Creation vs. Evolution – Theology Essay
The questions posed to us about a religion and faith we are supposed to know made things very tricky and hard. When thinking about God usually I just think back to the previous weekend at church. These questions have changed
that though I have had to look at him and what he has done in a completely different way. So I chose the topic that involves his creation of humans earth and all that is, and the theory of evolution. The Catholic Church and evolution are two major opposites but I believe that are very much connected in the ideas behind man and earth.
I am talking about creation and evolution I should probably let you know what they are. Creation is the art by which the eternal God gave a beginning to all that exists outside of him. Creation also refers to the created universe or totality of what exists, as often expressed by the formula “the heaven and the earth.”(Paragraph 290 CCC) Then you have Evolution which means a theory that the various types of animals and plants have their origin in other preexisting types and that the distinguishable differences are due to modifications in successive generations. (According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary). There are two main differences between these two, one states that God created the earth and all its creatures and the other just states that things just were there is no real evidence behind where they came from or what they started as.
The Catholic Church shows in Genesis ch.1 that god created the earth in seven days. They showed us a picture or created an image in our heads how he created it over the week. The first day he created light and the separation of night and day, on the second they showed the creation of the sky separation of the waters, on the third god created the earth and its ground and the sea, the fourth day he created the sun and moon, on the fifth day he created all living creatures, on the sixth day he created all fertile things seeds and flowers, and the seventh day god rested. Now you show the theory of evolution and there is no real evidence that their was a beginning organism or a beginning thing that began all the different things being made. There are many people who have said they found evidence that backs this up but there can be no way to ever prove either God or evolution right or wrong.(Genesis chapter 1)
From one of the handouts we received in class a priest of the catholic church states “ the theory of evolution rather than negating the need for God, helps believers understand his relationship to the universe.” (father George Coyne) Which is what I believe I was saying you can know evolution for what it is and still know god for his higher being. No matter the evidence we receive or never receive in the case of evolution are faiths are our own and we can know God to his fullest with evolution also. If God created all didn’t he have to create the theory of evolution also.
The second part of the question asks if a person can believe in the Catholic Church and evolution at the same time. Well obviously the church is going to say that you cannot but in the end it’s all personal preference and it all depends on your feelings. There is no way you can be kept from believing in both because both are so unproven and this makes it easier to think one or the other could be possible making me think sure evolution could be how we were created or it could have been the seven days of creation will we ever know for sure which is true? The third part of this question is for me to tell you what I believe and I really don’t know sure I believe god created the earth and all living beings but there is no proof there to support it. The same comes from evolution sure man could have been created from dust but where is the proof stating all things came from one thing. There isn’t any solid matter or truth to either making me skeptical to all that I have learned is a truth.
In conclusion God created man as equals so why did man go and try to create evolution as a theory to underarm god? The people that support evolution are usually not related to the Catholic Church at all making them perfect examples of Atheists and evolutionist. Will we ever know the truth and will we ever be shown who the almighty reign of the earth is, will we ever get to see the almighty God or is he just something someone created just like evolution?
Work Cited Page
New American Bible: Genesis Ch1-2
Evolution important for insights into God: London, The Leaven, August 19, 2005