Surely this will silence a lot of you...

external source

The Church of England will concede in a statement that it was over-defensive and over-emotional in dismissing Darwin's ideas. It will call "anti-evolutionary fervour" an "indictment" on the Church".

The bold move is certain to dismay sections of the Church that believe in creationism and regard Darwin's views as directly opposed to traditional Christian teaching.

The apology, which has been written by the Rev Dr Malcolm Brown, the Church's director of mission and public affairs, says that Christians, in their response to Darwin's theory of natural selection, repeated the mistakes they made in doubting Galileo's astronomy in the 17th century.

"The statement will read: Charles Darwin: 200 years from your birth, the Church of England owes you an apology for misunderstanding you and, by getting our first reaction wrong, encouraging others to misunderstand you still. We try to practise the old virtues of 'faith seeking understanding' and hope that makes some amends."

Opposition to evolutionary theories is still "a litmus test of faithfulness" for some Christian movements, the Church will admit. It will say that such attitudes owe much to a fear of perceived threats to Christianity.

The comments are included on a Church of England website promoting the views of Charles Darwin to be launched on Monday.

Put that in your pipe and smoke it!

Good old church eh? Finally opening its eyes and shutting its mouth.

HOOORAAYYY!!!

It's great when people get their head out of the clouds like this. I just wonder If they have apologised like this to Galileo.


On a side note, I don't think that was a very tactful thread title. It will probably have the reverse effect intended.


This topic goes neatly with this thread.

Time to break out the champagne!

I wonder how the American evangelist community will react to this!

reply to post by Psychopump


they will ignore it i imagine

Well I read the therad and was duly silenced! Except for the odd time that I began snoring. . !

Originally posted by dalek
reply to post by Psychopump

 

they will ignore it i imagine

Unfortunately, I am inclined to agree.
There´s nothing quite like sticking your head in the sand to prove creationism.

The Anglican Church has been surprisingly slow on this one, as the Pope accepted evolution years ago.

I don't see why religious-types get so het up about it.

If I were God, and I knew everything, I'd want to set the ball in motion for a series of events that I couldn't predict, simply to allieviate the boredom.

Originally posted by C.C.Benjamin
If I were God, and I knew everything, I'd want to set the ball in motion for a series of events that I couldn't predict, simply to allieviate the boredom.

Haha. An interesting take, C.C.. I like it.

For those fundamentalists that I've had the (un)pleasure to have been berated by in the past, when they were unwilling to look at their beliefs from the outside (looking in) and not challenge their beliefs at all, I played the "any deadly thing" card.

You know, the one that makes "true followers" immune to poison effects [resisting urge to drop Yu-Gi-Oh refference] and snake bites etc.

Just ask them if they are willing to down a shot of arsenic.

[edit on 9/14/2008 by Good Wolf]

It's sad really, even the pope has accepted evolution but theists still try to argue... The pope is like a semi God isn't he???, why would people argue his word

Originally posted by AlexG141989
It's sad really, even the pope has accepted evolution but theists still try to argue... The pope is like a semi God isn't he???, why would people argue his word

Not to the Anglicans, though, that was the whole point.


Good Wolf: I suspect Free Will is something along the same lines. Honestly, I can't imagine anything more boring than being omniscient, omnipotent and infinite.

WTF does God have to look forward too? Eternal boredom, and nothing less.

Sucks to be God!

And the pope accepting it isn't a recent development either. The catholic church has been saying that the findings of science should not be seen or believed to conflict with faith in JC and to understand that God was in control of the systems of nature.

He basically saying take evolution and superimpose god over top of it (since evolution doesn't say anything about God).

Originally posted by C.C.Benjamin

Originally posted by AlexG141989
It's sad really, even the pope has accepted evolution but theists still try to argue... The pope is like a semi God isn't he???, why would people argue his word

Not to the Anglicans, though, that was the whole point.


Good Wolf: I suspect Free Will is something along the same lines. Honestly, I can't imagine anything more boring than being omniscient, omnipotent and infinite.

WTF does God have to look forward too? Eternal boredom, and nothing less.

Sucks to be God!

Although I imagine that one would get used to it. After all, I got used to being board ridged in church.

There seems to be a lot about teaching creationism in schools at the moment.

Why then, shouldn't they teach science at Sunday school or in a church / mosque etc ... ?

Why then, shouldn't they teach science at Sunday school or in a church / mosque etc ... ?

A lot of churches and other religious establishments are exempt from taxes and reason/logic in the form of science. That's why.

I am very relieved that they've made a stand on this. It's almost like amputating denominations off to stop the ignorance spreading.

[edit on 14-9-2008 by riley]

It does not matter if the Church or some priest accepts evolution because in the end its against what the Bible and their faith teaches. This is a form of adultary in seeing God the way they want to because this is not part of the scripture's and in no part does the Bible describe evolution. If that was the case they can break another Commandment in which to worship on Sundays or every other seventh day if the creation issue is no longer believed. It does not matter what I think or say, the whole thing is breaking Church rules of their faith concerned. If they want to accept Christianity with evolusion they may as well be Budhists or Hindu's and believe we recarnated to Human God like form in the process of behaviour patterns.

QUOTE:

2 Peter 2

False Teachers and Their Destruction

1But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.


[edit on 14-9-2008 by The time lord]

reply to post by C.C.Benjamin

If I were God, and I knew everything, I'd want to set the ball in motion for a series of events that I couldn't predict, simply to allieviate the boredom.

Boy, you hit the nail on the head! It is my belief also, that God would not be predictable at all and would do almost the opposite of what religions teach.

I think that we are an experiment of the Gods and that creation possibly really did take place, but along with other variables. Different experiments on earth at the same time.

To believe in creationism as taught by religion, and evolution as taught by science, could both be too predictable if we leave other variables or possibilities out.

Honestly, I can't imagine anything more boring than being omniscient, omnipotent and infinite.

Using our frame of reference - I would agree. But if we are all part of a game, contest, or test, then the picture could change. Maybe it wouldn't be quite so boring!

[edit on 14-9-2008 by MatrixProphet]

God works on different levels, there is his deep core of all knowledge of infinite wisdom, there is mechanism in which he works in. Christ did not know every outcome either of prophecy, such as the what date the world ends. There is an individul part of God and an all knowing part of him and the Father God keeps some secrets or seals to him self to let the timline flow individually unless he is forced to save the planet with covenants and judgements and having his SON born to save people from spiritual death.

reply to post by CaptainG0705


You can only put your fingers in your ears and try to hum out the sound of the opposing side for so long before it gets too dull. I imagine the church will be writing more apologies like this in the future, directly linked to other scientific facts and social issues like homosexuality. Every religion has shifted its views eventually due to the social climate, because most religions mirrors the kind of social beliefs and thoughts during the time they were created in and those beliefs obviously become out dated.

[edit on 14-9-2008 by rapinbatsisaltherage]

[edit on 14-9-2008 by rapinbatsisaltherage]