Religious Groups’ Views on Evolution

[Cypress]

Religious Groups’ Views on Evolution

Buddhism
Many Buddhists see no inherent conflict between their religious teachings and evolutionary theory.

Catholicism
The Catholic Church generally accepts evolutionary theory as the scientific explanation for the development of all life. However, this acceptance comes with the understanding that natural selection is a God-directed mechanism of biological development and that man’s soul is the divine creation of God.

United Methodist Church
In 2008, the church’s highest legislative body passed a resolution saying that “science’s descriptions of cosmological, geological, and biological evolution are not in conflict with [the church’s] theology.”

Southern Baptist Convention
In 1982, the Southern Baptist Convention issued a resolution rejecting the theory of evolution and stating that creation science “can be presented solely in terms of scientific evidence without any religious doctrines or concepts.”

United Church of Christ
The United Church of Christ finds evolutionary theory and Christian faith to be compatible, embracing evolution as a means “to see our faith in a new way.”

Judaism
While all of the major movements of American Judaism – including the Reconstructionist, Reform, Conservative and Orthodox branches – teach that God is the creator of the universe and all life, Jewish teachings generally do not find an inherent conflict between evolutionary theory and faith.

Islam
While the Koran teaches that Allah created human beings as they appear today, Islamic scholars and followers are divided on the theory of evolution. Theologically conservative Muslims who ascribe to literal interpretations of the Koran generally denounce the evolutionary argument for natural selection, whereas many theologically liberal Muslims believe that while man is divinely created, evolution is not necessarily incompatible with Islamic principles.

The Eastern Orthodox Church
Is divided in two large categories, which might be labeled as compatibilism and dualism. On the one hand, compatibilists hold that evolutionary science and theology are compatible and view them as complementary revelations of God. On the other hand, dualists hold that evolution can be incompatible with faith. They usually argue either that evolutionary science is philosophically based on a kind of naturalism or that God's specific revelation is infallible and therefore trumps the findings of human reason in the case of any conflict between them.

https://www.pewforum.org/2009/02/04/religious-groups-views-on-evolution/

Republicans
Large numbers of Republicans do not believe in evolution.
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-ta...-views-on-evolution-tracking-how-its-changed/

 

[Cypress]

The take away here is that the Young Earth creationists, End Times, Rapture-obsessed, Evolution-denying, bible-thumping, self-professed "Christians" who patrol message boards, political forums and the dark corners of the interwebs do not speak for Christianity, do not speak for religious people, and generally can be considered to be kooks, nincompoops, and only representing a small minority view within worldwide Christianity.

 

[ThatOwlWoman]

The take away here is that the Young Earth creationists, End Times, Rapture-obsessed, Evolution-denying, bible-thumping, self-professed "Christians" who patrol message boards, political forums and the dark corners of the interwebs do not speak for Christianity, do not speak for religious people, and generally can be considered to be kooks, nincompoops, and only representing a small minority view within worldwide Christianity.

None of us would give their POV a bit of thought either, if they weren't actively trying to force public schools in some areas to teach "creationism" alongside actual biology.

 

[iolo]

Although there are weirdoes in all countries and religions, I think it is only in America that any serious body of opinion rejects the last 150 years or so (admittedly there are a lot of grovelers after American money elsewhere, but no serious nuttiness) It demonstrates, I think, the total superficiality of much of American 'religion'..

 

[ThatOwlWoman]

Although there are weirdoes in all countries and religions, I think it is only in America that any serious body of opinion rejects the last 150 years or so (admittedly there are a lot of grovelers after American money elsewhere, but no serious nuttiness) It demonstrates, I think, the total superficiality of much of American 'religion'..

Good observation. People with true and deeply-felt faith don't feel threatened by others' faiths (or lack thereof). Nor do they feel the need to get involved in politics in order to shove said faith down the collective throats of the rest of the country. If the GOP has any genius, it's their ability to sense the fear that fundies have and exploit it for their own purposes.

 

[Cypress]

Although there are weirdoes in all countries and religions, I think it is only in America that any serious body of opinion rejects the last 150 years or so (admittedly there are a lot of grovelers after American money elsewhere, but no serious nuttiness) It demonstrates, I think, the total superficiality of much of American 'religion'..

The End Times, young Earth creationists are really more of a reactionary political movement than an actual religion.

The bible-thumping, End Times brand of so-called Christians did not even really exist in this country in measurable numbers until the early 20th century....which I believe resulted as a reactionary social movement based on racism, reaction to FDRs New Deal, xenophobia, et al. I do not believe its roots were actually in genuine Christian theology and Christian scholarship.

America's 18th century liberal founders were largely deists, fully aligned with Enlightenment principles of their day. They probably would have been horrified by today's bible thumpers.

Evolution, scientific study of the natural world, and natural philosophy are widely considered compatible with Christian theology by actual Christians. Both worldwide and in the United States. The problem here is that the kooky End-Times fringe Christians wield disproportionate influence within the Republican teabag party.

 

[iolo]

The End Times, young Earth creationists are really more of a reactionary political movement than an actual religion.

The bible-thumping, End Times brand of so-called Christians did not even really exist in this country in measurable numbers until the early 20th century....which I believe resulted as a reactionary social movement based on racism, reaction to FDRs New Deal, xenophobia, et al. I do not believe its roots were actually in genuine Christian theology and Christian scholarship.

America's 18th century liberal founders were largely deists, fully aligned with Enlightenment principles of their day. They probably would have been horrified by today's bible thumpers.

Evolution, scientific study of the natural world, and natural philosophy are widely considered compatible with Christian theology by actual Christians. Both worldwide and in the United States. The problem here is that the kooky End-Times fringe Christians wield disproportionate influence within the Republican teabag party.

Thanks I knew some of that; what I didn't is encouraging.

 

[ThatOwlWoman]

Evolution, scientific study of the natural world, and natural philosophy are widely considered compatible with Christian theology by actual Christians. Both worldwide and in the United States. The problem here is that the kooky End-Times fringe Christians wield disproportionate influence within the Republican teabag party.

They couldn't win elections without that contingent.