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| Still a theory, see? |
It annoys me, even if the one saying it is a trained chemist.
There are things we can say with certainty as Catholics, that is with the certainty that God is trustworthy in what He has revealed.
Interesting as they are, the Faith of the Catholic Church does not rest on theories but upon a Person, Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word and so it annoys me when the Pope entertains theories, or places the Papal Seal of Approval upon theories which, when given a prominence and status they do not necessarily deserve, become so called 'facts' spoken of by a Pope.
I find it a little inconsistent to maintain that certain truths revealed and handed down to us from the most trustworthy of Sources can be challenged, or 'debated' but certain theories are given infallible status, first by the scientific community and now by the Pope. That which has been revealed by God (Who is Perfect), for many Jesuits, for example, simply 'cannot be known' but that which is revealed by man (who is imperfect), is somehow 'a given'.
I'm happy to hear the theories but at the end of the day, I'm content to say that, unlike Wisdom, I was not there, at play, before, during or after the Creation of all that is. I accept that all has been created by God 'out of nothing'.
And what really annoys me - especially when it is said by a Pope - is this little gem...
'It is not so that God is capable of doing all things?' That is not what it says in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Now, we can happily say that God is not a 'magician' with a 'magic wand' because to say that would be to attribute to Almighty God a purely human characteristic or even a human tendency towards charlatanism. Remember, magic tricks are not real. Magic tricks are usually performed through optical illusion and sleight of hand.
However, no matter the manner by which God brought all things that exist to be 'in the beginning', we would do well to believe that the Lord Who walked on water, turned water into wine, fed the five thousand, raised Lazarus, became Incarnate of the Virgin Mary, rose again on the Third Day, ascended into Heaven from whence He shall come again can do as He pleases, when He pleases and in such manner as He pleases because if God has one - just one - attribute to which we can ascribe to Him with great certainty, it is that He is God and is indeed 'capable of all things'. God is entirely free.
Because God is capable of all things - 'for with God all things are possible' - we should never wish to limit His Divine Power by assuming that such things as the Creation of the Universe and man simply must abide by our human theories - and they remain theories - because He is God. Incidentally, God alone knows!
The development of each creature’s characteristics over millennia ‘does not contrast with the notion of creation because evolution presupposes the creation of beings that evolve,’ he said. Reading Genesis we imagine that God is ‘a wizard with a magic wand’ capable of doing all things, he said. ‘But it is not so. He created life and let each creature develop according to the natural laws which he had given each one.’
'It is not so that God is capable of doing all things?' That is not what it says in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Now, we can happily say that God is not a 'magician' with a 'magic wand' because to say that would be to attribute to Almighty God a purely human characteristic or even a human tendency towards charlatanism. Remember, magic tricks are not real. Magic tricks are usually performed through optical illusion and sleight of hand.
However, no matter the manner by which God brought all things that exist to be 'in the beginning', we would do well to believe that the Lord Who walked on water, turned water into wine, fed the five thousand, raised Lazarus, became Incarnate of the Virgin Mary, rose again on the Third Day, ascended into Heaven from whence He shall come again can do as He pleases, when He pleases and in such manner as He pleases because if God has one - just one - attribute to which we can ascribe to Him with great certainty, it is that He is God and is indeed 'capable of all things'. God is entirely free.
Because God is capable of all things - 'for with God all things are possible' - we should never wish to limit His Divine Power by assuming that such things as the Creation of the Universe and man simply must abide by our human theories - and they remain theories - because He is God. Incidentally, God alone knows!
God is not a magician, since unlike a magician He does not deceive, but if God wanted to create all things in seven 'days', be they literal or allegorical of 'thousands and thousands of years', it would serve His creatures better to believe that if God wanted to do it in seven literal days, He could. God spoke everything into being as He chose, above and beyond all human fathoming, or reasoning, because God is God and nothing is impossible or difficult for Him. Because I am a creature it would serve me better to believe that God is the Creator and that is that.
Yes, if anyone has Time on His Hands, it is God Almighty, since He exists outside of both time and space, but let us not fall into the trap of placing our faith in human philosophies and theories that simply do not do justice to even the concept of an Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent God. It is dangerous for us to think that God's power is somehow 'limited'.
God created natural laws but He does not have to abide by them. Created things and processes may reflect something of God, but they are not God. I dare say that theories rooted in naturalism are prevalent among many a Bishop in Rome today. After all, the Freemasons gave the World a heady concoction of these ideas in order to denigrate the Holy Faith of the Catholic Church. I guess its 'one small step for a Pope, one giant leap for mankind' to apply the principles of evolution to the Church's teachings, but no magic wand will do away with the words of Jesus Christ, Whose 'words will never pass away'.
When the Catholic Church investigates a Miracle science is its servant up to the point at which a Miracle as been objectively discerned or discovered. It would be worthwhile remembering that once evidence for a Miracle is discovered, the scientific line of enquiry has served its purpose and is rendered redundant since the Miracle itself is inexplicable. Such an event is beyond human reasoning. Do we really believe that Creation, no matter 'how' it was achieved, was not in some way in the order of the Miraculous? Therefore, what purpose does science have in its explanation? Just a thought. And if all that makes me a simpleton, well, I'd rather be a simpleton for Christ than a know it all because only God knows it all.
You would have thought that if anyone knew that, it would be the Supreme Pontiff of the Holy Catholic Church. I would very much like to hear His Holiness speak with such certainty on matters of doctrine.
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| Still a theory, see? |
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