Confused about what the Church teaches on evolution? Here is today’s excerpt from The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Catholic Catechism to set the record straight:

“Catholics believe that God created everything, and they mean everything. The universe was not created by some random explosion or bang. They’re not saying there couldn’t have been a bang, but not a random bang. Nothing can be entirely random when God’s fingerprints are on the whole universal mix...

“What does this mean for those who side with science and the theory of evolution? Do these not conflict with the belief that God created everything out of nothing? Nope. Catholics can believe that humans evolved over time into the beings we are today. However, Catholics cannot believe that human evolution occurred devoid of divine inspiration.

“When it comes to creation, there is no blind chance. You’ve seen it printed on tacky T-shirts, “God doesn’t make mistakes.” Well, that’s sort of the point here. God created everything that led to everything, and God makes humans unique by giving us souls.” (p. 42)

You’re Absolved If...

“You may think Catholics believe in the literal interpretation of the Genesis story of Adam and Eve. The Church does not teach the creation story as science, and it has no problem with the theory of evolution. Darwinism, however, presents a problem for the Catholic Church because it theorizes humankind’s evolution was caused by a random process and natural selection of the strongest and fittest, leaving the divine creator by the  wayside.” (p. 43)

Copyright 2008, Mary DeTurris Poust