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Title: Creationists—the new pagans?
Source:
Answers In Genesis
URL Source: http://www.answersingenesis.org/docs2006/0509pagans.asp
Published: May 10, 2006
Author: Paul Taylor
Post Date: 2006-05-10 00:16:50 by A K A Stone
Keywords: creation, god, evolution
Views: 2908
Comments: 5
Guy Consolmagno has an unusual job. He is a monk in the Jesuit order, but he is also an astronomer. He works for the Vatican, but he is not based in Europe—he primarily works at an observatory in Arizona, USA (he is also curator of the Vatican’s collection of meteorites). His name has been in the news recently, especially in the UK where the creation/evolution controversy has been heating up, because he has declared that a belief in the doctrine of God creating the universe in six days is “pagan superstition”: Religion needs science to keep it away from superstition and keep it close to reality, to protect it from creationism, which at the end of the day is a kind of paganism - it’s turning God into a nature god.1 The Apostle Paul would have had something to say about Consolmagno’s bizarre contention. In Acts 17, Paul was distressed by paganism: “Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols” (Acts 17:16). He then used the doctrine of creation to counter the paganism, for in Acts 17: 23, 24 (in his talk at the Areopagus), he declared: As I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands (Acts 17:23, 24; emphasis added). Paul here sets up the doctrine of God as Creator in opposition to the concept of paganism. In reality, it is Consolmagno’s own evolutionist philosophy (somehow incorporated into his religious beliefs) which is akin to paganism. An example of this would be seen in his ideas about the possibilities of intelligent life existing elsewhere in the universe: ETs may not be aware of the idea of an Incarnation, or they may have their own experience of the matter. Their experience may be so alien from ours that even though they have experienced God in their own way, it’s an experience that we will never be able to share, nor they share in our experience.2 AiG–UK CEO, Dr. Monty White, once spoke at Stirling University in Scotland to a meeting organised by the university’s Christian Union. Unfortunately, the meeting was completely overrun by the university’s Pagan Society. Of course, at no point did any of these pagans suppose that Monty’s creationist message was a form of paganism. They were there to oppose his message.3 In common with many other critics of biblical creation, Consolmagno completely misinterprets the creation belief system, and in doing so, shows a lack of understanding of the Scriptures. We are thus not surprised that he has also written that Genesis teaches that the universe is “just a dome over a flat Earth, the way that Genesis describes it.”4 For the Bible’s teaching about a circular earth, and to find out what it says about other topics related to astronomy, read our booklet What Does the Bible Say about Astronomy? When you do, you will discover that this field of science (in fact, all fields) is consistent with Scripture when the evidence is correctly interpreted. Indeed, the Bible can be defended in this scientific age, and a straightforward reading of Genesis is directly opposed to paganism and its cousin: evolutionary humanism.
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#1. To: All, coral snake (#0)
The Jesuits.......hmmmmn......I always knew they were evil.
I own one of his books. One of the best on the subject.
Ratzinger is going get medievel on his ass.
Free David Irving!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Free Gotovina!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Free Eric Rudolph!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If that means ex-communication, it could be one of the best things to happen to him (though he might not think so right away). Big religious organizations like the Roman Catholic Church are alot like governments, in fact they often ARE governments at one point or another. Get out of there and you start seeing things from a different perspective. Writers like Consolmagno make the Church look better than would otherwise be the case. Benny would be a fool to do anything to him. Compared to the average Pope, John-Paul II really is deserving of sainthood. And I'm not even Catholic.
Writers like Consolmagno make the Church look better than would otherwise be the case. Benny would be a fool to do anything to him. Compared to the average Pope, John-Paul II really is deserving of sainthood. And I'm not even Catholic. You make several good points here. I'm basically non-deninomination Christian, because I've never been able to stomach bureacracy of any sort. I have nothing against Catholics, but they're the last religion to lecture others on paganism.
Free David Irving!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Free Gotovina!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Free Eric Rudolph!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Guy Consolmagno has an unusual job. He is a monk in the Jesuit order, but he is also an astronomer. He works for the Vatican, but he is not based in Europe—he primarily works at an observatory in Arizona, USA (he is also curator of the Vatican’s collection of meteorites). His name has been in the news recently, especially in the UK where the creation/evolution controversy has been heating up, because he has declared that a belief in the doctrine of God creating the universe in six days is “pagan superstition”:
#2. To: A K A Stone (#0)
Guy Consolmagno
Always remember: 3 rights makes a LEFT.
#3. To: PnbC (#2)
#4. To: continental op (#3)
Always remember: 3 rights makes a LEFT.
#5. To: PnbC (#4)
If that means ex-communication, it could be one of the best things to happen to him (though he might not think so right away). Big religious organizations like the Roman Catholic Church are alot like governments, in fact they often ARE governments at one point or another. Get out of there and you start seeing things from a different perspective.
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