One of the most controversial subjects out there, besides ‘global warming’, is the Theory of Evolution. Among Christians, there is much debate on what to believe regarding the theory. I myself am an inquisitive person, often looking for new subjects to study and so in 2022, I had conducted my own research on this controversial subject, looking at it from both sides before deciding what I believe. The only flaw in that was that I had disregarded the Church. The Church has definite teachings on certain aspects of evolution of which I had not known. There are several reasons as to why the Church accepts certain aspects of evolution and why it’s teachings are correct. In this essay I will be presenting what evolution is and several arguments on the theory as well as the limitations of science, what the Bible teaches, and the Catholic Church’s position.
In order to understand the Church’s teachings, you first need to know what I mean by evolution. There are three main types that come to mind when thinking of the term; biological, cosmological, and human evolution. Britannica says human evolution is the “process by which human beings developed on Earth from now-extinct primates”[1], or in other words, humans have evolved from now-extinct beings. This is referring to the theory that humans have evolved from apes and were not created from nothing, but rather developed over time. “Concerning human evolution, the Church has a more definite teaching. It allows for the possibility that man’s body developed from previous biological forms, under God’s guidance, but it insists on the special creation of his soul.”[2].
The Church has infallibly decided on this belief, and according to Catholic Answers, “Vatican I solemnly defined that everyone must ‘confess the world and all things which are contained in it, both spiritual and material, as regards their whole substance, have been produced by God from nothing’ (Canons on God the Creator of All Things, canon 5).”[3] God created the universe out of nothing. Humans were created from dust of which God created from nothing. Since God is eternal and transcends time and space, the past, present, and future are all happening at once, so therefore Creation is a constant and purposeful event.
There is a belief called Creationism that has two sides. There’s the side that the universe was created from nothing, (also known as ex nihilo), and the side that living things have not changed overtime, remaining exactly how they were at the time of creation. Are Catholics Creationists? Yes, in the sense that the universe came from nothing, but no in literalist philosophy. The Church does not oppose the theory of evolution. Does Faith and evolution fully contradict each other? “According to Pope Francis, the answer is no. Indeed, the pope recently reaffirmed the Roman Catholic Church's view that ‘evolution in nature is not inconsistent’ with church teaching on creation, pushing the debate on human origins back into the news.”[4] See, literalists think that how God created things in the beginning is exactly how they remain today. But we see that cave fish have evolved and adapted to their environment, no longer having eyes. This would be a case of ‘natural selection’. We know that they have evolved. This was not random, but under the guidance of God, which is the main distinction that is there between what to and not to believe regarding evolution.
What is the Church’s position on all of this? “Concerning biological evolution, the Church does not have an official position on whether various life forms developed over the course of time. However, it says that, if they did develop, then they did so under the impetus and guidance of God, and their ultimate creation must be ascribed to him.”[5].
What does the Bible have to say? “The creation account in the Bible tells us God is the origin of the material which makes up the universe”[6]. Humans were created by God from the dust of which He made. Our soul, our life, came from nothing, “God formed man from the dust and breathed into him the breath of life and he became a living soul,” (Gen 2:7). The Bible does not explicitly tell us that organisms have evolved over time since it's irrelevant to Salvation, but that isn’t to say that there wasn’t any development of living things.
An argument made by atheists and full advocates for ‘natural evolution’ is “Darwin’s realization that the combination of a random process (the origin of genetic variation) and a nonrandom process (natural selection) can account for adaptations provided a natural explanation for the purpose for the apparent design and purpose in the living world and made a supernatural account unnecessary and obsolete,”[7]. But not all answers are found in science, as science itself is limited. “Science will never be able to tell us why there is something rather than nothing,”[8]. The Bible gives us answers that science cannot, such as what our purpose is (to worship God and go to heaven) and how the universe came to be (God created it from nothing). Science may be able to give us answers on material things, but on immaterial things, such as love, there’s no scientific explanation. Science does not contradict faith in any way, but rather enriches it, giving us better understanding. An example was that science was used to examine specimens of Christ’s most Sacred Body and Blood after the event of a Eucharistic Miracle and it was found that all the specimens have the same blood type, AB.
There are many heresies associated with evolution. “When the theory of evolution opened the door to the theory of polygenism—the belief that there were many sets of first parents on earth—thus was a contradiction of a truth contained in the bible,”[9]. Pope Pius XII wrote, “When, however, there is question of another conjectural opinion, namely polygenism, the children of the Church by no means enjoy such liberty. For the faithful cannot embrace that opinion which maintains that either after Adam there existed on this earth true men who did not take their origin through natural generation from him as from the first parent of all, or that Adam represents a certain number of first parents.” (Pope Pius XII, Humani Generis, 1950). If we as Catholics were to accept this theory, then we would be denying the doctrine of Original Sin. Theoretically, if there were multiple first parents, then some lines of humanity would be perfect; then only the descendants of Adam and Eve would have original sin. We know that to be false, as Adam and Eve were the only first parents.
If only I had thought to look into Catholic Answers when I had conducted my first research on the subject of evolution. Now I know and understand what the Catholic Church teaches. It does not oppose scientific research and the Bible allows that there is a possibility for evolution of humans, but the soul was created specially by God. It accepts the aspect that things have developed over time in adaptation, and not randomly so, but rather, God purposefully had made it happen. I remember when I thought that science and religion do not go together at all, but in the years since, I’ve come to learn that it's the opposite; science enriches our faith and further proves it. That isn’t to say there aren’t limitations to what science can and can’t prove. That’s what the Bible’s for! It’s God’s inspired Word and infallibly true when interpreted by the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. It tells us that God created the world from nothing. The Church knows that polygenism is false, as it contradicts the important doctrine of Original sin. While there are so many theories of evolution and much more that there’s to write about in its own paper, such as natural selection, creationism, and skepticism, I have learned the tidbits that center around evolution.
[1] Tuttle, Russel. Britannica. August 27, 2023. “Human Evolution.” October 10th, 2023. Britannica. {https://www.britannica.com/science/human-evolution} [2] Brom, Robert, Bishop of San Diego. August 10, 2004. “Adam, Eve, and Evolution.” Catholic Answers. October 10, 2023. {https://www.catholic.com/tract/adam-eve-and-evolution} [3] Brom. “Adam, Eve and Evolution.” [4] Masci, David. October 30, 2014. “5 Facts About Evolution and Religion.” Pew Research Center. October 11, 2023. {5 facts about evolution and religion | Pew Research Center} [5] Brom. “Adam, Eve, and Evolution.” [6] Hahn, Scott. “Understanding the Scriptures: A Complete Course on Bible Study.” Woodbridge, Illinois, Midwest Theological Forum, 2004. p. 60. [7] Futuyma, Douglas. “Evolution.” Second Edition. Sunderland, Massachusetts. Sinauer Associates, Inc, 2009. p. 619. [8] Nelson, Matt. July 12, 2017. “Science Is Great, But It’s Not Always Enough.” Catholic Answers. October 9, 2023. {https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/science-is-great-but-its-not-always-enough} [9] Scott. “Understanding The Scriptures: A Complete Course on Bible Study.”