A Not So Quick Thought ... But Worth The Read

The issue of evolution and the topic of science versus religion have once again reared their tired heads. Ever since Nicolaus Copernicus looked up into the heavens and stated, “Hey, the sun is the center of the solar system – not the earth; maybe the theologians are misinterpreting the Scriptures” church theologians and scientists have been battling each other over who better understands the natural world. This has been a five hundred year battle and the last hundred years has been almost exclusively fought in the realm of anthropological development, namely, the question of how God created humans. Did he poetically blow his own breath into a sculptured pile of mud one day or did he poetically form us over millions of years from lower life into a conscious being able to relate to God? I have my theory.

The early attempts of some fundamentalist Christians in their battle to discredit evolution were to legally ban its teaching. This particular strategy did not work.

The last thirty years has seen a different approach. Having failed in their attempts to outlaw the teaching of evolution in schools, Fundamentalist Christians chose to champion the teaching of “creationism” as a science in schools. Unfortunately for them, this course of action has fared no better than the campaigns to outlaw “creationism’s” competition. If anything, they had more success in keeping evolution a one-day-a-school-year subject than elevating “creationism” to the realm of the sciences.

Having failed to introduce “creationism” as a viable scientific theory in opposition to evolution, Fundamentalist Christians in recent years have sought to introduce “Intelligent Design” as viable counterweight to evolution. While “creationism” offers to explain the current state of the universe in terms of 3000 yr old Ancient Near Eastern cosmology, “Intelligent Design” offers to explain that the shear design of our wonderful universe logically points towards a Creator as its source.

This is quite an interesting turn of events.

Fundamentalist Christians who used to want to outlaw the teaching of evolution, then wanted schools to teach “creationism” as well as evolution, now want schools to teach evolution as well as all the other natural sciences as logically pointing towards a Creator.

Now let me get this straight:

The same Fundamentalist Christians who currently refuse to allow adult seminary students to be taught by other Christians if those Christian teachers have a differing view about the role of women in the ministry are now demanding that atheists and other non-believers teach their children about God.

Makes sense to me.