The Pope, The Big Bang and the Theory of Evolution

Pope Francis has recently declared that The Big Bang Theory and the Theory of Evolution are true, and that God is not “a magician with a magic wand.”  Read the article here and here.

A few thoughts:

GOD, THE GREAT MAGICIAN

The Pope says that we shouldn’t view God as “a magician with a magic wand.”  This is quite silly.  How would the Pope (or scientists, or anyone else for that matter) know concretely how God created the world?  There is in fact no way of knowing for sure.  We can try our best to research and discover, but postulating how God actually created the universe is mere speculation.  The Pope may be rejecting one view of creation, but this doesn’t mean that God couldn’t have created the world that way.  God’s power is not restricted by our limited understanding of it.

 

Science is best understood in the words of Johannes Kepler: “Science is thinking God’s thoughts after him.”  It isn’t religion vs. science, faith vs. reason or evolution vs. the Bible; science is discovering how the world works.  It’s not a time machine or a mind-reading device that shows us the specific steps in how God brought the world into being, nor is it a way to disprove God’s existence.

By the same token, I understand that the Pope’s statement is also trying to eliminate the “God of the gaps” mentality.  This is where God is used as a tool to plug in holes or “gaps” in scientific understanding.  If this is what the Pope is trying to communicate, he is certainly right in saying that we should not view God in this way.

PONTIFEX: THE BRIDGE BUILDER

Pope Francis has been working hard to shorten the gap between those who have place faith in Jesus and those who have not.  I think this is an extension of it.  His comments on homosexuality also reflect this.  He hasn’t sanctioned a homosexual lifestyle, but instead is trying to bridge a gap that the Church has classically been really bad at doing.  Christians don’t hate gays.  The Pope sees that this mentality exists, however, and is trying to change that.  And for this, he should be applauded. 

With his comments on science, he isn’t revoking his faith in God, or abandoning the infallibility of scripture, or accepting The Book of Mormon as part of the canon… In fact, he isn’t necessarily accepting the Theory of Evolution either.  He’s saying that no matter where science points us with regards to the origin of the universe, God is still the one who created it.  One does not have to accept one specific view of creation to become a Christian.  Christianity isn’t about how old you think the earth is; it’s about who you think Jesus is.

Jesus saves a woman and forgives her sins

HE’S NOT INFALLIBLE … JESUS IS

I don’t want to overly defend Pope Francis, but I don’t want to attack him either.  I think the "magic wand" comment wasn't necessary, but I also don't think he's trying to harm the Christian faith.  As far as where to place him on the spectrum of truth statements, I’m not Catholic, so I’m not obligated to view him as infallible (thankfully).  He’s a human, and humans make mistakes.  At the same time, I’m sure he does understand his scale of influence, and so when he makes comments like this in a speech, it’s for a purpose.  And no one is forced to agree or disagree with him.

Whether or not you agree with his claims, there’s no reason to crucify the guy.  He isn’t Jesus; he’s somebody who is trying to do what he thinks is right.  It’s entirely possible to support one thing he says or does, and not be 100% behind something else he says or does.  A single sentence or two doesn’t define a person.  A lifetime of deeds defines a person.  And in the case of Jesus, his life was defined by his selfless deeds manifested in giving his life for the world, and his resurrection from the dead.  Let’s focus more on what he has to say.

“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock…but anyone who hears my teaching and doesn't obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand.” –Jesus (Matthew 7:24, 26)

**UPDATE 11/1/14

I found the full, original comment made by Pope Francis, which is more accurate than the headline I originally wrote this under.  I think this more accurately shows that his view of God has not changed:

"God is not a demiurge or a conjurer, but the Creator who gives being to all things. The beginning of the world is not the work of chaos that owes its origin to another, but derives directly from a supreme Origin that creates out of love. The Big Bang, which nowadays is posited as the origin of the world, does not contradict the divine act of creating, but rather requires it. The evolution of nature does not contrast with the notion of Creation, as evolution presupposes the creation of beings that evolve."