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Wednesday, 17 September 2008

How to make God fit science

They're holding a big get-together next year in Rome to discuss both science and theology. According to the Ekklesia think tank, it is an "international conference on 'Biological Evolution: Facts and Theories. A Critical Appraisal 150 years after The Origin of Species', to mark the Darwin celebrations and build the science–theology dialogue".

"The Vatican opposes creationism," says Ekklesia, "which misconstrues ancient texts to deny the findings of the natural sciences and oppose them to divine fiat. However, a few Catholic academics have joined those toying with 'Intelligent Design', a close cousin."

However it's all dressed up, science has been traditionally ahead of religion (which is why it didn't accept the theories of the likes of Galileo, to cite just one famous instance), and has then pasted the science into its own thinking. This all just smacks of a way for the Catholic Church to remain vaguely credible and unable to be wrong-footed by science. Keep up with the game.

It's easy, really: just put God far enough back in the scheme of things, and then say he planned it all that way. You can make the existance of God explain anything you wish.

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