Hala
On Fri, 10 Jul 1998 15:03:52 -0700 (PDT), hala ghazal wrote:
HG>Hi, I am working on a project in my English class on the "Conflict
>Between Evolution Theory and Religion."
Welcome. Are you from Morocco?
The problem with this topic is it's too vague to be meaningful. Some
evolution theory is religious, eg. Teilhard de Chardin's Omega Principle:
"Teilhard's aim was to construct a phenomenology* of the universe, based
upon scientific thinking, and providing a coherent explanation of the world.
His synthesis incorporated immense evolutionary ideas, and brought
together science, philosophy and theology. For him, evolution was a
general condition to which all theories and systems must conform, and
within which there was movement towards increasing complexity and
consciousness converging ultimately towards a supreme centre, Omega.
Underlying much of Teilhard's thinking was the basic postulate that matter,
like human beings, possesses a form of consciousness. All matter has a
'within' as well as a 'without'. Evolution is an ascent towards consciousness,
which is supremely manifested in humanity. Teilhard's thought consists of
three main components, cosmic, human and 'Christic'. God was viewed as
an integral part of the evolutionary process, since God and the evolving
universe are united. Evolution therefore has a 'Christic' centre and
mankind's duty is to advance this 'Christification'. The third component, the
human, links the cosmic and the 'Christic', constituting the thinking layer
(noosphere), which lies between the living layer (biosphere) and the ultra-
human (Omega, Christ or God). Underlying Teilhard's vision was an
intense optimism, an ardent desire to bring together his science and his
Christianity, a strong mystical* sense, and a rejection of any form of
dualism* of mind and matter. Ultimately, therefore, he viewed Christ as the
organic centre of the cosmos, with Christ's body being equivalent to the
cosmos itself." (Jones D.G., in Ferguson S.B., et. al., eds., "New
Dictionary of Theology", Inter-Varsity Press: Leicester: UK, 1988, pp673-
674)
and Henri Bergson's Creative Evolution:
"Henri Bergson in his theory of creative evolution endeavours to rethink
evolution in a spiritual context. His works contain a powerful dissection of
materialistic evolution, and a strong appeal for a spiritualistic interpretation
of biology. He pictures evolution as a creative process driven on by a
spiritual force. He argues that life-forms would not develop unless there
were something urging life on and directing it. Forms expanding and
radiating over the ages of geology cannot be accounted for in terms of a
mechanistic and deterministic biology. Evolution can only be understood
when pictured as a dynamic movement of spiritual life." (Ramm B.L., "The
Christian View of Science and Scripture," [1955] Paternoster: Exeter,
Devon, 1967 reprint, p186)
Also, some religions *are* evolutionary, eg. Hinduism.
If the question was more specific, such as the "Conflict Between
[Darwinian] Evolution Theory and [the Christian] Religion" then it would
be more meaningful (although theistic religions like Judaism and Islam have
problems with Darwinian evolution too).
HG>IF you could please send me information regarding this subject I
>would really appreciated.
There is a vast amount of information available but if you are in Morocco
you might have trouble getting it. For a mainly Christian Intelligent Design
perspective you could look up Phil Johnson's articles off the Access
Research Network home page http://www.arn.org/johnson/johome.htm.
However, the following brief points might be of help:
1) There is no necessary conflict between "creation" and "evolution", if
evolution is defined as "change over time", since a Creator could have
created using natural processes over time:
"The concept of creation in itself does not imply opposition to evolution, if
evolution means only a gradual process by which one kind of living
creature changes into something different. A Creator might well have
employed such a gradual process as a means of creation." (Johnson P.E.,
"Darwin on Trial", InterVarsity Press: Downers Grove, Ill., Second
Edition, 1993, pp3-4).
2) However, there is a conflict between "creation" and "evolution" if:
a) "evolution" is defined as "fully naturalistic" ie. "not directed by any
purposeful intelligence":
"`Evolution' contradicts `creation' only when it explicitly or tacitly defined
as fully naturalistic evolution-meaning evolution that is not directed by any
purposeful intelligence." (Johnson P.E., 1993, p4)
or
b) "Creation" is defined as sudden creation, eg. as defined by youngEarth
creationists:
"Similarly, `creation' contradicts evolution only when it means sudden
creation, rather than creation by progressive development. For example,
the term `creation-science,' as used in the Louisiana law, is commonly
understood to refer to a movement of Christian fundamentalists based upon
an extremely literal interpretation the Bible. Creation-scientists do not
merely insist that life was created; they insist that the job was completed in
six days no more than ten thousand years ago, and that all evolution since
that time has involved trivial modifications rather than basic changes."
(Johnson P.E., 1993, p4).
The real conflict is between Materialist/Naturalism (ie. Matter/Nature is all
there is) and Theism (ie. the belief in one God as the creator and sustainer
of all).
Steve
"Evolution is the greatest engine of atheism ever invented."
--- Dr. William Provine, Professor of History and Biology, Cornell University.
http://fp.bio.utk.edu/darwin/1998/slides_view/Slide_7.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Stephen E (Steve) Jones ,--_|\ sejones@ibm.net
3 Hawker Avenue / Oz \ Steve.Jones@health.wa.gov.au
Warwick 6024 ->*_,--\_/ Phone +61 8 9448 7439
Perth, West Australia v "Test everything." (1Thess 5:21)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
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Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Hala
On Fri, 10 Jul 1998 15:03:52 -0700 (PDT), hala ghazal wrote:
HG>Hi, I am working on a project in my English class on the "Conflict
>Between Evolution Theory and Religion."
Welcome. Are you from Morocco?
The problem with this topic is it's too vague to be meaningful. Some
evolution theory is religious, eg. Teilhard de Chardin's Omega Principle:
"Teilhard's aim was to construct a phenomenology* of the universe, based
upon scientific thinking, and providing a coherent explanation of the world.
His synthesis incorporated immense evolutionary ideas, and brought
together science, philosophy and theology. For him, evolution was a
general condition to which all theories and systems must conform, and
within which there was movement towards increasing complexity and
consciousness converging ultimately towards a supreme centre, Omega.
Underlying much of Teilhard's thinking was the basic postulate that matter,
like human beings, possesses a form of consciousness. All matter has a
'within' as well as a 'without'. Evolution is an ascent towards consciousness,
which is supremely manifested in humanity. Teilhard's thought consists of
three main components, cosmic, human and 'Christic'. God was viewed as
an integral part of the evolutionary process, since God and the evolving
universe are united. Evolution therefore has a 'Christic' centre and
mankind's duty is to advance this 'Christification'. The third component, the
human, links the cosmic and the 'Christic', constituting the thinking layer
(noosphere), which lies between the living layer (biosphere) and the ultra-
human (Omega, Christ or God). Underlying Teilhard's vision was an
intense optimism, an ardent desire to bring together his science and his
Christianity, a strong mystical* sense, and a rejection of any form of
dualism* of mind and matter. Ultimately, therefore, he viewed Christ as the
organic centre of the cosmos, with Christ's body being equivalent to the
cosmos itself." (Jones D.G., in Ferguson S.B., et. al., eds., "New
Dictionary of Theology", Inter-Varsity Press: Leicester: UK, 1988, pp673-
674)
and Henri Bergson's Creative Evolution:
"Henri Bergson in his theory of creative evolution endeavours to rethink
evolution in a spiritual context. His works contain a powerful dissection of
materialistic evolution, and a strong appeal for a spiritualistic interpretation
of biology. He pictures evolution as a creative process driven on by a
spiritual force. He argues that life-forms would not develop unless there
were something urging life on and directing it. Forms expanding and
radiating over the ages of geology cannot be accounted for in terms of a
mechanistic and deterministic biology. Evolution can only be understood
when pictured as a dynamic movement of spiritual life." (Ramm B.L., "The
Christian View of Science and Scripture," [1955] Paternoster: Exeter,
Devon, 1967 reprint, p186)
Also, some religions *are* evolutionary, eg. Hinduism.
If the question was more specific, such as the "Conflict Between
[Darwinian] Evolution Theory and [the Christian] Religion" then it would
be more meaningful (although theistic religions like Judaism and Islam have
problems with Darwinian evolution too).
HG>IF you could please send me information regarding this subject I
>would really appreciated.
There is a vast amount of information available but if you are in Morocco
you might have trouble getting it. For a mainly Christian Intelligent Design
perspective you could look up Phil Johnson's articles off the Access
Research Network home page http://www.arn.org/johnson/johome.htm.
However, the following brief points might be of help:
1) There is no necessary conflict between "creation" and "evolution", if
evolution is defined as "change over time", since a Creator could have
created using natural processes over time:
"The concept of creation in itself does not imply opposition to evolution, if
evolution means only a gradual process by which one kind of living
creature changes into something different. A Creator might well have
employed such a gradual process as a means of creation." (Johnson P.E.,
"Darwin on Trial", InterVarsity Press: Downers Grove, Ill., Second
Edition, 1993, pp3-4).
2) However, there is a conflict between "creation" and "evolution" if:
a) "evolution" is defined as "fully naturalistic" ie. "not directed by any
purposeful intelligence":
"`Evolution' contradicts `creation' only when it explicitly or tacitly defined
as fully naturalistic evolution-meaning evolution that is not directed by any
purposeful intelligence." (Johnson P.E., 1993, p4)
or
b) "Creation" is defined as sudden creation, eg. as defined by youngEarth
creationists:
"Similarly, `creation' contradicts evolution only when it means sudden
creation, rather than creation by progressive development. For example,
the term `creation-science,' as used in the Louisiana law, is commonly
understood to refer to a movement of Christian fundamentalists based upon
an extremely literal interpretation the Bible. Creation-scientists do not
merely insist that life was created; they insist that the job was completed in
six days no more than ten thousand years ago, and that all evolution since
that time has involved trivial modifications rather than basic changes."
(Johnson P.E., 1993, p4).
The real conflict is between Materialist/Naturalism (ie. Matter/Nature is all
there is) and Theism (ie. the belief in one God as the creator and sustainer
of all).
Steve
"Evolution is the greatest engine of atheism ever invented."
--- Dr. William Provine, Professor of History and Biology, Cornell University.
http://fp.bio.utk.edu/darwin/1998/slides_view/Slide_7.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Stephen E (Steve) Jones ,--_|\ sejones@ibm.net
3 Hawker Avenue / Oz \ Steve.Jones@health.wa.gov.au
Warwick 6024 ->*_,--\_/ Phone +61 8 9448 7439
Perth, West Australia v "Test everything." (1Thess 5:21)
----------------------------------------------------------------------_=_=_=IMA.BOUNDARY.HTML_4820800=_=_=_--