Journal

Creation/Evolution vs my sanity

Posted on February 7th, 2005, in the afternoon

In stark contrast to NT Wright's stirring, beautiful account of God's love and ambition for the universe that I commented on two days ago, here is a truly abject article from the Guardian today about a Creation/Evolution argument in Kansas, USA.

There is just nothing to commend it. Nothing to commend the reactionary thinking it moans about, and nothing to commend the smug way the article itself deals with the matter.

On the subject of creation/evolution, I just find is so frustrating that Christian groups have politicised such a non-issue. I share the desire to hold a high account of scripture, but a high account isn't incompatible with an evolutionary account of life (the reverse to my mind). Creation/evolution is a false dichotomy. Clearly others think differently, and I'll maybe say more on that another time, but in politicising the issue it kills discussion and forces everyone in to reactionary and ultimately unthinking positions.

On the Guardian's quietly superior incredulity - it just amounts to ignorance. To quote a Christian geologist as saying, "Prominent conservative Christians, evangelical Christians, have found no inherent conflict between an evolutionary understanding of the history of life, and an orthodox understanding of the theology of creation," (amen!) but to then say, "But in Kansas, as in the rest of America, it would seem a slim majority continue to believe God created the heaven and the earth," as if in direct contrast...the mind boggles. The author seems to have made no attempt to appreciate the meaning of the quote she has just cited, lazily assuming there are only two ways of looking at the issue and ending up every bit as narrow as the 'Religious Right'.

Anyway...I'm off to read some John Polkinghorne or make lunch or something.