Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uwm.edu!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: jhpb@lancia.att.com Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: The Catholic church's views on evolution Message-ID: Date: 16 Oct 89 04:19:42 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: AT&T Bell Labs (Liberty Corner) Lines: 37 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu Timothy Harris wrote: I'm currently enrolled in a class in which we discuss evolution and have been assigned a report on evolution and the Catholic church's views on it. Does anyone know of any good resource material that covers this topic. I would like to find their modern views and their reaction throughout the history of biological evolution. 1. A good starting point is an encyclical letter by Pope Pius XII called Humani Generis, issued in 1950. This is the most official document I know of that deals explicitly with evolution. (There are several general councils that touch on related issues -- cf. Fundamental of Catholic Dogma, mentioned below.) Among other things, it states that no Catholic may believe in polygenism (the idea that the human race is descended from more than two first parents). I have a copy if you have trouble getting it. I think mine is from the Daughters of St. Paul. 2. Try "Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma", by Dr. Ludwig Ott. It has several pages of material that bear on the doctrinal aspects of evolution. Something that is of primary importance is the Catholic dogma that man is composed of a material body and a spiritual soul. Souls have to be created directly by God, they can't evolve. 3. The encyclical letter on atheistic Communism, Divini Redemptoris, has an indirect bearing, in that it explains that Communism is grounded on the idea of the blind evolution of matter. Joe Buehler jhpb@lancia.ATT.COM att!lancia!jhpb