Title: Re: paleonet Creationism, paleontologists and
religion aga
Going to the courts, however, is likely
to be perceived as evidence that evolution is part of a political and
anti-religious scheme rather than a scientific issue. It won't
help change the minds of antievolutionists.
I don't know whether the courts are the place to resolve the
conflict over evolution, but paleontologists really have to get their
minds around the fact that this is a political issue and it
does run counter to the religious beliefs of some people.
We, as paleontologists, can't divorce the topic of evolution from
politics and religion anymore than biologists can divorce stem-cell
research from politics and religion. The idea of organic
evolution has an impact on ethics because it changes humankind's
relationship with the rest of Nature and the way we look at
ourselves.
What will be effective on the religious
front is raising questions about the theological quality of
creationism, ID, etc.
This, I believe, is a quagmire. And, in any case, not
something that a paleontologist could credibly undertake. Not
that Prof. Campbell suggested that we do so, but I am trying to think
of what we can do as paleontologists rather than handing the
proverbial football off to someone to charge the religious
front.
In fact, a careful examination of
standard ID and creation science from a conservative Christian
viewpoint identifies them as anti-Christian heresies.
The splintering of Christianity into a multitude of sects was
caused by everyone thinking everyone else was espousing anti-Christian
heresies. I don't think this is a profitable line of
attack.
>People who begin with unquestioning
acceptance of the type of history
> that is recorded in the Bible will
have fundamental
> problems with the type of history that paleontologists
maintain is
> recorded in the fossil record and in the morphology and
genetics of
> life forms.
I see the problem as confusing the two types. The Bible claims
to present a history of God's interaction with humanity, whereas
paleontology provides the physical history of life.
Well, yes, but fundamentalist Christians of today, like most
Christians up to the 17th century, assume that the history of
humankind and the history of the Earth are one and the same.
From that perspective, the history of God's interaction with humanity
is the same as the physical history of life.
If one recognizes the difference, then
reconciling the two becomes much easier.
It may be possible to eventually get the ID crowd to do this, but
not the fundamentalist Christian community.
Keith Miller's Perspectives on an
Evolving Creation provides a recent (2003) reference accepting
evolution and considering it from an evangelical Christian
perspective, whereas David Livingstone's Darwinís Forgotten
Defenders examines some of the early history of evangelical support
for evolution. References such as these may help reach some of
the antievolutionists.
Evangelicals are very chauvinist Christians who believe in
foisting their religion on everyone in sight. I frankly wouldn't
want them working in the diplomatic corps (although they do), but they
aren't as close minded about scientific matters as
fundamentalists.
Bill
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William P. Chaisson
Adjunct Assistant Professor
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences
University of Rochester
Rochester, NY 14627