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| Perspective: It Matters What We Think About Evolution |
232 Views |
| posted on Wednesday, January 23, 2008 |
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HOW EVOLUTION SHAPES OUR MINDS
By Michael Dowd
Star-Telegram
January 22, 2008
Original Link
It matters what we think about evolution -- politically, theologically, personally.
Evolution is an election issue, and not just because we care about how our children are educated. In light of the largest mountain of evidence ever gathered on any topic in history, no candidate for president of the world's most powerful nation should be given serious consideration if he or she does not accept evolution as a fact of life.
Why? Because we cannot trust our future to anyone who believes that the world is only a few thousand years old and who interprets ancient, apocalyptic writings as revealing God's perfect will. With global warming and global warring on the horizon, the time has come for a down-to-earth president with heavenly aspirations that include everyone, everywhere.
The Good News is that God didn't stop revealing vital truth back when people believed the world was flat and religious insights were recorded on animal skins. God is still faithfully communicating today, publicly, through the worldwide, self-correcting scientific enterprise. Facts are God's native tongue.
God knows that humanity has matured enough to grasp empirical evidence as divinely inspired. These are not the "End Times" for humanity -- they're just the beginning. We know this from the fossil record and from careful observation of the cosmos.
Studying evolution is like following cosmic bread crumbs back to God. Dinosaur bones and prehistoric artifacts, photos from the Hubble Space Telescope and DNA are here to teach us faith, not to test it.
Acknowledging billions -- not just thousands -- of years of divine guidance moves us beyond abstract and trivial concepts of God. An evolutionary worldview resolves morally confusing and divisive notions of Scripture. Evolution theology, as well, liberates us from unnatural and competitive understandings of religion.
Seeing through sacred deep-time eyes, atheists and fundamentalists can stop blaming one another for the world's ills; liberals and conservatives can stop trashing one another; believers are no longer compelled to convert or kill those of differing belief. Collectively, we can see our enormous global challenges as divine evolutionary drivers guiding us to greatness.
Interpreting the insights of evolutionary psychology and brain science religiously, we vitalize our appreciation of doctrines such as the Fall and original sin. Now we can comprehend in a realistic way why it is that we and our loved ones struggle with unwanted habits, and why our most important relationships can be so challenging. We gain perspective, and we gain practices to help us live victoriously in Christ.
Trying to understand reality without an evolutionary worldview is like trying to understand infection without microscopes or the structure of the universe without telescopes. It's not merely difficult -- it's impossible.
An evolutionary worldview in no way threatens religion. Eleven thousand Christian ministers in the United States are participating in the "Clergy Letter Project" and have publicly embraced evolution. More than 600 mainstream American churches will participate in Evolution Weekend, commemorating Charles Darwin's birthday next month. Many scientists are also making peace with religion. Indeed, five Nobel laureates endorsed my book, Thank God for Evolution!
As more and more Christians come to appreciate evolution in God-glorifying, Christ-edifying, Scripture-honoring ways, our faith will expand and new possibilities will open -- for ourselves, our families, our tradition and our world.
It matters what we think about evolution.
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The Rev. Michael Dowd is the author of "Thank God for Evolution!", available as a free pdf download at this address:
http://thankgodforevolution.com/the-book.html
You can watch the inspiring "Thank God For Evolution" video on NHNE's Community Website.
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In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. Unless the information in question has been written and/or published by NHNE, NHNE has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of this article. NHNE is, therefore, not endorsed or sponsored by the originator, nor does NHNE necessarily endorse, promote, or agree with the content. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
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