Mag | Creationism dismissed as 'a kind of paganism' by Vatican's astronomer
Published by Johnmiller on 2007/12/9 (345 reads)
Illustration of creationism
One definition of Creationism --- As a noun, ‘creation' signifies the totality of what God has created, is creating, will create. Moreover, there is nothing that is not God's creation, that does not owe its existence to the Creator. In a radical sense, everything is pure gift. As a verb, ‘creation' signifies the original and continuing activity of God's creating such a totality, whether the universe is considered in an evolutionary or in the comparatively static mode of classical philosophical theology. Both meanings of the word, as noun and verb, imply, of course, a Creator.
Religion & Philosophy
Creationism dismissed as 'a kind of paganism' by Vatican's astronomer
Scotsman, UK – By Ian Johnston – Friday, May 5, 2007
- LINK
BELIEVING that God created the universe in six days is a form of superstitious paganism, the Vatican astronomer Guy Consolmagno claimed yesterday.
Brother Consolmagno, who works in a Vatican observatory in Arizona and as curator of the Vatican meteorite collection in Italy, said a "destructive myth" had developed in modern society that religion and science were competing ideologies.
He described creationism, whose supporters want it taught in schools alongside evolution, as a "kind of paganism" because it harked back to the days of "nature gods" who were responsible for natural events.
Brother Consolmagno argued that the Christian God was a supernatural one, a belief that had led the clergy in the past to become involved in science to seek natural reasons for phenomena such as thunder and lightning, which had been previously attributed to vengeful gods. "Knowledge is dangerous, but so is ignorance. That's why science and religion need to talk to each other," he said.
"Religion needs science to keep it away from superstition and keep it close to reality, to protect it from creationism, which at the end of the day is a kind of paganism - it's turning God into a nature god. And science needs religion in order to have a conscience, to know that, just because something is possible, it may not be a good thing to do."
Brother Consolmagno, who was due to give a speech at the Glasgow Science Centre last night, entitled "Why the Pope has an Astronomer", said the idea of papal infallibility had been a "PR disaster". What it actually meant was that, on matters of faith, followers should accept "somebody has got to be the boss, the final authority".
"It's not like he has a magic power, that God whispers the truth in his ear," he said.
One definition of Creationism --- As a noun, ‘creation' signifies the totality of what God has created, is creating, will create. Moreover, there is nothing that is not God's creation, that does not owe its existence to the Creator. In a radical sense, everything is pure gift. As a verb, ‘creation' signifies the original and continuing activity of God's creating such a totality, whether the universe is considered in an evolutionary or in the comparatively static mode of classical philosophical theology. Both meanings of the word, as noun and verb, imply, of course, a Creator.
Creationism dismissed as 'a kind of paganism' by Vatican's astronomer
Scotsman, UK – By Ian Johnston – Friday, May 5, 2007
- LINK
BELIEVING that God created the universe in six days is a form of superstitious paganism, the Vatican astronomer Guy Consolmagno claimed yesterday.
Brother Consolmagno, who works in a Vatican observatory in Arizona and as curator of the Vatican meteorite collection in Italy, said a "destructive myth" had developed in modern society that religion and science were competing ideologies.
He described creationism, whose supporters want it taught in schools alongside evolution, as a "kind of paganism" because it harked back to the days of "nature gods" who were responsible for natural events.
Brother Consolmagno argued that the Christian God was a supernatural one, a belief that had led the clergy in the past to become involved in science to seek natural reasons for phenomena such as thunder and lightning, which had been previously attributed to vengeful gods. "Knowledge is dangerous, but so is ignorance. That's why science and religion need to talk to each other," he said.
"Religion needs science to keep it away from superstition and keep it close to reality, to protect it from creationism, which at the end of the day is a kind of paganism - it's turning God into a nature god. And science needs religion in order to have a conscience, to know that, just because something is possible, it may not be a good thing to do."
Brother Consolmagno, who was due to give a speech at the Glasgow Science Centre last night, entitled "Why the Pope has an Astronomer", said the idea of papal infallibility had been a "PR disaster". What it actually meant was that, on matters of faith, followers should accept "somebody has got to be the boss, the final authority".
"It's not like he has a magic power, that God whispers the truth in his ear," he said.
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