This has a new significance with the Pope scandal

[Ghost_Tracker]

Originally Posted by LikeAWillow

Without original sin, Jesus died for no reason. I find it very hard to believe the church threw out the creation story.

It says in a footnote in my Mom's Catholic Bible - this was published in 1970 by the way so assuming it's still "policy," it's been that way for some time - something along the lines of how original sin is something we're all born with, automatically, and doesn't hinge on it starting with two specific people. I suppose it would depend on who you ask, of course. I'm sure there's Catholic Priests who believe, tooth-and-nail, in the Creation story as written, and who believe that the earth is 10,000 years old. But I believe most of them, at least in America, would tell you that it's an allegory, and that church members are perfectly free to take it that way.

Here's exact quotes of two of the footnotes, to try to give the general idea:

"According to the highly artificial literary structure of Genesis Chapter 1, God's creative activity is divided into six days to teach the sacredness of the sabbath rest on the seventh day of the Israelite religion."

"[This section] shows how God brought an orderly universe out of primordial chaos."

(In other words, "don't sweat the details - just get that he made order out of disorder.")

There's two completely conflicting creation stories in Genesis, you know. There's just no way to get around that, i.m.o. I see here that a footnote for Chapter 2 says that it's "much older than Chapter 1."

There's also a diagram of the earth the way they pictured it back then - it says, "This was the same prescientific concept of the universe as that held by the Hebrews' pagan neighbors."

Did you know that the Vatican has its own astronomical observatory? With a Jesuit Priest who's a Ph.D. in Astronomy? I've seen him asked about it, and he emphasizes how he feels that it's "the search for knowledge" that's important, and that things are the way they are "to make us ask questions." The Vatican funds his work and as near as I can make out, they don't give him any hassle at all, even though he's a "mainstream" astronomer who obviously believes in the Big Bang Theory. I think maybe overall, their reaction is "WOW isn't this COOL!? Shows just how powerful God must really be!" I've also seen him asked if he feels there's life on other planets and his answer is a simple, "We just plain don't know," which I'd say is pretty much 100% true.

Anyway certain things are dogma but I think people would be surprised what is and what really isn't, these days. The middle ages were a loonnnng time ago, and these people have cable tv too.


P.S. - I saw the posting above. Define, "impermissable." Believe it or not, the leadership of the church and the Priests - in general - DO have minds of their own. I have no doubt that the Pastor at my mom's old church down the street would tell some little old lady, "Of COURSE creation happened exactly as written," if he felt that would make her feel better. Does he believe it himself? I really, really doubt it. And I asked the other Priest there his opinion once and he said that it's considered to be an allegory. Naturally there's a lot of different opinions within the church on this, being such a large organization. And I'm sure plenty of Catholics online - including those "high up the totem pole" - are posting those opinions. They're certainly free to do so, as is the Astronomer I mentioned above, who clearly believes in the Big Bang Theory.

By the way, I haven't read it yet, but there's a book at the library that I saw - written by an Astronomer - called "The Big Bang Never Happened." I personally believe in it, myself - but I'm sure even the most hard-core Astronomer would admit that it is, ultimately, just a theory.