Creationism – Good Science or Bad Religion?
I watched Sky News in amazement yesterday evening to hear a person argue that the world has only existed for 6,000 years. What amazed me was that the proponent was an adult and seemed to be a reasonable and rational person. When asked about how he might explain the existence of fossils he suggested that there are numerous ways to explain how these could be formed in extremely short periods of time. So there are scientific theories behind creationism? Apparently so, since the heart of creationism is a scientific theory about how God created the universe in a relatively short space of time not too long ago – in accordance with scriptures. A significant proportion of both US or UK citizens, it appears, subscribe to this understanding of the history of our universe (See Guardian)
Popular belief is often a useful indicator as to where you might begin to look for answers to tricky questions. If a good proportion of the population believe something to be true then it is certainly worth looking into that. So what has informed popular belief in relation to the origins of the universe. As children, growing up in those parts of the world where religious beliefs are rooted in the Old Testament, we have learned the story about how God created the world in seven days and of how Adam and Eve were the first humans he created. As children we take this story literally, as we do all stories we encounter.
One of Christ’s disciples, St Paul, declares in an epistle that “when I was a child I thought like a child, but now that I am an adult I think like an adult”. As adults we look back on the stories that we heard and realise that very many of them were not true but were told to us to impart lessons about life and how we should live. Good people always live happily ever after, for example. Catholic scripture scholars will tell you that this is how we should think about many of the stories in the bible.
How come the story of Creation as told in scriptures has not moved on for so many? This is indicative of the fate of religion across the western world. For most, engagement with religion ended at childhood with the ending of formal religious education. Much of what passes for religious education in second level education does not engage with the fundamental questions such as what is true in the bible and what is metaphorical.
There is an increasing rise in fundamentalism in all religions; believing everything that is written in scriptures to be literally accurate. This is natural in a world where everything is changing so rapidly and where truth and morals are being constantly undermined. Many are looking for some certainties that we can rely on. If the bible is to be a source of certainty then you cannot leave room for interpretation. If you can cast doubt on one thing, then you can cast doubt on everything.
As a result of this need for certainty in scripture, the real purpose of the stories told has been lost. Child-like or fundamentalist understandings of what was written have concealed the fact that these stories were told to impart an understanding about God or about how we should interact with our neighbour. The story of creation tells us that we have been blessed with something wonderful in our universe, and that as the most intelligent creature in it we have a responsibility to look after it. It also tells us that our God is a loving, caring and forgiving God and that we should be grateful to him.
The story of creation is not about science. Science is a way of understanding the world around us based on measurable empirical data. To suggest that the act of God to create to universe can be scientifically proven just doesn’t make sense. God is not a measurable empirical entity – while he may be IN the natural world, he is fundamentally different to it – we call it “super” natural. His intentions cannot be measured by science. Scientific theories can only measure everything that happened once the world began – not what may have been in God’s mind before it began.
Creationism doesn’t do religion any favours. When a religious person, no matter how rational they may seem, suggests that literal belief in the stories told in scriptures should replace current scientific theories they undermine their own religious beliefs in several ways. Firstly they display a very strong lack of confidence in their own religious beliefs. To feel threatened by another person’s beliefs can generally be interpreted as a fear that they undermine your own beliefs, either in your own mind or in someone else’s. Religious insecurity is a dangerous thing as it has led to many evils in the world, from the Spanish Inquisition to the terrible abuses of women in many countries in the world today.
Creationists also display a very strong lack of understanding of the role religion should play in their lives. A fervent believer will often dedicate their entire being to their religion. This is usually a good thing and results in loving and caring people focused on God and their neighbour. Religion is about just this – God and his revelation to us about how we should live in our world. It is not about describing how the natural world works. When we say that “God has given us life” we are expressing a belief that our own life and the life of others is something that is wonderful and should be treated with the highest regard. We are certainly not saying that God induced labour or even fertilised the egg.
In the same way that a scientist without morals is a dangerous thing, a religiously insecure fervent believer is also a dangerous thing.
Popular belief is often a useful indicator as to where you might begin to look for answers to tricky questions. If a good proportion of the population believe something to be true then it is certainly worth looking into that. So what has informed popular belief in relation to the origins of the universe. As children, growing up in those parts of the world where religious beliefs are rooted in the Old Testament, we have learned the story about how God created the world in seven days and of how Adam and Eve were the first humans he created. As children we take this story literally, as we do all stories we encounter.
One of Christ’s disciples, St Paul, declares in an epistle that “when I was a child I thought like a child, but now that I am an adult I think like an adult”. As adults we look back on the stories that we heard and realise that very many of them were not true but were told to us to impart lessons about life and how we should live. Good people always live happily ever after, for example. Catholic scripture scholars will tell you that this is how we should think about many of the stories in the bible.
How come the story of Creation as told in scriptures has not moved on for so many? This is indicative of the fate of religion across the western world. For most, engagement with religion ended at childhood with the ending of formal religious education. Much of what passes for religious education in second level education does not engage with the fundamental questions such as what is true in the bible and what is metaphorical.
There is an increasing rise in fundamentalism in all religions; believing everything that is written in scriptures to be literally accurate. This is natural in a world where everything is changing so rapidly and where truth and morals are being constantly undermined. Many are looking for some certainties that we can rely on. If the bible is to be a source of certainty then you cannot leave room for interpretation. If you can cast doubt on one thing, then you can cast doubt on everything.
As a result of this need for certainty in scripture, the real purpose of the stories told has been lost. Child-like or fundamentalist understandings of what was written have concealed the fact that these stories were told to impart an understanding about God or about how we should interact with our neighbour. The story of creation tells us that we have been blessed with something wonderful in our universe, and that as the most intelligent creature in it we have a responsibility to look after it. It also tells us that our God is a loving, caring and forgiving God and that we should be grateful to him.
The story of creation is not about science. Science is a way of understanding the world around us based on measurable empirical data. To suggest that the act of God to create to universe can be scientifically proven just doesn’t make sense. God is not a measurable empirical entity – while he may be IN the natural world, he is fundamentally different to it – we call it “super” natural. His intentions cannot be measured by science. Scientific theories can only measure everything that happened once the world began – not what may have been in God’s mind before it began.
Creationism doesn’t do religion any favours. When a religious person, no matter how rational they may seem, suggests that literal belief in the stories told in scriptures should replace current scientific theories they undermine their own religious beliefs in several ways. Firstly they display a very strong lack of confidence in their own religious beliefs. To feel threatened by another person’s beliefs can generally be interpreted as a fear that they undermine your own beliefs, either in your own mind or in someone else’s. Religious insecurity is a dangerous thing as it has led to many evils in the world, from the Spanish Inquisition to the terrible abuses of women in many countries in the world today.
Creationists also display a very strong lack of understanding of the role religion should play in their lives. A fervent believer will often dedicate their entire being to their religion. This is usually a good thing and results in loving and caring people focused on God and their neighbour. Religion is about just this – God and his revelation to us about how we should live in our world. It is not about describing how the natural world works. When we say that “God has given us life” we are expressing a belief that our own life and the life of others is something that is wonderful and should be treated with the highest regard. We are certainly not saying that God induced labour or even fertilised the egg.
In the same way that a scientist without morals is a dangerous thing, a religiously insecure fervent believer is also a dangerous thing.
posted by De Man on de Street at 9:16 pm
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