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"We the undersigned, Christian clergy from many different traditions, believe that the timeless truths of the Bible and the discoveries of modern science may comfortably coexist. "
~ Clergy Letter Project
"But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day."
~ 2 Peter 3:8 (New International Version)
"All things are continually in the process of beginning to be created".
~ Meister Eckhart,
14th Century Christian Mystic
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Christianity and Evolution
In listening to the mass media, one might conclude that most Christians find evolution and Christianity to be incompatible. Yet thousands of clergy representing millions of Christians attest the opposite. Millions of Christians find evolution and Christianity not only compatible, but mutually enriching. And the largest Christian institution in the world, the Catholic Church, supports evolution.
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Web Sites of Christians Supporting Evolution
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The perceived chasm between science and religion has split some people's psyches, forcing them to compartmentalize their lives, believing in God on Sundays and in science the rest of the week. In the worst cases, this percieved split forces some to choose between faith in science (evolution) or in God.
A shrinking minority of Christians take the Bible literally, and fear that if the events of Genesis are not "true" then the rest is "wrong" as well. However, this view is not widely shared. Most believe that the Bible contains important metaphorical truths, and is not a document about science.
"All things are continually in the process of beginning to be created".
~ Meister Eckhart, 14th Century Christian Mystic
The Evolution of God in no way detracts from the importance, spiritual truth and authority of the Bible.
"Though frightened for a moment by evolution, the Christian now perceives that what it offers him is nothing but a magnificent means of feeling more at one with God and of giving himself more to Him." ~ Teilhard de Chardin, Priest and paleontologist.
Official Catholic doctrine accepts that evolution by natural selection is the best explanation for our existence.
The death and resurrection of Jesus is the ultimate symbol of evolution and transformation. Jesus' body died so that the Christ spirit could be born. According to the Gospels, Jesus preached that everyone could be spiritually transformed. In modern words, Jesus said everyone could undergo their own personal spiritual evolution.
Religious Stories as Metaphor
Many people view the Bible and other religious scriptures as true in the spiritual, poetic, metaphorical sense and evolution as true in the scientific, rational, literal sense. When people can appreciate the world from the points of view of science and religion, a richer, more satisfying understanding of life, the universe and everything emerges.
Science and religion are a part of the continuum of seeking to understand our place in the universe. Both science and religion are ways to understand our origins, to understand Ultimate Reality, and to make our world a better place.
Religion is a spiritual experience. Science is an intellectual experience. Humans need both.
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