The Benefits of Teaching Evolution in a Catholic School Encouraging students to expand their knowledge of the Catholic faith, and find informed resources for answers to questions both scientific and religious. Karen Clark Immaculata Catholic School

Ah, FriendsFriends What do Phoebe and Ross teach us? * How not to confront our friends about religious views * That different people have different views and we should respect those views, even if we don’t agree with them * Even though we disagree, we can still discuss, keep an open mind, and pray that God will come into their hearts

What is out there?  Evolution  Creationism/Young Earth - take the Bible literally  Intelligent Design

What does the Catholic Church say?  We do not interpret the Bible literally.  “Truth cannot contradict Truth.” - Pope John Paul II Address to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences 10/96  “There is no necessary conflict between science and religion, provided that each respects the limits of its own way of seeking understanding.” – Michael D Guinan, Franciscan priest & professor at Franciscan School of Theology  “New scientific discoveries may challenge us to deepen our understanding of a biblical text or of a theological position.” –ibid

Concerning human evolution, the Church has a more definite teaching. It allows for the possibility that man’s body developed from previous biological forms, under God’s guidance, but it insists on the special creation of his soul. Pope Pius XII declared that "the teaching authority of the Church does not forbid that, in conformity with the present state of human sciences and sacred theology, research and discussions... take place with regard to the doctrine of evolution, in as far as it inquires into the origin of the human body as coming from pre-existent and living matter—[but] the Catholic faith obliges us to hold that souls are immediately created by God" (Pius XII, Humani Generis 36). So whether the human body was specially created or developed, we are required to hold as a matter of Catholic faith that the human soul is specially created; it did not evolve, and it is not inherited from our parents, as our bodies are. ”Adam, Eve, and Evolution” by Robert H. Brom, Bishop of San Diego, August 10, 2004

“The good thing about THE TRUTH is it is true whether you believe it or not. There are plenty of things that claim to be "science" that are not...evolution is philosophy.” So many people think that you can choose to believe in science, and if you do you are not a good Christian. “The cool thing about God is that he is real whether you believe it or not.” “Except for the theory part.” “Scientists were wrong about the world being flat and the Sun going around the Earth. Think about what they will be wrong about tomorrow.” Recently on facebook...

YES, you can be a good scientist and a good Christian!

Why it is incorrect and can be dangerous. Intelligent Design

Intelligent Design states:  “Certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection.”  Is evolution undirected?  “ID begins with the observation that intelligent agents produce complex and specified information (CSI)... One easily testable form of CSI is irreducible complexity, which can be discovered by experimentally reverse- engineering biological structures to see if they require all of their parts to function. When ID researchers find irreducible complexity in biology, they conclude that such structures were designed.”

10  Almost all of their examples of irreducibly complex structures have been debunked.  “Unlike creationism, the scientific theory of intelligent design does not claim that modern biology can identify whether the intelligent cause detected through science is supernatural.”  Not true based on drafts of their text; Of Pandas and People.  What else could it be? What are we telling our students when we let these statement slide?

Why this is a problem  Doesn’t this sound like a great compromise between science and faith?  What is “good science” and what isn’t?  What happens when decades of peer-reviewed data is deemed as “may be right” and doesn’t have to be taught?

Why not ignore it?  Wedge strategy  once evolution is ‘debunked’ then geology comes next, then the Big Bang Theory, then anthropology...  Our students need to know what the Church says about this  If they don’t know, our students will try to find answers, it’s what we teach them to do.  Friend/Parent  Internet  Priest  Library

Our kids will be challenged on their faith!  How will we prepare them for…  Have you been saved?  How can you believe in dinosaurs? They are not in the Bible.  The Bible says that the Earth is only 7,000 years old, not 4.5 billion. Physics and the Big Bang Theory are wrong and against the Bible.  If you are Catholic you are not a good/real Christian because Catholic’s don’t interpret the Bible literally.  Catholics worship idols/Mary/the Saints…

Our kids will be challenged on their faith!  Our students will leave our walls and go out into the world. What will we give them?  Confidence in their knowledge of their faith  Ability to discuss with others respectfully  Recognize where there are gaps in their knowledge  Reliable resources to find what fits in the gaps.  Ability to apply this process to other aspects in their lives, everything from sports to politics.

In the classroom  Teach the science! How are we good science teachers if we don’t show them how to evaluate data and draw conclusions?  Tell them you would be fired in public school for doing this (makes it exciting!).  Link with Social Studies on the separation of Church and State.

In the classroom  Literature circles, articles, opinion essays, discussions, websites, videos.  Let them explore and ask and question. What does the Church say on other topics?  Anonymous Q&A with priest. Get them involved! Students need to feel comfortable going to a priest with their problems.

Professor at Brown University Catholic Author Dr. Ken Miller Interview 1 Interview 2

Other Resources

 Websites  NOVA – pbs.org.wgbh.evolution  Creation museum and antagonists  Videos  Ken Miller interviews  HHMI series (includes Ken Miller lecture)  Lies in the textbook lectures (Dr. Kent Hovind)  Articles  NSTA position statement (lesson plans too)  Catholic Church statement(s)  Articles from Times or Newsweek