The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-05-06
POPULAR APoLoGETlcs.
Adapted from the German of Rev.
Peter Mikes, S. j., by Rev. James
Watcher.
XIII. DarWinism.

Objection: No modern scientist be-
lieves any longer in the Mosaic ac-
count of creation: neither was the
world created in six days of twenty
four hours, nor were the living beings
created in their present form. The
Inorganic and organic world, accord
ing to Chas. Darwin CT1SS2), was de-
veloped in enormous periods of time
without God.
Answer: ~ Neither Darwin nor
his theory of descent or evolution can
get along without God, for without
God, II no one can reasonably account
for the existence of life (Cf. No. %
25); y much less can we Explain the
existence of intellectual life, for there
is an essential difference between
mind and matter, between man and
the brute (Cf, No, 1910 and future
article); because the grand fitness and
sultableress of nature for a purpose
presupnoses and demands an intelli-
gent Creator (the theological proof
Tor the existence of Cod.
y Catholic Faith does not demand
such narrow Interpretation of the
Mosaic account of creation as you
suppose. The six days of creation
can be taken as long periods Of time
to suit each ones liking, or with,
Father Won Hummelauer, S. J! z(Der,
biblische Schoepfungsbericht - The
Biblical Account of Creation) as days
of vision in which God showed Adam
the long development of the world in
d schematic and not necessarily strict
chronological order With this inter
probation all difficulties raised by sci
entiStS disappear. (See also the ar
ticle "HeXaemeron" in the Catholic
Encyclopedia
Neither are we bound to believe
that all plants and animals were inn
mediately and directly created by God
in their present form; even in the So
called dark ages, when no one had an
idea of the extent of modern scientific
investigation, did they hold such strict
views; then they believed, though
wrongly, in the so-called spontaneous
generation (see No. 22), in the crea-
ton of new species that did not exist
in Paradise. (Cf Simmer aus Maria
Laach, 1879
Catholic faith teaches: God created
luan Immediately. Also all else, ami
mate and inanimate beings, God
created; there is neither plant nor
animal that does not owe it's existence
% 6,
the present forms of plant and animal,
life come from God, whether directly
or indirectly, whether by direct crea-
ton or by evolution from other FORMS
perhaps from a few or even one origi-
nal form. If scientists should ever
succeed to prove this development or
evolution (thus far they have failed
faith fears nothing. IN. B. We must
not confound the speculative opinions
of theologians with the official teach
ing of the Church, We will then
admire only the more the divine wis
dom which has created the original
form or forms SO wonderfully and dis
posed the laws of evolution so per-
feCtly that without further divine in
reference the present countless forms
of our fauna and flora (animals and
plants) have been developed.
81 Human reason does not deny
the possibility of such a development.
But sound philosophy demands for
such a development a wise Creator,
Who created matter out of nothing
and at least the first living being, be-
cause life cannot possibly have been
produced from inanimate matter; and
since there is an essential difference
between animal and human life, the
creation by God of each human soul
is also necessary.
(To be continued.)