many articles state the first but not the latter and it implies, to me, that the latter is not acceptable.

By: Kandy

Kandy — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 20:31:31 +0000

I do not get caught up the old Earth vs New Earth and I do believe that organisms evolve over time but I just really have a hard time believing that I came from Goo. I was teaching the a very small section on the beginning of life and my book actually says that life came from chemical reactions that occured near the hydrothermal vents in the ocean or from another planet. My students are expected to accept that reasoning. Truth is science cannot explain how life began and when people talk about Evolution that is what they focus on.

By: Robert

Robert — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 04:58:12 +0000

Rafa, It’s good to focus on good works. It’s also good to pursue the truth. The truth is that evolution is a total impossibility. There is absolutely no scientific proof of macro-evolution. Arguments, rather debates, are a Christian way of asserting the truth, Rafa. There’s no need to concede to a psuedoscience for the sake of avoiding argument. This is what Peter and Paul did.