I see where Evolution Weekend, brainchild of the Clergy Letter Project, has come and gone again:
Evolution Weekend is an opportunity for serious discussion and reflection on the relationship between religion and science. One important goal is to elevate the quality of the discussion on this critical topic – to move beyond sound bites. A second critical goal is to demonstrate that religious people from many faiths and locations understand that evolution is sound science and poses no problems for their faith. Finally, as with The Clergy Letters themselves, which have now been signed by more than 13,000 members of the clergy in the United States, Evolution Weekend makes it clear that those claiming that people must choose between religion and science are creating a false dichotomy.
The thing is, it’s not religious people who usually think that. The stream of bestselling hate from the new atheist movement is a much better example, but notice that they aren’t the focus of attention.
Apart from them, there is the condescending type, of course – the one who tells me that one can be a Darwinist and a Christian too. But, most of the time, he isn’t a Christian himself, though he is definitely a Darwinist. Oh yes, there are a few Christian poster boys, who don’t matter much in a group where 78% are pure naturalists.
Who on earth do these people think they are kidding? Of course you can’t be a Darwinist and a Christian, because Darwinism is about survival of the fittest and Christianity is not. And we all know that “evolution,” as taught in school, means Darwinism. The peppered myth, and all that. The sick-making adulation of Darwin we have all been subjected to all last year makes pretty clear that Darwinism is a cultural project operating out of science classrooms – and apparently, some churches.
Have a look at the churches listed on the Evolution Weekend page, and tell me what you think.