Babble babble, rant and rattle

Evolution Week

Once again the issue of "literal Bible interpretation" is touched upon and this time it is during the Charles Darwin Evolution Week which brought much coverage on the BBC with a range of articles covering the anniversary of Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection. Why would this touch upon the area of religion? Well, as the Sydney Morning Herald puts it:

IT IS an anniversary that will not be celebrated by those who believe in a literal interpretation of the Bible. [...] 23 years after arriving on the Beagle he published On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, which contradicted the Bible's account that God created the Earth and all its plants and animals in six days.

Creating much controversy amongst Bible-huggers, Darwin continues to create headlines today.















Jamieson Valley

The SMH dealt with this story cautiously, treading lightly with sensitivity to its possible Christian audience. It seems to be pro-Darwin in its tone, however, careful not to upset Christians with too much promotion as seen through the choice of using Professor Nicholas, a University of Sydney professor of animal genetics as a current voice.

"Darwin never set out to wreak havoc with Christian beliefs," he said. "His intention when he started on the voyage was to become a minister of religion. The great irony is that one of the major occupations of men of the cloth in the 19th century was going out and making natural history collections. They were showing the power of the creator in all these numbers of species.

"The only difference [with Darwin] was that he asked questions. The more he looked the more he realised God's creations didn't fit into neat little boxes. He realised the Bible wasn't a textbook for biology.

"Those people wishing to have a literal interpretation of the Bible, they are always going to have trouble [with Darwin's theories]. What scientists have to do is try to reach as much common ground with other views as they can."

The BBC continued various stories related to Darwin, such as his former home being labelled a World Heritage site and Education sections dedicated to the man and his theories. I found the Darwin debate rather interesting also.

These articles all imply one thing - we cannot take everything for face value, whether it is in the Media, or from religious powerhouses such as the Bible. The message is for all to question things around us and it seems the tonal slant is pro-non-literal interpretation of the Holy Book.

posted by Thao @ 11:42 PM