Rebecca's Rambles…

Pope Benedict announced on Thursday 6th January 2011 (Epiphany) that God’s mind was behind complex scientific theories such as the Big Bang and emphasised Christians should reject the idea that the universe came into being by accident.

Benedict announced that the Universe is not the result of ‘chance’. This was a surprise to both religious and non religious people as a significant statement bringing science and religion together. Over the years Pope Benedict and his predecessor John Paul have been trying to shed the ‘anti science’ image of the Church.

CERN researchers in Geneva have been experimenting with protons, smashing them together at near the speed of light. This simulates conditions that they believe brought the Universe (stars, planets and life) into existence.

Atheists strongly argue that science can prove that God did not create the Universe but Pope Bendedict said that this was a limited approach to creation as many of these theories only start at a certain point and do not fully explain the “sense of reality”. Benedict said that scientific theories, aside from faith, leave a lot of unanswered questions. Many atheists do not feel this is the case. In a recently aired debate about religion and faith atheists managed to have their say. The discussion was between Tony Blair and Christopher Hitchens questioning: is religion a force for good in the World?

The Catholic Church no longer teaches creationism (belief that God created the world in 6 days as described in the Bible). The Church now says that the account in the book of Genesis is an allegory (figurative mode of representation). However even though the Catholic Church discusses creation in a metaphorical sense it still objects to using evolution theories (commonly used by atheists) that in any shape or form denies God’s experience or role in creation.

So where does religion leave us today? Is religion now modernised to reach a larger audience? Is it opening its doors to a more diverse audience like other societies, companies or organisations in the World do to try and reach maximum numbers? Or is this statement (by the Pope) the beginning of an open relationship between science and religion? The chance for atheists and religious people to appreciate each sides theories.