This is a project my husband is working on. Please let us know what you think. He's hoping to publish it as a short e-book or as a print pamphlet.
All material is (c) 2014 John Jimenez
Introduction
One of the great challenges for Catholic homeschooling
families, and Catholic educators in general, is how to handle the topic of the
Theory of Evolution. There are plenty of
secular approaches to the topic, but they usually accept the theory
uncritically, and give it an atheistic slant.
This, of course, is not only bad theology and totally unacceptable to a
Catholic, it is also bad science.
Many Christian approaches to the
Theory of Evolution set it up as diametrically opposed to God, and therefore,
it and its adherents are anathema. Or
they ignore the issue altogether. Both
of these approaches are problematic as well.
The former is inconsistent with the Church’s approach, which allows
great intellectual freedom on the issue (within certain guidelines given us by
Revelation). And the latter leaves
children unprepared to defend their faith.
When they are confronted with the theory, they sometimes assume they
were not taught it particularly because it is a threat to the Faith.
Though there surely are good
resources available, they are hard to find.
The purpose of this booklet is to provide Catholic parents a supplement
to their regular science curriculum, for the purpose specifically of dealing
with the Theory of Evolution.
The first goal of this program is to
break apart the false dichotomy of “evolution vs. God.” There are certain dogmatic statements the
Church has made regarding the origin of man, which God has revealed (and which,
incidentally, science has confirmed).
These are to be adhered to.
However, because the Church acknowledges the validity of wide
differences of opinion regarding evolutionary theory, this program does as
well.
The truth is that evolutionary
theory does not undermine a belief in God, the divinity of Christ, or the
Catholic Church as His Body. Students
will be encouraged to recognize that, so they need not be afraid of it. Evolution is fundamentally a question of
science, not theology.
As a question of science, evolution
should not be accepted uncritically. It
is important to remember that the Church has made no dogmatic statement in
favor of evolution. To say that one’s
opinion on this topic determines whether one is a “true Christian” or “orthodox
Catholic” is simply false. That is a
foundational principle.
The next goal of this program is to
define the Theory of Evolution for students, which is not an easy task, as it
takes many different forms and is constantly being revised. They will learn the basic principles of the
theory and the scientific history that has led to its development.
They will even be taught some of the
erroneous atheistic conclusions that many people come to, and why those
conclusions are wrong and unsupported by science as well as divine Revelation.
Students will also be presented with
the many weaknesses in the Theory of Evolution.
Often students are taught to simply believe in evolution, while not
learning about the many highly accomplished scientists who believe it is a
fantasy. In this program students will
receive a clear understanding of the many problems with the theory. They will be encouraged to explore
evolutionary theory critically, and given the freedom to come to their own
conclusions without fear that their Faith is at stake.
These are the aims of this program. Please supplement it with other materials
that meet your family’s specific needs, and most importantly, with prayer.
(c) 2014 John Jimenez
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