In Science and Religion: Are They Compatible, Alvin Plantinga argues that proponents of naturalism - like Richard Dawkins and Daniel Dennett - tell us that according to the theory of evolution, neither God nor any other agent has designed or created the living world, and that evolution therefore, clearly contradicts the central tenant of theistic religion (which Dennett labels “entirely gratuitous fantasy” ) If what these experts say is true, and we must understand evolution only in the context of naturalistic, unguided evolution, “then evolutionary theory is deeply incompatible with theistic religion, whether Christian…or Jewish” However, Plantinga stresses that evolution does not need to be interpreted in this way, and that because of this, religion does not have to be held in such opposition to science at all. Christian and Jewish tenants require only that, “God intended to create creatures of a certain kind…planned that there be creatures of that kind…and acted in such a way as to accomplish this intention,” and such a claim is clearly consistent with evolutionary theory in that naturalism is not a necessary requirement of the theory itself. In this paper, I will explore the positions of the Jewish and Muslim faiths with respect to the question of evolutionary theory, and more explicitly, aim to draw comparisons between Judaism and Christianity to investigate whether popular religion is truly as staunchly opposed to evolutionary theory as Dawkins or Dennett propose. If the work of Keith Ward, John Haught, and John Polkinghorne are to serve as any background, my hypothesis is that evolutionary theory has been reconciled and embraced by many theologians and persons of faith across the spectrum of religious tradition.
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...Become a Battleground Between Science and Religion,"Jewish Action, 67, no. 1 (2006): 12-15, http://ou.org.s3.amazonaws.com/pdf/ja/5767/fall67/12-16.pdf (accessed May 4, 2014).
Rena Selya, “Torah and Madda? Discussions of the Teaching of Evolution in Jewish Schools," Jewish Tradition and the Challenge of Darwinism, ed. Geoffrey Cantor and Marc Swetlitz (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2006), 196.
Joel Wolowelsky, "Teaching Evolution in Yeshiva High School," Ten Da’at: A Journal of Jewish Education, 10, no. 1 (1997): 15, Http://www.daat.ac.il/daat/english/education/evolution-1.htm (accessed May 4, 2014).
AJC: Global Jewish Advocacy, "AJC Applauds Court Decision against Intelligent Design in Pennsylvania Schools." Last modified December 20, 2005. Accessed May 4, 2014. http://www.ajc.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=7oJILSPwFfJSG&b=8479733&ct=12483169.
“The lack of conflict between science and religion arises from a lack of overlap between their respective domains of professional expertise—science in the empirical constitution of the universe, and religion in the search for proper ethical values and the spiritual meaning of our lives. The attainment of wisdom in a full life requires extensive attention to both domains—for a great book tells us that the truth can make us free and that we will live in optimal harmony with our fellows when we learn to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly.”
In Charles Darwin’s life he had helped make a significant advancement in the way mankind viewed the world. With his observations, he played a part in shifting the model of evolution into his peers’ minds. Darwin’s theory on natural selection impacted the areas of science and religion because it questioned and challenged the Bible; and anything that challenged the Bible in Darwin’s era was sure to create contention with the church. Members of the Church took offense to Darwin’s Origins of Species because it unswervingly contradicted the teachings of the book of Genesis in the Bible. (Zhao, 2009) Natural selection changed the way people thought. Where the Bible teaches that “all organisms have been in an unchanging state since the great flood, and that everything twas molded in God’s will.” (Zhao, 2009) Darwin’s geological journey to the Galapagos Islands is where he was first able to get the observations he needed to prove how various species change over t...
18 February 2014 “NSTA Position Statement: The teaching of Evolution”. NSTA.org. -. nd. Web. The Web. The Web.
Bowler, Peter J. Evolution: The History of an Idea. London: University of California Press, 1989.
Charles Darwin, the Father of Evolution, was a British scientist who laid the foundations of the theory of evolution, transforming the thinking of the entire world about the living things around us (Charles Darwin (1809 – 1882)). After working on his theory for nearly 20 years, he published On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection in 1859. As soon as the book was released, the controversy began with each sides gaining followers until the climax on July 10, 1925. The idea that animals could “evolve” and change into new species, including humans, was one that challenged not only how people thought about the natural world, but challenged the story of the creation from the Bible itself. Even though Darwin himself never said that humans “evolved” from apes, everyone took it as a logical extension of his new theory. It went against the idea of argument for design that had unified theology and science for decades (Moran 5). This new threat to Christianity and the social culture of the time was one that would transform state laws on their educational curriculum.
Robert Root-Bernstein and Donald L. McEachron, “Teaching Theories: The Evolution-Creation Controversy,” The American Biology Teacher, Vol. 44, No. 7 (Oct…1982). This article, written by Robert Root-Bernstein and Donald L. McEachron sheds light on the controversy of evolution vs creationism in schools and the validity of each being called a scientific theory. The work was created to answer the questions, “Which of these theories is truly scientific and which is a religious belief? Which should be taught in schools?” The article concluded in favor of evolution as a valid scientific theory that should be taught rather than creationism, but also mentioned the worth of understanding the latter.
Boyer, Pascal. Religion Explained: The Evolutionary Origins of Religious Thought. New York, NY: Basic Books, 2001.
Anyone with even a moderate background in science has heard of Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution. Since the publishing of his book On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection in 1859, Darwin’s ideas have been debated by everyone from scientists to theologians to ordinary lay-people. Today, though there is still severe opposition, evolution is regarded as fact by most of the scientific community and Darwin’s book remains one of the most influential ever written.
Lennox, James. "Darwinism." Stanford University. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2010 Edition). , 13 Aug. 2004. Web. 12 May 2014.
In 1859, Charles Darwin published his groundbreaking Origin of Species, which would introduce the seminal theory of evolution to the scientific community. Over 150 years later, the majority of scientists have come to a consensus in agreement with this theory, citing evidence in newer scientific research. In an average high school biology classroom, one may imagine an instructor that has devoted much of his life to science and a predominantly Christian class of about twenty-five students. On the topic of evolution, one of the students might ask, “Why would God have taken the long route by creating us through billion years of evolution?” while another student may claim “The Book of Genesis clearly says that the earth along with all living creatures was created in just six days, and Biblical dating has proven that the earth is only 6000 years old.” Finally a third student interjects with the remark “maybe the Bible really is just a book, and besides, science has basically already proven that evolution happened, and is continuing to happen as we speak.”
Humans have asked questions about their origin and their purpose on earth for eons. The Bible tells humans that God created them and explains their purpose. However, since the Renaissance, humanism answers questions about origins by naturalistic means and science has been redefined in the process. Most institutions of higher education and many individuals have adopted the naturalistic theory of evolution to explain human origin without considering its effects on faith. In contrast to prevailing thought at Goshen College, a literal six-day creation is foundational to the Gospel message. Combining evolution and Christianity makes one’s faith less logical and opens one’s science to new quandaries.
The information presented in evolution studies must be viewed with an open mind since there is no definite proof or law of evolution. The dilemma boils down to science vs. religion. God has been our creator since beginning of time, but the discoveries of recent science are sudde...
Since the 1800’s, the influence of Darwin’s theory of evolution has been taken into thorough consideration and repetitively debated to whether human biological development evolved from chimpanzees through out time along with the idea of how all life on earth came to existence. In fact, this theory has struck such a high level of controversey that it primarily became a crucial idea of intellectuality discussed within the West and around the world. Science and relegion have been the greatest factors which have shaped and mended values and ideas of western societies, essentially making a lasting impression on human history. Most writers and theologians believe that science and relegion are ideaologies which condradict one another and carry no common connection. Within the last few centuries, many reasons have been developed and expressed towards the idea of having to seperate both factors into different categories. For example, when church leaders decided to attack the theory of evolution, they began to come up with absurd statements on scientific issues which they were in no position of qualification to declare. Theologians have become attentive and very cautious when differiniating between scientific and relgious queries due to the acknowledgment that severe conflits and made up assertians have been and can be inflicted at any given situation. On the contrary, in Islamic beliefs, science is very much a major participant and is linked firmly with relegion rarely causing any conflicts or controversies and has also been the world’s religion for decades which proved most resistant to Darwinian evolution. In order to understand what the problem is, overlooking the actual controversy in which religious interest apperantly condemns scien...
“The greatest mystery of existence is existence itself” (Chopra). Chopra, a world-renowned author, perceives the existence of life as a truly mystifying cerebration. The pending question that many scientist, and even theists, attempt to answer is how life ultimately began. Currently, the mystery is left with two propositions, evolution and creation. While both approaches attempt to answer the origins of life, evolution and creation are two contrasting concepts. Evolution views life to be a process by which organisms diversified from earlier forms whereas creation illustrates that life was created by a supernatural being. Creation and evolution both agree on the existence of microevolution and the resemblance of apes and humans but vary in terms of interpreting the origins of the life through a historical standpoint. A concept known as Faith Vs Fact comprehensively summarizes the tone of this debate, which leads the question of how life began.
Stenmark, Mickael. How to Relate Science and Religion. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2004.