What is the Catholic stance on creation science?
Upvote:1
Catholics should weigh the evidence for the universe’s age by examining biblical and scientific evidence. "Though faith is above reason, there can never be any real discrepancy between faith and reason. Since the same God who reveals mysteries and infuses faith has bestowed the light of reason on the human mind, God cannot deny himself, nor can truth ever contradict truth" (Catechism of the Catholic Church 159).
The contribution made by the physical sciences to examining these questions is stressed by the Catechism, which states, "The question about the origins of the world and of man has been the object of many scientific studies which have splendidly enriched our knowledge of the age and dimensions of the cosmos, the development of life-forms and the appearance of man. These discoveries invite us to even greater admiration for the greatness of the Creator, prompting us to give him thanks for all his works and for the understanding and wisdom he gives to scholars and researchers" (CCC 283).
The Catechism explains that "Scripture presents the work of the Creator symbolically as a succession of six days of divine ‘work,’ concluded by the ‘rest’ of the seventh day" (CCC 337), but "nothing exists that does not owe its existence to God the Creator. The world began when God’s word drew it out of nothingness; all existent beings, all of nature, and all human history is rooted in this primordial event, the very genesis by which the world was constituted and time begun" (CCC 338).
The Catholic Church has always taught that "no real disagreement can exist between the theologian and the scientist provided each keeps within his own limits. . . . If nevertheless there is a disagreement . . . it should be remembered that the sacred writers, or more truly ‘the Spirit of God who spoke through them, did not wish to teach men such truths (as the inner structure of visible objects) which do not help anyone to salvation’; and that, for this reason, rather than trying to provide a scientific exposition of nature, they sometimes describe and treat these matters either in a somewhat figurative language or as the common manner of speech those times required, and indeed still requires nowadays in everyday life, even amongst most learned people" (Leo XIII, Providentissimus Deus 18).
As the Catechism puts it, "Methodical research in all branches of knowledge, provided it is carried out in a truly scientific manner and does not override moral laws, can never conflict with the faith, because the things of the world and the things the of the faith derive from the same God. The humble and persevering investigator of the secrets of nature is being led, as it were, by the hand of God in spite of himself, for it is God, the conserver of all things, who made them what they are" (CCC 159). The Catholic Church has no fear of science or scientific discovery.
More post
- 📝 Historically, what would happen if a church could not afford or provide wine for the sake of the Eucharist?
- 📝 What is the role of the Holy Spirit in Swedenborg's soteriology?
- 📝 Can I be baptized as a non-Catholic Christian if I was baptized as a Catholic when I was little?
- 📝 Was there an official Church of England response to the 2002 survey of clergy beliefs?
- 📝 Mitred women in the Catholic Church?
- 📝 What are the biblical arguments that the Bible canon is closed?
- 📝 What is "New Creation" according to Protestants?
- 📝 What did the early church fathers (pre-5th c.) teach with regards to the doctrine of baptism as a necessity for salvation?
- 📝 What does "Style" mean in the context of feast days
- 📝 What is the evidence that the bones found under St. Peter's Basilica are actually St. Peter's bones?
- 📝 How do those who believe that salvation cannot be lost interpret Revelation 3:14-22?
- 📝 How does Protestantism defend the adoption of practices and beliefs not found in the Bible?
- 📝 Did the disagreement between the Catholic Church and Protestant Church on the issue of salvation by grace alone end in 1999?
- 📝 How do Catholics view physical and digital copies of the Bible?
- 📝 How many people did Moses bring out of Egypt? How large was the area of the Promised Land?
- 📝 Why is Good Friday called "Good"?
- 📝 Are the gospels enough to convince one of the divinity of Christ?
- 📝 I'm looking for an obscure version of John 4:32
- 📝 Are Catholics not supposed to pray the St. Michael Prayer?
- 📝 Do Lutherans define Justification and Atonement as different things?
- 📝 Impact of Catholic Church Sanctions on Remarried Divorcees' Salvation?
- 📝 According to Catholic Church, did Jesus belong to the Essenes sect of Judaism?
- 📝 What is the Adventist response to Justin Martyr?
- 📝 When Paul wrote about Jesus' birth as "born of a woman," did he not contradict the fact that Jesus was "born of a virgin" as Matthew wrote?
- 📝 Does "all Israel shall be saved" mean that all Jews, even those who die in their sins, will be saved?
- 📝 Does the Bible make a distinction between Christian and secular love?
- 📝 Why do some people say that the angels wanted to preach the gospel?
- 📝 Is it possible for a person who has faith in Jesus to only receive “a measure of salvation” as opposed to “full salvation”?
- 📝 Could parts of the bible have been lost over time?
- 📝 Does training up a child always work out in the end?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 What is the Catholic stance on creation science?
- 📝 What is the Catholic stance against In Vitro Fertilization?
- 📝 What is the Catholic Church's stance on baptism after death?
- 📝 What is the Catholic stance on Embryo Screening?
- 📝 What is the Roman Catholic stance on levitation?
- 📝 What is the Catholic Church's position on the relationship between science and religion?
- 📝 What was the stance of the Roman Catholic Church on the Vietnam War?
- 📝 What is the current stance of the Catholic Church regarding the legality of non-Catholic religions?
- 📝 What is the Catholic Church's Official Stance on ISIS?
- 📝 What is the Roman Catholic view on Matthew 23:9?
- 📝 What is the origin of the Catholic apocrypha?
- 📝 What were Martin Luther's main disagreements with the Catholic Church?
- 📝 At what point is a new soul created according to the Catholic Church?
- 📝 What is the case for interpreting the Genesis creation account literally?
- 📝 What is the Catholic Church's answer to Nancy Pelosi's argument of a double standard between abortion and the death penalty?
- 📝 What are the steps to become Confirmed in the Catholic church?
- 📝 What effect did the Reformation have inside the Catholic Church?
- 📝 What is the Catholic teaching on the use of animals?
- 📝 What does the Catholic church teach about fate of non-Catholic christians?
- 📝 What does the Roman Catholic church teach about those who die having never heard of Christ?
- 📝 What effect did the 1897 decree regarding the Johannine Comma have on Catholic scholarship?
- 📝 What are the main arguments used by Christian pro-lifers to justify their stance against abortion?
- 📝 What are the differences between Roman Catholic and Irish Catholic?
- 📝 What should a Catholic Religious Ed. class be taught about the Reformation?
- 📝 What is the Catholic position on Exodus 20:4?
- 📝 What are the consequences of suicide according to the Roman Catholic church?
- 📝 What is the Catholic concept of grace?
- 📝 What is the official Roman Catholic opinion on Swedenborg?
- 📝 What is the Catholic understanding of the first sin committed by Adam and Eve?
- 📝 What happened to the wives of priests when celibacy was first instituted in the Catholic church?
