Utah politics - "Divine Design" and Evolution

[noodle]

Not that this hasn't be hashed and rehashed a gazillion times, but thought some of you might find this Salt Lake Tribune article interesting:

http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_2779923

[helemon]

Not that this hasn't be hashed and rehashed a gazillion times, but thought some of you might find this Salt Lake Tribune article interesting:

http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_2779923
" Evolution does not hold that people "come from monkeys," and not just because that would be an insult to monkeys. "

"Evolutionary theory is a scientific framework for explaining that which can be observed in the natural world using our basic senses and our most advanced instruments. Evolutionary theory is not, and makes no claim to be, a philosophical or theological explanation for why we are here or how we should live. "

While I appreciate the authors humor I think they fail to realize how crucial the biblical story of creation is to many Christian religions and how serious a threat evolution is to that story. If humans have evolved through the same process as other animals and share common ancestors with other animals on the planet how can they maintain that they are some unique creation fashioned in the image of God? If man is created in God's image then so must the other creations with whom we share this planet. Similar to the threat posed by Copernicum Cosmology, which challenged the religious view that the earth was the center of the universe and thus the Center of Gods creation, evolution challenged religions placement of man as the pinacle of Gods creation. Furthermore it challenges the notion that there was a creation period of seven days since evolution argues that creation has been ongoing for millenia. If we remove Adam and the Garden from occurring 6000 years ago we have no starting point from which to determine the period during which Christ will return using the 7000 year period during which many Christian scholars claim the earth will persist.

While it is true that evolution makes no religious or philosophical claims the scientist cannot ignore that their position on how life originated and developped into its current forms collides headlong into many long held and cherished religous teachings of the Christian faith. No one should therefore be suprised by the backlash and resistance to these teachings coming from the very groups whose beliefs their science challenges.