THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND EVOLUTION

   I recently read an interesting book by Philip St.  Romain, CATHOLIC 
ANSWERS TO FUNDAMENTALISTS' QUESTIONS, published by Liguori Press with 
the imprimatur of Edward O'Donnell, Vicar General of St. Louis.

   One question was: WHY NOT USE AS OUR MODEL THE THEORY OF SCIENTIFIC 
CREATIONISM?  Mr.  St. Romain replied:

   "Space does not permit a comprehensive response to this question. 
Suffice it to say the following:

   "1.  The Genesis account of creation should not be taken literally,  
owing to its mythical-literary nature.  It is therefore unnecessary to 
look for scientific confirmations of its six-day account.

   "2.  The theory of evolution is supported by data from a number of 
scientific disciplines, although many questions remain unanswered.

   "3.  Scientific creationism is based upon weak and even erroneous 
bits of data, and it neglects numerous facts which contradict it.

   "4.  There is nothing in creation that suggests that the world was 
created by only one God, as scientific creationists contend.  Nature 
religions are generally polytheistic, which points up the indebtedness 
of scientific creationism as an a priori conclusion  based on Genesis.  
This is, at best, very sloppy science!"

   While this last statement might sound at first to be an avowal of 
polytheism, it probably is not.  St. Romain is probably saying that 
since primitive religions are mostly polytheistic (which is what he 
contends), we must look somewhere else for facts about the beginning of 
the Universe.  Genesis contends a monotheism which is not consistent 
with historical data from natural religions.  He is trying to point out 
a possible dichotomy between historical scientific creationism and 
historical religion.

   This theory explodes when one realizes that polytheism is a 
aberration introduced by Satan in his attempt to dethrone God (see THE 
FINAL FLOCK).  I will leave it to more capable Christian scientific 
minds to demolish St.  Romain's other points. But even a non-scientific 
mind can see fallacies.

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