DOCSLIB.ORG

Creation, Evolution, and Catholicism

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

Creation, Evolution, And Catholicism A Discussion for Those Who Believe By Thomas L. McFadden Institute for Science and Catholicism Copyright Notice Copyright © 2016 by Institute for Science and Catholicism In order for this book to discuss the scientifically and religiously controversial subjects that it has it was necessary to identify and quote from published sources on each side of those subjects to criticize or comment on them, to support the author’s thesis, to illustrate by examples, or for other fair uses in accordance with section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act which permits “fair use” of copyrighted material in certain circumstances without prior permission. Guidance for interpretation and application of section 107 provided by the Copyright Office online was followed. This book is an educational outreach project of the Institute for Science and Catholicism (ISC) which is solely responsible for its content. ISC is a non-stock Virginia corporation organized for charitable, religious, and educational purposes within the meaning of section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code. ISC is promoting the renewal of a Catholic theology of creation and a new science/faith synthesis based on sound scientific data and a serious approach to the Holy Scriptures in accordance with longstanding Church Tradition. Email: [email protected]. On the web: ScienceAndCatholicism.org On Facebook: Institute for Science and Catholicism Library Cataloging Data Creation, Evolution, and Catholicism: A Discussion for Those Who Believe by Thomas L. McFadden 282 pages, 6” x 9” x 0.69” & 0.93 lb. BISAC: SCI027000 SCIENCE / Life Science / Evolution BISAC: SCI008000 SCIENCE / Life Science / Biology BISAC: SCI075000 SCIENCE / Philosophy & Social Aspects BISAC: SCI034000 SCIENCE / History BISAC: REL106000 RELIGION / Religion & Science BISAC: PHI010000 PHILOSOPHY / Movements / Humanism ISBN-13:978-1530654765 ISBN-10:1530654769 Library of Congress Control Number: 2016906195 CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, North Charleston, SC ii Contents Preface | 1 Chapter 1-The Crisis of Faith | 3 Chapter 2-When Do They Stop Believing? | 12 Chapter 3-Evolutionary Cosmology | 18 Chapter 4-Evolutionary Biology | 35 Chapter 5-Why That Was Important | 52 Chapter 6-The Importance of Noah | 64 Chapter 7-Evolution and Theology | 83 Chapter 8-Humani Generis Explained | 96 Chapter 9-Biblical Interpretation | 122 Chapter 10-The Scholars’ “End Run” | 146 Chapter 11-Does Truth Matter? | 152 Chapter 12-Who made God? | 181 Chapter 13-Diagnosis and Cure | 187 Chapter 14-Humanism Crosses the Atlantic | 193 Chapter 15-Education Is Within Reach of All | 243 Chapter 16-The Enemy Is Us | 250 Chapter 17-Plan for a “Comeback” | 257 APPENDIX I-What about Galileo? | 271 APPENDIX II-Letter from Ireland | 272 Appendix III-Science and Catholicism | 276 iii Ever since the creation of the world His eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things He has made. So they are without excuse. Romans 1:20 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word, be urgent in season and out of season, convince, rebuke and exhort, be unfailing in patience and in teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching., but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths. As for you, always be steady, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. 2 Timothy 4:1-5 iv Preface This book was written primarily for persons who consider themselves to be faithful and believing Catholics to provoke reflection on the effect of belief in evolution on Catholics, especially young Catholics. Molecules-to-man evolution—the origin of man and of all living things (with or without divine assistance) through hundreds of millions of years of the same kinds of material processes going on now—is taught to most students as a scientific fact in public and Catholic schools and by the culture at-large. This book demonstrates that this evolutionary indoctrination plays a significant role in the accelerating loss of Faith among Catholic youth. I became aware of the skepticism among Catholic teens in 1974 while teaching CCD when they asked me “You don’t really believe in Adam and Eve, do you?” I learned from them that their unbelief in fundamental doctrines of Genesis was because of their belief in evolution. They realized there was a conflict between the Bible and what they were taught in school; their school teachers were more effective than their religious educators and had so much more of the students’ time to make their case. At that point, nothing in my educational background or engineering career had acquainted me with the subject of evolution. In 1975 I attended a convention of scientists who reject evolution on scientific grounds. While researching evolution I discovered that those who believe it do so based on the premise that cosmic and biological evolution are undeniable scientific facts. For believers in evolution all unproven and not- capable- of- being- proved or disproved speculations about how it happened are considered to be scientific. It is illogical and unscientific but for its believers the alternative, fiat creation by God, is unthinkable. I found that evolution is the basic dogma of a non-theistic religion called Humanism. That belief and the 1 public policies advocated by Humanists were clearly expressed in Humanist Manifesto I of 1933 and Humanist Manifesto II of 1973. I educated my own children as best I could about the flaws in evolution theory and its philosophical implications for the faith. The accelerating loss of faith by Catholic youth reported by the Pew Research Center’s Religion and Public Life Project, Religious Landscape Survey was my motivation for this book. The public policies advocated by the Humanist religion have become the anti-Christian policies at all levels of government. The Government’s use of law and policy to impose its morality on us in matters such as contraception, abortion, homosexualism, and acceptance of “peaceful” Islam under the guise of diversity are just the flash points. The real, long-lasting damage is being done “under the radar,” so to speak, in the Nation’s schools by the indoctrination of children with the dogmas of Humanism. This book is not intended to promote more of the Catholic handwringing we have seen as America’s Humanist-dominated public policy and culture becomes more hostile. Rather, this book proposes that Catholic clergy and laity learn to both discredit the cornerstone dogmas of Humanism and rediscover the doctrines of creation that are the foundation of the Faith. If that plan were to be followed, particularly by our parish-level clergy and Catholic intellectuals, it would kick start the New Evangelization of which we hear where it is needed most-- within our own Catholic community. In so doing I assert that Catholics will recover the outgoing confidence needed to keep our youth Catholic and become more capable of engaging our culture. Thomas L. McFadden, Sr. 2 Chapter 1-The Crisis of Faith Pope St. John Paul II once said that every generation, with its own mentality and characteristics, is like a new continent to be won for Christ. That counsel contains within it a hint of the courage, zeal, and determination necessary to win, that is, to hand on the faith to the younger generation. In the United States, that battle is being lost. As will be shown, Catholic youth are leaving the Faith at an accelerating rate. Adults who are committed and practicing Catholic parents of young children might not even think about the extent of the problem if it is has not happened in their family. How would parents who go to Church and their priests, surrounded by like-minded people, know how many youth went “missing” intellectually so soon after receiving their confirmation? The Overall Catholic Loss The Pew Research Center’s Religion and Public Life Project, Religious Landscape Survey, Religious Affiliation: Diverse and Dynamic February 2008 found that belief and practice among adult Catholics in the U.S., particularly the younger ones, is in a steep decline: While those Americans who are unaffiliated with any particular religion have seen the greatest growth in numbers as a result of changes in affiliation, Catholicism has experienced the greatest net losses as a result of affiliation changes. While nearly one-in-three Americans (31%) were raised in the Catholic faith, today fewer than one-in-four (24%) describe themselves as Catholic. The Survey report also cites the Catholic exodus as an example of the dynamism of the American religious scene: Other surveys – such as the General Social Surveys, conducted by the National Opinion Research Center at the 3 University of Chicago since 1972 – find that the Catholic share of the U.S. adult population has held fairly steady in recent decades, at around 25%. What this apparent stability obscures, however, is the large number of people who have left the Catholic Church. Approximately one- third of the survey respondents who say they were raised Catholic no longer describe themselves as Catholic. This means that roughly 10% of all Americans are former Catholics. Falling Away As noted above, the research shows that 1 in 3 Americans were raised Catholic but only 1 in 4 still self-identify as a Catholic. Year after year, survey after survey also confirms that the majority of those who continue to self-identify as Catholics in the U.S. do not accept various Church teachings and that the younger the survey respondent the more extensive the non-acceptance.
Recommended publications
  • HUMANISM Religious Practices

    HUMANISM Religious Practices

    HUMANISM Religious Practices . Required Daily Observances . Required Weekly Observances . Required Occasional Observances/Holy Days Religious Items . Personal Religious Items . Congregate Religious Items . Searches Requirements for Membership . Requirements (Includes Rites of Conversion) . Total Membership Medical Prohibitions Dietary Standards Burial Rituals . Death . Autopsies . Mourning Practices Sacred Writings Organizational Structure . Headquarters Location . Contact Office/Person History Theology 1 Religious Practices Required Daily Observance No required daily observances. Required Weekly Observance No required weekly observances, but many Humanists find fulfillment in congregating with other Humanists on a weekly basis (especially those who characterize themselves as Religious Humanists) or other regular basis for social and intellectual engagement, discussions, book talks, lectures, and similar activities. Required Occasional Observances No required occasional observances, but some Humanists (especially those who characterize themselves as Religious Humanists) celebrate life-cycle events with baby naming, coming of age, and marriage ceremonies as well as memorial services. Even though there are no required observances, there are several days throughout the calendar year that many Humanists consider holidays. They include (but are not limited to) the following: February 12. Darwin Day: This marks the birthday of Charles Darwin, whose research and findings in the field of biology, particularly his theory of evolution by natural selection, represent a breakthrough in human knowledge that Humanists celebrate. First Thursday in May. National Day of Reason: This day acknowledges the importance of reason, as opposed to blind faith, as the best method for determining valid conclusions. June 21 - Summer Solstice. This day is also known as World Humanist Day and is a celebration of the longest day of the year.
  • Vol 38 No 2 Schafer Korb Gibbons.Pdf

    Vol 38 No 2 Schafer Korb Gibbons.Pdf

    Not Your Father’s Humanism by David Schafer, Katy Korb and Kendyl Gibbons The 2004 UUA General Assembly in Fort Worth, Texas, featured a panel presentation by the three HUUmanists named above. They showcased the idea to fellow UUs that the humanism espoused and practiced in our ranks is very different from that of the Manifesto generation, and indeed from the UU humanists of the 1960s and 70s. David Schafer You’ve undoubtedly heard the cliché that every movement carries within itself the seeds of its own destruction. This seems to me just a dramatic way of saying “nothing’s perfect.” But if a movement is imperfect, what, if anything, can be done to correct its imperfections? The 20th century Viennese philosopher, Otto Neurath, may have given us a clue when he likened progress in his own field to “rebuilding a leaky boat at sea.” Nature, as always, provides the answer to this dilemma: that answer is evolution. If you attended the Humanist workshop at the General Assembly in Quebec City a few years ago, you may have heard me say that if, as it’s often alleged, the value of real estate “depends on three factors—location, location, and location”—in nature survival of individuals, groups, and (I would add) organizations depends on three factors— adaptation, adaptation, and adaptation. Adaptation is the key to evolution, and evolutionary change is a central theme in Humanism, and always has been. Humanism lives in the real world. Humanism is at home in the real world. And the real world is a moving target.
  • The Revelation of God, East and West: Contrasting Special Revelation in Western Modernity with the Ancient Christian East

    The Revelation of God, East and West: Contrasting Special Revelation in Western Modernity with the Ancient Christian East

    Open Theology 2017; 3: 565–589 Analytic Perspectives on Method and Authority in Theology Nathan A. Jacobs* The Revelation of God, East and West: Contrasting Special Revelation in Western Modernity with the Ancient Christian East https://doi.org/10.1515/opth-2017-0043 Received August 11, 2017; accepted September 11, 2017 Abstract: The questions of whether God reveals himself; if so, how we can know a purported revelation is authentic; and how such revelations relate to the insights of reason are discussed by John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, René Descartes, G. W. Leibniz, and Immanuel Kant, to name a few. Yet, what these philosophers say with such consistency about revelation stands in stark contrast with the claims of the Christian East, which are equally consistent from the second century through the fourteenth century. In this essay, I will compare the modern discussion of special revelation from Thomas Hobbes through Johann Fichte with the Eastern Christian discussion from Irenaeus through Gregory Palamas. As we will see, there are noteworthy differences between the two trajectories, differences I will suggest merit careful consideration from philosophers of religion. Keywords: Religious Epistemology; Revelation; Divine Vision; Theosis; Eastern Orthodox; Locke; Hobbes; Lessing; Kant; Fichte; Irenaeus; Cappadocians; Cyril of Alexandria; Gregory Palamas The idea that God speaks to humanity, revealing things hidden or making his will known, comes under careful scrutiny in modern philosophy. The questions of whether God does reveal himself; if so, how we can know a purported revelation is authentic; and how such revelations relate to the insights of reason are discussed by John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, René Descartes, G.
  • Creation and God As One, Creator, and Trinity in Early Theology Through Augustine and Its Theological Fruitfulness in the 21St Century

    Creation and God As One, Creator, and Trinity in Early Theology Through Augustine and Its Theological Fruitfulness in the 21St Century

    Creation and God as One, Creator, and Trinity in Early Theology through Augustine and Its Theological Fruitfulness in the 21st Century Submitted by Jane Ellingwood to the University of Exeter as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Theology in September 2015 This dissertation is available for Library use on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the dissertation may be published without proper acknowledgement. I certify that all material in this dissertation which is not my own work has been identified and that no material has previously been submitted and approved for the award of a degree by this or any other University. Signature: _________Jane Ellingwood _________________________ 2 Abstract My primary argument in this thesis is that creation theologies significantly influenced early developments in the doctrine of the Trinity, especially in Augustine of Hippo’s theology. Thus this is a work of historical theology, but I conclude with proposals for how Augustine’s theologies of creation and the Trinity can be read fruitfully with modern theology. I critically analyse developments in trinitarian theologies in light of ideas that were held about creation. These include the doctrine of creation ‘out of nothing’ and ideas about other creative acts (e.g., forming or fashioning things). Irenaeus and other early theologians posited roles for God (the Father), the Word / Son, the Spirit, or Wisdom in creative acts without working out formal views on economic trinitarian acts. During the fourth century trinitarian controversies, creation ‘out of nothing’ and ideas about ‘modes of origin’ influenced thinking on consubstantiality and relations within the Trinity.
  • The Goals of Humanism1

    The Goals of Humanism1

    SOUND THE ALARM: THE GOALS OF HUMANISM1 The watchman on the wall of an ancient city had to be alert for signs of danger. His responsibility was to inform others of what he saw. Should he detect a foreign army about to attack, he needed to sound an alarm. In our own American history, we remember the midnight ride of Paul Revere—from Charleston to Medford, and on to Concord and Lexington. So through the night rode Paul Revere And so through the night went his cry of alarm To every Middlesex village and farm.2 Likewise, we must sound an alarm regarding humanism and the dangers it presents to Christians. I wish it were possible for us to shout, as did those watchmen on ancient walls, “The enemy is coming!” But that’s not the message about humanism which we must convey. That message would imply that we are here, and that humanism is off over yonder somewhere. Our message—one which leaves us with a sinking feeling—is more comparable to the announcement that “we’ve got termites in our woodwork!” Humanism is not coming. It’s already here! It has already done much damage. It has already eaten far into the structures of our society. It kills unborn babies. It hurts youth with drugs. It dirties minds with profanity. It turns children against their parents. It robs families of their wealth. It severely damages and often destroys Christian families. If left alone, humanism will eat its way through the country until eventually it has destroyed all Christian homes and churches.
  • Intelligent Design Creationism and the Constitution

    Intelligent Design Creationism and the Constitution

    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Washington University St. Louis: Open Scholarship Washington University Law Review Volume 83 Issue 1 2005 Is It Science Yet?: Intelligent Design Creationism and the Constitution Matthew J. Brauer Princeton University Barbara Forrest Southeastern Louisiana University Steven G. Gey Florida State University Follow this and additional works at: https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/law_lawreview Part of the Constitutional Law Commons, Education Law Commons, First Amendment Commons, Religion Law Commons, and the Science and Technology Law Commons Recommended Citation Matthew J. Brauer, Barbara Forrest, and Steven G. Gey, Is It Science Yet?: Intelligent Design Creationism and the Constitution, 83 WASH. U. L. Q. 1 (2005). Available at: https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/law_lawreview/vol83/iss1/1 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Law School at Washington University Open Scholarship. It has been accepted for inclusion in Washington University Law Review by an authorized administrator of Washington University Open Scholarship. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Washington University Law Quarterly VOLUME 83 NUMBER 1 2005 IS IT SCIENCE YET?: INTELLIGENT DESIGN CREATIONISM AND THE CONSTITUTION MATTHEW J. BRAUER BARBARA FORREST STEVEN G. GEY* TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ................................................................................................... 3 INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................
  • Thomas Aquinas' Metaphysics of Creatio Ex Nihilo

    Thomas Aquinas' Metaphysics of Creatio Ex Nihilo

    Studia Gilsoniana 5:1 (January–March 2016): 217–268 | ISSN 2300–0066 Andrzej Maryniarczyk, S.D.B. John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin Poland PHILOSOPHICAL CREATIONISM: THOMAS AQUINAS’ METAPHYSICS OF CREATIO EX NIHILO In keeping with the prevalent philosophical tradition, all philoso- phers, beginning with the pre-Socratics, through Plato and Aristotle, and up to Thomas Aquinas, accepted as a certain that the world as a whole existed eternally. They supposed that only the shapes of particu- lar things underwent transformation. The foundation for the eternity of the world was the indestructible and eternal primal building material of the world, a material that existed in the form of primordial material elements (the Ionians), in the form of ideas (Plato), or in the form of matter, eternal motion, and the first heavens (Aristotle). It is not strange then that calling this view into question by Tho- mas Aquinas was a revolutionary move which became a turning point in the interpretation of reality as a whole. The revolutionary character of Thomas’ approach was expressed in his perception of the fact that the world was contingent. The truth that the world as a whole and eve- rything that exists in the world does not possess in itself the reason for its existence slowly began to sink into the consciousness of philoso- phers. Everything that is exists, as it were, on credit. Hence the world and particular things require for the explanation of their reason for be- ing the discovery of a more universal cause than is the cause of motion. This article is a revised and improved version of its first edition: Andrzej Maryniarczyk SDB, The Realistic Interpretation of Reality.
  • Traducianism? Creationism? What Has an Ancient Debate to Do with the Om Dern Debate Over Abortion? Ted Nelson Denison University

    Traducianism? Creationism? What Has an Ancient Debate to Do with the Om Dern Debate Over Abortion? Ted Nelson Denison University

    Denison Journal of Religion Volume 13 Article 2 2014 Traducianism? Creationism? What Has An Ancient Debate To Do With The oM dern Debate over Abortion? Ted Nelson Denison University Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.denison.edu/religion Part of the Ethics in Religion Commons, and the Sociology of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Nelson, Ted (2014) "Traducianism? Creationism? What Has An Ancient Debate To Do With The odeM rn Debate over Abortion?," Denison Journal of Religion: Vol. 13 , Article 2. Available at: http://digitalcommons.denison.edu/religion/vol13/iss1/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Denison Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Denison Journal of Religion by an authorized editor of Denison Digital Commons. Nelson: Traducianism? Creationism? What Has An Ancient Debate To Do With TRADUCIANISM? CREATIONISM? Traducianism? Creationism? What Has An Ancient Debate To Do With The Modern Debate over Abortion? Ted Nelson The goal of this project is to explore the debates within the church fathers to get a better understanding of a conflict that still plagues us today, namely, the debate over whether or not abortion should be allowed, whether it constitutes murder of a person. How do we determine when someone becomes a living soul -- at conception? with the third trimester? at birth? The reason it is important to go to the church fathers is because much of this battle has been waged in the name of religion and as an expression of Church/Christian doctrine and morality. A survey of important Church fathers suggests that the history of the doctrines regarding the nature of humanity is more complex than usually assumed.
  • PAGANISM a Brief Overview of the History of Paganism the Term Pagan Comes from the Latin Paganus Which Refers to Those Who Lived in the Country

    PAGANISM a Brief Overview of the History of Paganism the Term Pagan Comes from the Latin Paganus Which Refers to Those Who Lived in the Country

    PAGANISM A brief overview of the history of Paganism The term Pagan comes from the Latin paganus which refers to those who lived in the country. When Christianity began to grow in the Roman Empire, it did so at first primarily in the cities. The people who lived in the country and who continued to believe in “the old ways” came to be known as pagans. Pagans have been broadly defined as anyone involved in any religious act, practice, or ceremony which is not Christian. Jews and Muslims also use the term to refer to anyone outside their religion. Some define paganism as a religion outside of Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism; others simply define it as being without a religion. Paganism, however, often is not identified as a traditional religion per se because it does not have any official doctrine; however, it has some common characteristics within its variety of traditions. One of the common beliefs is the divine presence in nature and the reverence for the natural order in life. In the strictest sense, paganism refers to the authentic religions of ancient Greece and Rome and the surrounding areas. The pagans usually had a polytheistic belief in many gods but only one, which represents the chief god and supreme godhead, is chosen to worship. The Renaissance of the 1500s reintroduced the ancient Greek concepts of Paganism. Pagan symbols and traditions entered European art, music, literature, and ethics. The Reformation of the 1600s, however, put a temporary halt to Pagan thinking. Greek and Roman classics, with their focus on Paganism, were accepted again during the Enlightenment of the 1700s.
  • The Making of Manifesto I Shows, Six Years Later an Attempt at Improving the Document Failed for Want of Support

    The Making of Manifesto I Shows, Six Years Later an Attempt at Improving the Document Failed for Want of Support

    fied by a belief in their transcendent real battle of religion is not that of conflict References nature, in their absoluteness independent with other religions, but of a religious fol- Bouquet, A. C. 1948. Hinduism. London: Hutchin- of human initiative. Yet, because they are lower within himself, in order to try to son. not transcendental, not of divine origin, preserve the true values of his faith. Findlay, J. N. 1963. Language, Mind, and Value. they can be easily set aside by the pres- London: Allen & Unwin. This article is excerpted from Raymond Firth's forth- Richardson, Alan and Bowden, John (eds.) 1963. A sure of individual or group human inter- coming book Religion: A Humanist Interpretation New Dictionary of Christian Theology, London: ests. As many wise men have seen, the (Routledge 1996). SCM Press. with its falseness. As Wilson's book The Making of Manifesto I shows, six years later an attempt at improving the document failed for want of support. The last chapter of the book briefly mentions Humanist Manifesto II (1972) Herbert A. Tonne and indicates that Edmund Wilson was recognized as editor emeritus but fails to hen Edmund Wilson was eased out state that Manifesto II was in large mea- Wof his job as Executive Director of "Stripped of embroidery and sure written .by Paul Kurtz. There has the American Humanist Association, he padding, Manifesto l is a state- been some discussion of the development soon thereafter (1967) founded the ment of nonbelief in traditional of a Humanist Manifesto III. Since 1933 Fellowship of Religious Humanism. religion that, nevertheless, does and especially since 1972 there has been During the period in which I was treasurer not wish to offend traditionalists:' so much diversification in opinion among of the Fellowship, Corliss Lamont gave humanists that it would be impossible to the organization $10,000 a year, of which Evolutionary Humanism would become do justice to all versions.
  • Creation and Theodicy: Protological Presuppositions in Evolutionary Theodicy

    Creation and Theodicy: Protological Presuppositions in Evolutionary Theodicy

    Journal of the Adventist Theological Society, 25/2 (2014): 3-28. Article copyright © 2014 by Adriani Milli Rodrigues. Creation and Theodicy: Protological Presuppositions in Evolutionary Theodicy Adriani Milli Rodrigues Adventist University of Sao Paulo, Brazil There are different positions regarding the understanding of the doctrine of creation in the face of the challenge of the evolutionary concept of origins. In broad terms, while some deny the theory of evolution1 in favor of a literal interpretation of the Genesis account of creation, many scholars attempt to comprehend this doctrine in certain consonance with that theory.2 1 The present study acknowledges the distinction between macroevolution and microevolution. The references to evolution in this text imply the concept of macroevolution. While microevolution refers to small changes within one species, macroevolution describes “the evolution of major new characteristics that make organisms recognizable as a new species, genus, family, or higher taxon.” Stanley A. Rice, Encyclopedia of Evolution (New York: Infobase, 2009), 253. This distinction between microevolution and macroevolution is used, for example, by Stephen Jay Gould. See S. J. Gould, The Panda’s Thumb: More Reflections in Natural History, reissued ed. (New York: Norton, 1992), 187-192. 2 Edward B. Davis indicates “four main patterns” that “govern most religious responses to evolution today: complementary” (“theological truths exist in a higher realm apart from scientific truths”), conflict against evolution (“rejection of evolution”), conflict against Christianity (“rejection of Christianity”), and “doctrinal reformulation” (“rejection of divine transcendence and the wholesale reformulation of traditional Christian doctrine”). Edward B. Davis, “The Word and the Works: Concordism and American Evangelicals,” in Perspectives on an Evolving Creation, ed.
  • The Evolution of Creationism

    The Evolution of Creationism

    IT’S TIME!—RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP & SAVE 15% NOVEMBER 2012 | VOL. 22, NO. 11 A PUBLICATION OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA® The evolution of creationism Inside: Call for Proposals: 2013 GSA Annual Meeting & Exposition, p. 14 Preliminary Announcement and Call for Papers: 2013 GSA North-Central Section Meeting, p. 18 2012 GeoCorpsTM America Participants, p. 20 VOLUME 22, NUMBER 11 | NOVEMBER 2012 SCIENCE ARTICLE GSA TODAY (ISSN 1052-5173 USPS 0456-530) prints news and information for more than 25,000 GSA member read- ers and subscribing libraries, with 11 monthly issues (April/ May is a combined issue). GSA TODAY is published by The Geological Society of America® Inc. (GSA) with offices at 3300 Penrose Place, Boulder, Colorado, USA, and a mail- ing address of P.O. Box 9140, Boulder, CO 80301-9140, USA. GSA provides this and other forums for the presentation of diverse opinions and positions by scientists worldwide, regardless of race, citizenship, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or political viewpoint. Opinions presented in this 4 The evolution of creationism publication do not reflect official positions of the Society. David R. Montgomery © 2012 The Geological Society of America Inc. All rights reserved. Copyright not claimed on content prepared Cover: Noah’s Ark as the floodwaters recede as wholly by U.S. government employees within the scope of depicted in plate LXII to illustrate Genesis 8:8–9 in their employment. Individual scientists are hereby granted Johann Scheuchzer’s Physica Sacra (Sacred Physics, permission, without fees or request to GSA, to use a single figure, table, and/or brief paragraph of text in subsequent 1731).