Evolutionary creationism
Evolutionary creationism encompasses the concept of theistic evolution, a synthesis of the religious belief in a creator God with the scientific theory of evolution. It holds that these two beliefs are not incompatible, and that the acceptance of evolutionary biology is not fundamentally different from the acceptance of other sciences, such as astronomy or meteorology.
Spectrum of viewpoints
Evolutionary creationism is a variant of creationism which accepts microevolution and macroevolution while retaining a theistic interpretation of evolution. Theistic evolution is accepted (or at least not rejected) by major Christian churches, including Roman Catholicism, some Judaism denominations and other religious organizations that lack a literalist stance concerning holy scriptures.
In one variant of theistic evolution, namely deistic evolution, a Divine Creator is believed to have initiated a universe in which evolution occurred, to have designed the system and the laws, and is also believed to refrain from interference in nature except where appropriate.
Other variants
Another perspective is that a Divine Creator engineers quantum events, in a randomized manner, thus exercising authoritative power over nature.
Alternatively, a Divine Creator may intervene through miracles, in the creation of souls, in an afterlife, or ways beyond known physics.
Advocation & neutrality
While some religious organizations accept evolutionary theory, their related theological interpretation varies. Additionally, individuals or movements within such organizations may not accept evolution, and stances on evolution may have adapted (or evolved) throughout history.
- Church of England
- Roman Catholic Church In 1996, Pope John Paul II stated that "new findings lead us toward the recognition of evolution as more than a hypothesis," but, referring to previous papal writings, concluded that "if the origin of the human body comes through living matter which existed previously, the spiritual soul is created directly by God."
Criticism of theistic evolution
See also
References
