The Reasonableness and Importance of Genesis 1-11
Part I: The Earth is a Privileged and Rare Planet
Father José Gabriel Funes,
head of the Vatican Observatory and a scientific adviser to Pope Benedict XVI, recently stated in an interview with L’Osservatore
Romano, that belief in life on other planets is not contrary to Catholic teaching. "In
my opinion this possibility exists," he said. "How can we exclude that life has developed elsewhere." In his opinion the large number of galaxies with their own planets makes this development possible. Funes’ use of the term “developed,” rather than “having been
created,” identifies him as an evolutionist, and his belief that the large number of planets makes such development
of life possible [on its own] raises the question of whether he is even a theistic evolutionist.
Father Funes is entitled to his personal opinion. But I believe both his
theology and his science are fundamentally flawed. In this first part let me
briefly summarize the findings of leading investigators that our Earth is a Privileged Planet, both rare and purposefully
designed and located in the Milky Way Galaxy to provide for both habitability and discovery by complex, intelligent, biological
life; and in part two that such life on Earth has not “developed,” but was created by God who said “Let
there be [life],” not” let life evolve.” (Gen. 1:1; see also
THE DOCTRINES OF GENESIS 1-11, A Compendium and Defense of Traditional Catholic Theology on Origins, Rev. Victor
P. Warkulwiz, M.S.S.)
Guillermo Gonzalez, PhD,
an astronomer, and Jay W. Richards, PhD, a philosopher and theologian, published The Privileged Planet in 2004 presenting
the reasons that, given the composition of the Cosmos, only complex biological life could produce an advanced, technological
society. They then identified at least 20 necessary factors present on Earth,
including its distance from a star of a particular size and temperature located in the small habitable zone of a spiral galaxy,
with a moon just large enough to stabilize its rotation and to provide regular total solar eclipses that make scientific observation
and analysis of the Sun’s corona, and a methodology to investigate distant galaxies and stars, possible. Earth is protected from large meteors and comets by the attraction of giant planets in the outer regions
of our solar system. Its complex biological life is protected from deadly solar
radiation both by its magnetic field and its atmosphere. The magnetic field is
caused by the circulation of molten metal in its core, while its biological life is protected from the intense heat by tectonic
plates and ocean currents in conjunction with its atmosphere, which distributes and regulates both heat and liquid water. Its gases, especially oxygen, carbon dioxide and nitrogen, help to maintain the interaction
of plant, animal and aquatic life.
These and the other necessary
factors to support and protect complex biological life are contingent, not necessarily present, on any planet either singularly
or together. Gonzalez and Richards assign a conservative estimate of the probability
of any one factor being present by chance on a given planet to be one in ten (1/10), and the probability of additional factors
being present by chance at the same time to be the product of multiplying 1/10 by itself
for each of the necessary factors. This yields a probability of 1/1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000
that all the necessary factors to sustain complex biological life would, by purely accidental, natural causes, be present
on Earth or any other planet in the Cosmos. This probability is equivalent to
zero, or no possibility, even given the existence of billions of stars with planets.
But even theories of so called theistic evolution which seek to account for the origin of the Cosmos and of life by
natural processes guided by God’s hand are difficult to reconcile with the creation of all things in six days by God
revealed in Genesis 1-11, and the result is significant.
Man’s origin and
purpose, his relationship to God and other people, his place in the cosmos, the reality of evil, of sin, of suffering and
death, and the hope provided by God’s promise of a future redeemer are all revealed in Genesis 1-11. This crucial orientation is discredited by the acceptance of the evolutionary paradigm in theology, including
theories of natural processes guided by the hand of God. Part two will consider
the probability that intelligent, biological life developed (evolved) by chance anywhere in the Cosmos, and the problems that
theories of theistic evolution present to the faith and morals of Christians, as well as to the natural sciences.
