Acceptance of evolution by religious groups

Although biological <a href="/facts/Evolution/Hj0qAaBk">evolution</a> has been <a href="/facts/Rejection_of_evolution_by_religious_groups/w3fV9V7t">vocally opposed</a> by some religious groups, many other groups accept the scientific position, sometimes with additions to allow for theological considerations. The positions of such groups are described by terms including "<a href="/facts/Theistic_evolution/Jqm6lzby">theistic evolution</a>", "theistic evolutionism" or "<a href="/facts/Evolutionary_creation/JTzrl6tJ">evolutionary creation</a>". Of all the religious groups included on the chart, Buddhists are the most accepting of <a href="/facts/Evolution/Hj0qAaBk">evolution</a>. Theistic evolutionists believe that <a href="/facts/Existence_of_God/wA5BlJQl">there is a God</a>, that God is <a href="/facts/Creator_deity/49TUL2pX">the creator</a> of the <a href="/facts/Matter/osyc04UN">material</a> universe and (by consequence) all life within, and that biological evolution is a <a href="/facts/Nature/CRC3KQUg">natural process</a> within that creation. Evolution, according to this view, is simply a tool that God employed to develop <a href="/facts/Human_being/rlcTENsr">human life</a>. According to the <a href="/facts/American_Scientific_Affiliation/a6xeeMU2">American Scientific Affiliation</a>, a <a href="/facts/Christians/15hE11VR">Christian</a> organization of scientists:

A theory of theistic evolution (TE) — also called evolutionary creation — proposes that God's method of creation was to cleverly design a universe in which everything would naturally evolve. Usually the "evolution" in "theistic evolution" means Total Evolution — astronomical evolution (to form galaxies, solar systems,...) and geological evolution (to form the earth's geology) plus chemical evolution (to form the first life) and biological evolution (for the development of life) — but it can refer only to biological evolution.
According to <a href="/facts/Eugenie_Scott/oqxX5wvB">Eugenie Scott</a>, Director of the US <a href="/facts/National_Center_for_Science_Education/E8Hhq4no">National Center for Science Education</a>, "In one form or another, Theistic Evolutionism is the view of creation taught at the majority of mainline Protestant <a href="/facts/Seminaries/nuSQmQpq">seminaries</a>, and it is the official position of the Catholic church".
Theistic evolution is not a <a href="/facts/Scientific_theory/moMsLrUn">scientific theory</a>, but a particular view about how the science of evolution relates to religious belief and interpretation. Theistic evolution supporters can be seen as one of the groups who reject the <a href="/facts/Conflict_thesis/bL7JDmBV">conflict thesis</a> regarding the <a href="/facts/Relationship_between_religion_and_science/wrfQ774U">relationship between religion and science</a> – that is, they hold that religious teachings about creation and scientific theories of evolution need not contradict, what evolutionary biologist <a href="/facts/Stephen_Jay_Gould/FtAcabjg">Stephen Jay Gould</a> called <a href="/facts/Non-overlapping_magisteria/2IfqkR9N">non-overlapping magisteria</a>. Christian proponents of this view are sometimes described as Christian <a href="/facts/Darwinism/ojpLgHDY">Darwinists</a>.

Acceptance of evolution by religious groups open-in-new

Acceptance of evolution by religious groups