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>Ironically, evolution actually does not contradict any Christian >presuppositions about humanity, in the sense of presuppositions that >are basic to the Christian faith. Rather, it contradicts a lot of >popular presumptions, some of which are prevalent among religious >conservatives. A literal reading of Genesis suggests that human history and Earth history are quite nearly co-extensive (a few days difference in age). This literal reading didn't begin to be abandoned by the academy until the 18th century. >Thus, both atheists and antievolutionists are misrepresenting >evolution when they claim it supports particular philosophical, >religious, or moral views. If we clearly critique all misuses of >it, we will have better credibility to be speaking as scientists. One rather strong strain of evolutionary theory opposes determinism. So in this sense it stands in direct opposition to a particular popular (in the US) strain of Christianity. >Evolution does conflict with religions that claim that things are >fundamentally cyclic ... unless one works with a taxonomic group in which iterative evolution is common (like the planktonic foraminifera). Happily, the law of faunal succession provides an excellent framework within which we can observe that climate is quite cyclic. >However, such a reading of Genesis 1 has been questioned at least >since Origen (a 3rd century A.D. Christian theologian), well before >geology provided external evidence against such an interpretation. Did this view ever represent the status quo or was it always heterodox? >Overall, evolution is largely irrelevant to Christianity. I would love to dismiss fundamentalist Christianity as irrelevant, but that would be rude. Bill -- ----------------------------------------------- William P. Chaisson Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences University of Rochester ph 585-275-0601 Rochester, New York 14627 USA fax 585-244-5689 http://www.earth.rochester.edu/chaisson/chaisson.html
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