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Did the pope really say this?

luvtinayothers

Critical Thinker
L
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Oct 26, 2001
Messages
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I've read a few times that the current Pope has admitted the fact of human evolution
and that a belief in evolution is not incompatible with faith in God.
Did he really say this? Does anyone have any references?
 
Translation of his message
Today, more than a half century after this encyclical [Pius XII's 1950 encyclical Humani generis], new knowledge leads us to recognize in the theory of evolution more than a hypothesis.
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or
Today, almost half a century after the publication of the Encyclical, new knowledge has led to the recognition of more than one hypothesis in the theory of evolution.
Click to expand...
Depending on the translation you use
 
How exciting! Finally a pope that can actually pay attention to logical conclusions instead of having some bishop jockeying for power write a book proclaiming heresy where there was none.
 
Next thing you know he will be revisiting the infallibility of the papacy, and the historical accuracy of the Bible...

...or will he...?? :eek:
 
At least can we get him to now say that Noah's Ark did NOT land on some mountain in Turkey. Then the "arkeologists" can all give up and go home.
 
I believe it was the current pope who first referred to evolution as basically a fact, whereas it was Pius XII a little over a half-century ago who stated that the faith did not require believers to reject evolution.

So far as I am aware, no pope ever held that evolutionary theory was actually incompatible with Catholicism.
 
according the hawking's brief history of time, Pope John Paul II told hawking (and other scientists) that it's okay to research the origins of the universe up to the moment of the big bang (but not the actual moment).

hey, better than what you'd expect him to say. at least the vatican didnt dismiss the big bang theory outright.

one of the few (very few) things i respect about catholicism, when faced with overwhelming evidence they will acknowledge the evidence unlike creationists, et al.
 
HarryKeogh said:
according the hawking's brief history of time, Pope John Paul II told hawking (and other scientists) that it's okay to research the origins of the universe up to the moment of the big bang (but not the actual moment).
Click to expand...

Funny that TLOP breaks down (or smashes together?) as we move backwards to before the Planck Time. (10^-43 seconds after the big bang, I think), so that our knowledge of the Big Bang ends just about where the Pope wanted it to end.
 
I'm thinking the same. If creation once happened, what's to stop God's creatures from evolving? It's like saying that everytime an organism procreates, its offspring is 100% identical, which biology proves is not the case.
 
Creationism is mostly an affliction of protestants, sometimes fundy pretestant groups make the Pope look downright reasonable. Frequently actually.

Furthermore, creationism is an almost strictly American problem, it doesn't come up in politics in any other industrialized nation but the US*.







*I'm sure some nitpicker can come up with some exception
 
Hey, speaking of weird stuff religious leaders said … did the Dalai Lama really say that he likes to shoot at Hawks and Falcons with a BB gun?
 
Zep said:
At least can we get him to now say that Noah's Ark did NOT land on some mountain in Turkey. Then the "arkeologists" can all give up and go home.
Click to expand...

Not a bit. Just because the (fundie Protestant) creationist types have their pseudoscientific theories invoking Noah's Ark, doesn't mean it's inherent to the position.

I don't think that any of those guys are Catholic.

Try talking to some Orthodox Jews on the subject. Note that it may be hard to get them to talk because they have no interest in converting you or influencing the public school curriculum.

In short, put it all under "miracles" and bag science where you have to. No pseudoscience there. :rolleyes:
 
Franko said:
Hey, speaking of weird stuff religious leaders said … did the Dalai Lama really say that he likes to shoot at Hawks and Falcons with a BB gun?
Click to expand...

What's wierd about the Dalai Lama (or anybody) being a good old boy? :roll:
 
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