STM+Week+07

 “Finding Darwin’s God.”- Response  The ideas in Kenneth Miller’s writing have always been close to me as I am both a devout Catholic and a proponent of the theory of evolution. Although Miller uses the example of a zealous preacher trying to attribute the creation of marble and flowers as the work of God, I feel as I have had the benefit of growing up in a more embracing age and environment. I attended private catholic schools from pre-school all the way through high school and I was never exposed to any substantial anti-science ideas nor were any of the religious figures in my life against embracing evolution. Looking back, I have had several priests and brothers speak on how we can have both faith in God and belief in science. Although I agree with Miller on many points, I disagree with the idea that God created the world and then left it entirely to its own devices. I like to believe that God moves parts of the world in subtle ways allowing life to have its freedom with still developing to a set plan. Although Miller makes an excellent point about the harmony between science and religion, I feel as though it is not necessary to force evolution onto people who hold creationism, or ideas similar to it, as truth. These people hold their beliefs very seriously and that is a commendable and acceptable thing. Although many people, including myself, might find their ideas odd or outlandish, it does not give us the right to try to force them away from their belief systems or ridicule them for their ideals. The same holds true for the opposite side as well. Although I may not fully understand the circumstances of the case shown in class about keeping creationism out of the classroom, I do feel that there was nothing wrong with having the brief one minute advisory that evolution was only a theory and that other possibilities may exist. This seems, at least to me, to be a fine concession that does not force any one idea onto an individual but, instead gives them fair warning that nothing is set in stone and people can hold other ideas that differ from the norm. If people would be more understanding of the beliefs and ideas of others, I think that we would be able to avoid the drawn out and detrimental conflicts that arise from the clash of two different ideologies. 