Evolution and Faith

MADISON  Catholics, have faith — you do not have to make the stark choice between believing in God, morality and a God-given purpose for your lives or the science of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. To reconcile the two views of the origins of the universe, people of faith might do well by looking at Creation not as a mechanical object — made by a divine designer with a design — but as a novel — an exciting ever-unfolding “drama,” which God uses to reveal himself constantly to us.

That is what John Haught, Ph.D., distinguished professor of theology at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., suggested to local faithful, who listened to his talk, “Evolution and Faith: What’s at Stake?” on Feb. 8 at St. Paul Inside the Walls: the Diocesan Center for Evan­gelization at Bayley-Ellard here. In his presentation in St. Paul’s auditorium, he reasoned that a religious understanding of God and values is compatible with a scientific understanding of evolution. Even though Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection does challenge Christians’ belief in a God, who “purposefully creates, influences and cares for the world, evolutionary portraits of life may open up fresh ways of thinking about God, morality and our cosmic purpose,” he said.

“Life isn’t perfect. It is a 13.8 billion-year-old drama that carries its meaning under the surface. The meaning of a novel is not found on page one. Its meaning unfolds and is not available to us now. We must be patient. Creation is always in the process of becoming. The universe is still being born. It has a future — a reason to hope. Things can get better,” said Haught, who in his academic profession specializes in Roman Catholic systematic theology with an interest in issues of physical cosmology, evolutionary biology, geology and Christianity. “Don’t ask if nature points to a deity but to a deeper meaning — a way to understand this great mystery called God. That mystery reveals itself through Creation. God wants to empty his soul into the world. He makes a promise of a future. The God of promise is the ultimate explanation of evolution,” he said.

Since the publication of Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species” in 1859, people of faith have had difficulty reconciling his theory — that we evolved from non-human life forms, such as apes, by way of the process of natural selection — with the story of Creation in the Book of Genesis, which credits God as the author of all life. Over the years, several school districts have put in place — or at least made an attempt to enact — initiatives against the teaching of evolution. In fact, Haught testified in a federal case against the Dover Board of Education of York County in Pennsylvania, which tried to introduce the teaching of Intelligent Design with God as the architect of Creation alongside the teaching of evolution — letting students decide for themselves. He did not consider this approach to be “teaching science.” In 2005, a federal judge struck down the initiative as unconstitutional, Haught said.

“This is a snapshot of the cultural war in our country. What is at stake in the business of Darwin and God? What is the place for biblical Creation? What of human identity, meaning of Christ, scope of redemption and divine providence and wisdom? Does Creation have any purpose?” said Haught, who has authored numerous books and articles, including the book “Science and Faith: A New Introduction” in 2012. “This battle will decide our future of our country,” he said.

Darwin asserted that the universe came together in a “ragged way.” This toppled the previous idea that God created an order to the cosmos, which reflected divine wisdom, and that he sits atop of the hierarchy of Creation, caring for us humans “in a special way.” In fact, human life came on the scene in the history of the universe only recently, said Haught, who has received many awards, such as the Owen Garrigan Award in Science and Religion in 2002.

Troubling to Christians is that evolution requires the occurrence of random “accidents” — not according to God’s plan; natural selection, whereby only the strongest organisms get to survive and reproduce; and time, called “deep time” — not according to the Bible’s chronology. In fact, Darwin lost his faith in God in part because of the often violent and deadly nature of natural selection. The late George Williams, a biologist, called nature “a wicked old witch,” Haught said.

In his 90-minute presentation, Haught took issue with a few approaches to reconciling religion with evolution. One idea, the “blind-faith” approach, suggests that Darwin is correct in his scientific conclusions but that we humans do not have the mental capacity to understand God’s mysterious plan, he said.

“But I was taught that faith leads to understanding and that faith should be the start of intelligent inquiry. That’s why God gave us intelligence,” said Haught in dismissing the “blind-faith” approach.

Haught also spoke about another approach — the idea that God made a universe that needed to adapt in order to evolve, which involves free will on the part of the cosmos. The late writer Guy Murchie declared that the evolutionary process “is harsh but not evil” but instead “provocative, dangerous and exciting” and that obstacles are essential for the continuation of life. This theory does bring into question, “What kind of God allows for such a great amount of suffering?”; “Why do all species have to go through suffering with us?” and “Is there redemption for all of them?” Haught said.

“Design flaws in the universe are needed for life to have dramatic meaning,” Haught said.

Before Haught’s talk, Brian Honsberger, St. Paul’s director of programs and operations, put the subject in context of the Church, speaking about “Humani Generis,” a letter in 1950 by Pope Pius XII. The encyclical “helps us navigate the world as Catholics, who are trying to stay true to Catholic teaching, but at the same time not rejecting the truths that are being revealed over time by science.”

“The encyclical leaves no room in interpreting as Catholics where the human soul comes from. It says that every human soul in this room was uniquely and individually created by God but leaves a lot of room for the understanding and development of the human body,” Honsberger said.

A question-and-answer session followed Haught’s prepared remarks, as did reflections by Father Paul Manning, St. Paul’s executive director and diocesan vicar for evangelization, who called the talk “a thought­provoking presentation.”