Vatican Official Refutes Intelligent Design

[mckitterick]

Oh, I love seeing news like this. Shows that the Intelligent-Design faithful are more detached from scientific reality than those in the Vatican. So that should tell us what? Uh-huh. These Intelligent-Design wacks are not in agreement with God. That's my take.

Vatican Official Refutes Intelligent Design

By NICOLE WINFIELD, Associated Press Writer
VATICAN CITY - The Vatican's chief astronomer said Friday that "intelligent design" isn't science and doesn't belong in science classrooms, the latest high-ranking Roman Catholic official to enter the evolution debate in the United States.

The Rev. George Coyne, the Jesuit director of the Vatican Observatory, said placing intelligent design theory alongside that of evolution in school programs was "wrong" and was akin to mixing apples with oranges.

"Intelligent design isn't science even though it pretends to be," the ANSA news agency quoted Coyne as saying on the sidelines of a conference in Florence. "If you want to teach it in schools, intelligent design should be taught when religion or cultural history is taught, not science."

His comments were in line with his previous statements on "intelligent design" _ whose supporters hold that the universe is so complex that it must have been created by a higher power.

Proponents of intelligent design are seeking to get public schools in the United States to teach it as part of the science curriculum. Critics say intelligent design is merely creationism _ a literal reading of the Bible's story of creation _ camouflaged in scientific language, and they say it does not belong in science curriculum.

In a June article in the British Catholic magazine The Tablet, Coyne reaffirmed God's role in creation, but said science explains the history of the universe.

"If they respect the results of modern science, and indeed the best of modern biblical research, religious believers must move away from the notion of a dictator God or a designer God, a Newtonian God who made the universe as a watch that ticks along regularly."

Rather, he argued, God should be seen more as an encouraging parent.

"God in his infinite freedom continuously creates a world that reflects that freedom at all levels of the evolutionary process to greater and greater complexity," he wrote. "He is not continually intervening, but rather allows, participates, loves."

The Vatican Observatory, which Coyne heads, is one of the oldest astronomical research institutions in the world. It is based in the papal summer residence at Castel Gandolfo south of Rome.

Last week, Pope Benedict XVI waded indirectly into the evolution debate by saying the universe was made by an "intelligent project" and criticizing those who in the name of science say its creation was without direction or order.

Questions about the Vatican's position on evolution were raised in July by Austrian Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn.

In a New York Times column, Schoenborn seemed to back intelligent design and dismissed a 1996 statement by Pope John Paul II that evolution was "more than just a hypothesis." Schoenborn said the late pope's statement was "rather vague and unimportant."

Best,
Chris

Comments

[lilac-wine.livejournal.com]

When the vatican thinks you're a crazy science hating nutcase, how totally whacked are you? It's like Dick Cheney telling you you've gone too far in attacking someone.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

!!! That's the truth.

[indigodreamer.livejournal.com]

ha--exactly!!! :)

[http://users.livejournal.com/_mac_/]

Yeah, thats the thing I like about the Catholics, they aren't as wacky as some of the other Christians. That, and the fact that they drink a lot of booze.

[lilac-wine.livejournal.com]

Except for the whole birth control thing.

[chernobylred.livejournal.com]

Opinions on that are mixed.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_mac_/]

Yeah, and that adultery thing, other than that, they can be pretty cool.

[chernobylred.livejournal.com]

Idol worshiping Mary lovers, the lot of 'em. Everybody knows Catholics ain't real Chrishtuns.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_mac_/]

Being raised catholic and attending church regularly until I was about 17 years old, it wasn't until I was 25 that I found out Catholics were the only christians who prayed to Mary. What a shock that was.

[chernobylred.livejournal.com]

=D

I have a sad but funny story to tell you about my observations of Protestant/Catholic conflicts. I'll tell you sometime in person since it involves local people.

I also need to get on the stick and make myself a Mary icon. WTF? It just occured to me that I don't have one, despite, what, like twelve million Mary statues and candles sprinkled around my house...

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

Wow. I remember being sort of surprised that my grandparents went to a church where they worshipped idols like those heathens back in Korea I'd met as a boy. I think exposure to a diversity of religions as a kid was good for me!

Chris

[everflame.livejournal.com]

Well, he's a Jesuit. That explains his sanity.

Also, does it seem both awesome and fucking weird to anyone else that the Vatican has a "chief astronomer?"

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

I love it that they have a "chief astronomer"! Makes me think those Jesuits are the true keepers of knowledge. I mean, what's the deal with so many religionists having a problem with understanding the universe that their gods made for us? Isn't that what it/they would have wanted? My personal faith says yes, that it's our duty! So brava to the Vatican's "chief astronomer"!

Chris

[skyflame.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't be surprised if the Vatican has had a Chief Astronomer for several centuries. I mean, they didn't slap down Copernicus and Galileo for the science, but for the (indirect) power challenge to the Papal Authority. Copernicus understood that and waited until his deathbed to publish his pamphlet. Galileo was arrogant enough to not particularly care, and in the end the Vatican renounced the judgement against him. Granted, it was in the 1960s or '70s, but they finally backed down. ;)

[blzblack.livejournal.com]

Well, I think there are a variety of ID proponents, not just Creationists who've wandered over from their party. ID suggests--at least originally--that one can believe in God and science.

[mckitterick.livejournal.com]

Interesting; I haven't studied ID's history. Seems logical that scientific religious folks would want to understand their god(s)'s creation, wouldn't it? However, as it exists today, ID is all about garbing creationism in the cloak of something else... not science, surely, though they think they can trick the gullible public into swallowing that line of crap.

Science is a methodology that cannot be applied to "intelligent design." There's no way to test it; ergo, there's no way to apply science to it; ergo, there's no way to teach it in the classroom. Evolution is easy to demonstrate and teach and test; creationism is easy to teach, too, but inappropriate for public schools.

I don't see why these folks don't just keep their religion in their churches where they can control it as they wish. Imagine the mocking tone that a true scientist would use when forced to discuss it in class!

Chris

[geekmom.livejournal.com]

I love, love, love your spaghetti monster icon.

[(Anonymous)]

I would like to point out that not all believers in ID are the vocal nutcases that are grabbing all the media attention. Being educated by the Jesuits for 8 years the point was constantly made that ID and evolution are not conflicting but rather complimentary. I was very happy that John Paul II made statements that the more science teaches us about creation the better we can understand the role God plays in the universe. There are many believers in ID that are not happy about this situation because they recognize that faith is based on belief in the absence of factual evidence while science is based on factual evidence and trying to pass one off as the other does damage to both systems.