Happy Birthday, Charlie!
Sunday marked the 197th birthday of Charles Darwin, author of On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or The Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life (aka The Origin of Species) and (along with Alfred Wallace) one of the founding fathers of the theory of evolution. A day of celebration for scientists, yes, but for churches?
According to the New York Times, ministers around the country held services yesterday commemorating Darwin's birthday. Their respective churches were participating in Evolution Sunday, a nationwide event aimed at making the point that science does not undermine faith. That the fundamentalist voices supporting creationism and its kissing cousin, intelligent design, and who proclaim that Christians and others must choose between religion and science are misleading.
Good on 'em. I have long held that one can foster both spiritual faith and scientific understanding simultaneously, that each should hold sway in their own realm. A favorite example of mine in support of this idea comes from - of all places - the Bible. "Give unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and give unto God what is God's." (Mark 12:17) Can we replace "Caesar" with "Darwin?"
I see no reason why not. While some scientists find no room in their worldview for religion, others find their belief strengthened by their scientific inquiries, that what they see and learn enhances the world's mystery. In a remarkable irony, as his thoughts on natural selection crystallized, Darwin was drawn away from religious faith, while Wallace became ever more convinced in the existence of a higher intelligence. Maybe this, at some level, is where intelligent design comes from, an extreme extension of science informing faith. In my mind, the crucial question is whether one can find the balance between both types of knowledge, the secular and the spiritual.
[Learn more about Evolution Sunday on the website of the Clergy Letter Project, an academic and clerical response to efforts to discredit the teaching of evolution in public schools.]
Update 2/28/06: And good on William Broad at the New York Times for pointing out that those on both sides - secular and religious - who claim that their's is the "true faith" may be guilty of the highest forms of arrogance and hubris. [Note - let me know if the link doesn't work and I will reprint the article in a separate post.]
According to the New York Times, ministers around the country held services yesterday commemorating Darwin's birthday. Their respective churches were participating in Evolution Sunday, a nationwide event aimed at making the point that science does not undermine faith. That the fundamentalist voices supporting creationism and its kissing cousin, intelligent design, and who proclaim that Christians and others must choose between religion and science are misleading.
Good on 'em. I have long held that one can foster both spiritual faith and scientific understanding simultaneously, that each should hold sway in their own realm. A favorite example of mine in support of this idea comes from - of all places - the Bible. "Give unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and give unto God what is God's." (Mark 12:17) Can we replace "Caesar" with "Darwin?"
I see no reason why not. While some scientists find no room in their worldview for religion, others find their belief strengthened by their scientific inquiries, that what they see and learn enhances the world's mystery. In a remarkable irony, as his thoughts on natural selection crystallized, Darwin was drawn away from religious faith, while Wallace became ever more convinced in the existence of a higher intelligence. Maybe this, at some level, is where intelligent design comes from, an extreme extension of science informing faith. In my mind, the crucial question is whether one can find the balance between both types of knowledge, the secular and the spiritual.
[Learn more about Evolution Sunday on the website of the Clergy Letter Project, an academic and clerical response to efforts to discredit the teaching of evolution in public schools.]
Update 2/28/06: And good on William Broad at the New York Times for pointing out that those on both sides - secular and religious - who claim that their's is the "true faith" may be guilty of the highest forms of arrogance and hubris. [Note - let me know if the link doesn't work and I will reprint the article in a separate post.]
posted by Tom Ulrich at 8:32 PM
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