William Atkins
Saturday, 07 February 2009 21:18
Science -
Biology
Page 2 of 4
More detailed information is provided on the Pew Forum article “
Religious Groups' Views on Evolution, from where these exercpts originate.
The following are (alphabetically listed) excerpts from the Pew Forum on the various positions taken generally by the various religious groups in the world (italics are added to show the excerpted sentences from the Pew Forum article):
Catholicism
The Catholic Church generally accepts evolutionary theory as the scientific explanation for the development of all life. However, this acceptance comes with the understanding that natural selection is a God-driven mechanism of biological development and that man's soul is the divine creation of God.
Episcopal Church
In 1982, the Episcopal Church passed a resolution to "affirm its belief in the glorious ability of God to create in any manner, and in this affirmation reject the rigid dogmatism of the ‘Creationist' movement." The church has also expressed skepticism toward the intelligent design movement.
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
While the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has not issued a definitive statement on evolution, it does contend that "God created the universe and all that is therein, only not necessarily in six 24-hour days, and that God actually may have used evolution in the process of creation."
Hinduism
While there is no single Hindu teaching on the origins of life, many Hindus believe that the universe is a manifestation of Brahman, Hinduism's highest god and the force behind all creation. However, many Hindus today do not find their beliefs to be incompatible with the theory of evolution.
Islam
While the Koran teaches that Allah created human beings as they appear today, Islamic scholars and followers are divided on the theory of evolution. Theologically conservative Muslims who ascribe to literal interpretations of the Koran generally denounce the evolutionary argument for natural selection, whereas many theologically liberal Muslims believe that while man is divinely created, evolution is not necessarily incompatible with Islamic principles.
Page three continues with Judaism, Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, Mormonism, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), and several others.
