High School Youth Group, December 21st -- The Catholic Response to Atheism, Session 8 -- Evolution

 We discuss the Catholic teaching related to creation and the theory of evolution. While evolution would in no way undermine the Catholic faith or the belief in the existence of God, there are certain scientific and philosophical reasons to question the theory.

Listen online [here]!

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High School Youth Group – Fall 2020 – The Catholic Response to Atheism

December 20^th  - Session 8 – Creation and Evolution

“The fool hath said in his heart: There is no God.”  -Psalm 13:1

 

 

I. Calendar: December 20^th, Last Class of Fall, resuming January 10^th and continuing until May 2^nd.

 

II.  Review of last week

A. The Creation Account(s). Differences between Genesis 1 and 2.

B. Various Interpretations Related to Time

C. The Interpretation of Sts Augustine and Thomas

 

 

III. St Augustine and Evolution

A. While St Augustine would not support modern ideas of evolution developed from Darwin (and neither would I), he does have a basic understanding of species of creatures slowly emerging in the world.

B. St Augustine believed that God had planted “seeds” in the Earth which would develop into all the various species of creatures throughout the [billions of] years of existence.  And, before any laugh at the idea that all the species are “seeds” in the Earth, St Augustine is using the word “seed” or “semina” in a metaphysical sense, not to mean a physical plant seed but referring to the causal principal of a nature or species.    It was not until Darwin that people actually entertained the outrageous belief that plant seeds could become fish and that fish could become monkeys and that monkeys could become human beings – St Augustine was never as foolishly imaginative as modern “scientists.”

 

 

IV. Problems with Evolution: Three hurdles to overcome

A. The beginning of life

B. The beginning of animal life

C. The beginning of rational life

 

 

V. Problems with Evolution: Polygenism vs Monogenism

A. The question of “first parents”

B. The dogma of original sin seems to require monogenism (one set of first parents)

C. Even some scientific studies seem to indicate that we all come from two first parents