Theologian set to probe 'Evolution and Faith'

Theology, Dr. John Haught asserts, cannot afford to ignore science.

In fact, he believes that science -- especially the thorny issues surrounding the theory of evolution -- can open up new ways of thinking about God.

On April 12 at the Sarazen Student Union at Siena College in Loudonville, Dr. Haught, a professor of theology at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., will present a lecture titled "Evolution and Faith: What is at Stake?"

Darwin

"The religious world -- including the Christian world and the Muslim world -- is having a great deal of difficulty still trying to find out what to make of Charles Darwin, his idea of evolution, as well as contemporary evolutionary biology," Dr. Haught told The Evangelist. "As a result, there is an unnecessary divide between science and religion."

Christians can sometimes have a hard time reconciling the notion of God's infinite wisdom with "the rather puzzling way in which life has unfolded on Earth," he said.

Dr. Haught is concerned about the rising numbers of conservative Catholics who reject what he calls "the evidence for evolution," despite encouragement from the Vatican, particularly a 1996 message by Pope John Paul II.

Evidence for evolution is "very strong, and Catholics should not be afraid to face up to that," he said.

Science and faith

Science and religion don't have to be mutually exclusive, Dr. Haught argues. Indeed, since a classical definition of theology is "faith seeking understanding," he said, Catholics are encouraged to delve into scientific explanations that don't overlook the differences between faith and reason, but, instead, seek a synthesis of the two.

Dr. Haught, who testified against intelligent design at a trial in Pennsylvania last year, said that the current theory of "intelligent design" takes away the Catholic concepts of free will and free choice in God's design for the universe.

"A God who truly loves the world is not going to force the world into some straitjacket design or plan," he explained. "That would eliminate freedom. It would eliminate the future. What you need is a picture of the universe that has enough 'wiggle room' for the eventual emergence of beings with free will."

Reason

Dr. Haught calls some Catholics' rejection of evolution and other scientific explanations for creation "ironic, because the Catholic tradition was always one that affirmed human reason and has sponsored intellectual adventure at its best with figures like Aquinas, Augustine and others."

He hopes to communicate to the audience at the Siena lecture a sense of "how deep divine love is. If we look carefully at the way nature unfolds, even with all its suffering, blemishes and tragedy, it's still a universe that's ultimately embraced and saved by divine love."

Instead of rejecting evolution, he said, Christians have "every reason to embrace" it.

(In 1996, Pope John Paul II said the Church accepts evolution as a theory well-supported by research in a variety of scientific fields. He added that the development of the spiritual aspect of human life cannot be explained scientifically.)

(4/5/07) [[In-content Ad]]