Handouts – Science and Religion – Cultural Wars
Even a cursory glance at our Creation Handout http://rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com/?p=169 shows that the Creation Story has a literary structure to it. The beauty and power of the story is the story. It’s quite possible that the six day structure had been influenced by liturgical practice. In some sense, then, all the efforts to make the six days coincide with modern science is misplaced.
Let’s take again the Fourth Day of Creation. We read that the “lights in the dome of the sky … [are to] mark the seasons, the days, and the years.” [Gen. 1:14] reveal the ancient times. To some extent we still rely on nature to mark our times … but times have changed. We even change time [Day light Savings.] Over the thousands of years between when this was written and we read it much as changed. Some clues to the differences can be hinted at in our Clues to Differences in Thinking Chart http://rjr.richardross.annaerossi.com/?p=193. What is different in the chart is not the areas of life but the areas of study and the resultant differences between the languages of life and the languages of study.
An example in our group might highlight this. In our society at the present time there are very real differences but not much reflective dialogue between scientists and believers. But in our midst is Tim who is both a scientist and a believer. He is a geologist. But there isn’t a Catholic geology or Christian geology or Hindu geology for that matter. There’s just geology. Geology has nothing to do directly, as a science, with God. But the persons who do geology, they can be Hindu or Catholic or Protestant … it doesn’t matter as far as the science goes. However, it does matter as far as the person goes. Knowing how to talk from either point of view without mixing them up is what is required if we are to rise to the level of our times. What areas of life and of study do you think get mixed up in our “cultural wars” of today? Do you feel comfortable talking about them? To do so is one of the goals of this adult scripture study effort. Here is how Tim expressed his position.
Tim: I was thinking that’s one reason I have such a problem with Creationist trying to have this story [Biblical account of creation] taught in our classrooms as science because it’s not science. It’s theology and philosophy … it’s religion … it’s not science. And it can’t be taught as science … science is its own thing.
Now back to the fourth day, on this and every other day it is God who creates, he creates by simply saying [And God said …] and what he creates is good, in fact, after one sequence it is very good. This is faith talking, and saying something about our world, our life, our relationship to it and to God. And what is said transcends science. But we are both believers and a part of the contemporary world. We are being invited to understand both, to distinguish and unite both, to be at home in both. [Later we will have to deal with a simple fact, evil exists … but that’s for a couple of weeks from now.]
Concluding Conversation / Questions from the First Story of Creation
Mike: Wonders if the story tells of the story of there being only one God, monotheism. Does it not focus on God as creator of everything, beyond all else?
Heber: Recognizes some similarity to the story as told by Native Americans, part of his heritage.
Ken: Wants to acknowledge that … these were intelligent people who were trying to grapple with the meaning of life and creation. … it’s always going to come down to an origin … what is the origin of everything?
Our conversation then turned to a single verse of interest. The first was the meaning of the Hebrew word “adam” which is variously translated as “human being,” “man,” “mankind,” or “people.” How is verse 26 translated in your version? In the online version http://www.usccb.org/bible/genesis/1 it is translated “human being.” There is a note that is meant to clarify and explain its meaning. It reads: “Human beings: Hebrew ’ādām is here the generic term for humankind; in the first five chapters of Genesis it is the proper name Adam only at 4:25 and 5:1–5.” It’s amazing how a single word can change how we think of things. Were you aware of this word’s mostly general sense? If not, what does this “new” information mean for you? All human beings would mean even those whom we have trouble with, think ill of, judge to be just mistaken, wrong; in our world that might be “liberals,” “conservatives,” “Muslims,” “Christians,” Atheists,” or fill in the blank …
We concluded with reflecting on the notion of being made in God’s image. If all human beings are made in God’s image, however, what is that image, concretely? Our group spent a great deal of time in discussion on this question. We wondered if meant something physical, or was it that we wonder, that we understand, that we care, that we have virtues like patience? It is in these exchanges with one another that we learn both that others think as we do and, perhaps more importantly, that others do not. No matter what others might think, one thing is certain Catholics are not monolithic thinker.
And to think that people nearly three thousand years ago, had such thoughts!!
Your comments, questions, remarks are welcomed.