VATICAN CITY (CNS) — While apes evolved naturally into pre-human creatures, it was the will and desire of God that turned them into humans, an article in the Vatican newspaper said.
...at some point God willed a spark of intelligence to light up in the mind of a nonhuman hominid and thus came into existence the human as a being, as a subject capable of thought and the ability to decide freely...
You may have noticed that I added a new link to my sidebar for Sola Dei Gloria; P.J. Miller has blogged on the story there.
You can read more here.
You can read the source here.
Some questions:
-Do you agree?
-Does this bring "science" and "religion" closer together?
-Is there any proof (real proof) for macro-evolution?
-Is there any proof (real proof) for the biblical account that God made Adam & Eve?
5 comments:
Don't you think that this hinges for the most part on what type of "death" (spiritual or physical) Paul is referring to in Romans 5:12?
Care to flesh out what you are saying Laz?
In relation to the verse you cite, I think it hinges on whether or not the word of God is accurate and true and whether in fact death did enter through one man or through one pre-human hominid amongst many pre-human hominids; but that completely flies in the face of the argument established in the New Testament concerning the salvific nature of the incarnation.
j razz
It is obvious that the Vatican has begun with the presupposition that what the scientific establishment says comes first, thus Scripture must be interpreted through that lens.
They might say that Romans 5:12 refers to spiritual death, and thus physical death existed before the Fall, they might cite the fossil "evidence".
Of course, if we presuppose (as I and you seem to do) that the Bible's account of our origins is correct (Adam and Eve were first human beings) then any origin theory must be interpreted through that lens, then we must conclude that "death" in Romans 5:12 refers to both physical and spiritual death. This position is only taken (so far as I know) by so-called young earth creationists.
Those who hold to a vast antiquity in the planet's past, must take the first position. To be sure this issue is not about young/old earth but rather about believing what God has said in His Word.
Spurgeon said it quite well,
“We are invited, brethren, most earnestly to go away from the old-fashioned belief of our forefathers because of the supposed discoveries of science. What is science? The method by which man tries to conceal his ignorance. It should not be so, but so it is. You are not to be dogmatic in theology my brethren, it is wicked; but for scientific men it is the correct thing. You are never to assert anything very strongly; but scientists may boldly assert what they cannot prove, and may demand a faith far more credulous than any we possess. Forsooth, you and I are to take our Bibles and shape and mould our belief according to the ever-shifting teachings of so-called scientific men. What folly is this! Why, the march of science, falsely so called, through the world may be traced by exploded fallacies and abandoned theories. Former explorers once adored are now ridiculed; the continual wreckings of false hypotheses is a matter of universal notoriety. You may tell where the learned have encamped by the debris left behind of suppositions and theories as plentiful as broken bottles.”
Thanks for unpacking your statement above. Good points and excellent quote.
Either you are very well read or have some sort of topical database at your disposal as you are always finding gems from dead saints :)
j razz
Sorry for not initially clarifying things, as for the quote, I have it on my desk here in the lab, such sweet irony...
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