Natural Selection in The Church
I used to take animals to schools and teach various lessons about the as a volunteer for a local zoo.
One such lesson was at a Catholic School, on animal adaptations, and when I went in, I was met by a nun. I alerted her:
"Sister, there's a lot of information about evolution in this lesson you requested. I hope that's ok."
She said: "No problem. We're a mystery religion. We don't presume to know HOW he did it."
It is because of what this nun said to me that I look at Creationists and Intelligent Design advocates as .. well, as presumptuous ... and, in a way as would be described by THEIR religious premises, sinful and even blasphemous.
Presumptuous because they act as if they must be able to understand how an all-knowing being did its tricks.
Sinful because they refuse to be content to be in awe of the magnificent complexity of all the creatures and to observe, learn, study, the way all these things work in and of themselves and together.
That attitude always seems to be what they might call "a sin against the Holy Spirit."
And blasphemous because their very action in insisting that their God needs social assertion and laws to be present in schools and society denies the idea of omnipotence. ("I am the Lord thy God, King of the Universe -- all-knowing, everywhere-present, and all-powerful, but if you don't give money to Jerry Fallwell, I'm as weak as a popcorn fart.") Nahhh -- I don't think so.
One such lesson was at a Catholic School, on animal adaptations, and when I went in, I was met by a nun. I alerted her:
"Sister, there's a lot of information about evolution in this lesson you requested. I hope that's ok."
She said: "No problem. We're a mystery religion. We don't presume to know HOW he did it."
It is because of what this nun said to me that I look at Creationists and Intelligent Design advocates as .. well, as presumptuous ... and, in a way as would be described by THEIR religious premises, sinful and even blasphemous.
Presumptuous because they act as if they must be able to understand how an all-knowing being did its tricks.
Sinful because they refuse to be content to be in awe of the magnificent complexity of all the creatures and to observe, learn, study, the way all these things work in and of themselves and together.
That attitude always seems to be what they might call "a sin against the Holy Spirit."
And blasphemous because their very action in insisting that their God needs social assertion and laws to be present in schools and society denies the idea of omnipotence. ("I am the Lord thy God, King of the Universe -- all-knowing, everywhere-present, and all-powerful, but if you don't give money to Jerry Fallwell, I'm as weak as a popcorn fart.") Nahhh -- I don't think so.
posted by Saintperle at
9:28 AM
