Science

A note from the webmaster:

The topic of evolution is a difficult and complex issue. Within the framework of believing that God created the world and that the book of Genesis is not mythological, there is a great divide among Catholics regarding many particulars - the age of the earth, the possibility of limited forms of evolution, the role of science in interpreting the Bible, whether or not the six days of creation should be taken literally, etc. Ironically, faithful Catholics on both sides of these issues work diligently on their studies and arguments with the belief that their positions are essential for the continuation of the Catholic faith. It is not for me, with my limited understanding, to discern the correct positions on each of these issues on my own. On this page I will merely attempt to report, as fairly as I am able, on the positions and qualities of Catholic books that deal with evolution and related issues.

Some great quotes from Church sources regarding the Origins debates:

In studying nature we have not to inquire how God the Creator may, as He freely wills, use His creatures to work miracles and thereby show forth His power: we have rather to inquire what Nature with its immanent causes can naturally bring to pass. (St. Albert the Great circa 1200 AD)

The first eleven chapters of Genesis, although properly speaking not conforming to the historical method used by the best Greek and Latin writers or by competent authors of our time, do nevertheless pertain to history in a true sense, which however must be further studied and determined by exegetes; the same chapters, (the Letter points out), in simple and metaphorical language adapted to the mentality of a people but little cultured, both state the principal truths which are fundamental for our salvation, and also give a popular description of the origin of the human race and the chosen people. If, however, the ancient sacred writers have taken anything from popular narrations, (and this may be conceded) , it must never be forgotten that they did so with the help of divine inspiration, through which they were rendered immune from any error in selecting and evaluating those documents. (Humani Generis)

Copernicus himself saw his discovery as giving rise to even greater amazement at the Creator of the world and the power of human reason... (yet) many people took it as a means of setting reason against faith. The split between reason and faith was the expression of one of humanity’s great tragedies. It damaged not only religion, but culture. ...Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth. Today we need to work for a reconciliation between faith and reason. Seeking the truth and sharing it with others is an important service to society, a service which scholars in particular are called to render. Remember that reason is God’s gift, a mark of the likeness to God, which every man bears within himself. (Pope John Paul II, from a 1999 address to a Polish university in Copernicus' home town)

Faith and science: Though faith is above reason, there can never be any real discrepancy between faith and reason. Since the same God who reveals mysteries and infuses faith has bestowed the light of reason on the human mind, God cannot deny himself, nor can truth ever contradict truth.' 'Consequently, methodical research in all branches of knowledge, provided it is carried out in a truly scientific manner and does not override moral laws, can never conflict with the faith, because the things of the world and the things of faith derive from the same God. The humble and persevering investigator of the secrets of nature is being led, as it were, by the hand of God in spite of himself, for it is God, the conserver of all things, who made them what they are. (CCC 159)
Darwinism and the theory of evolution are by no means equivalent conceptions. The theory of evolution was propounded before Charles Darwin's time, by Lamarck (1809) and Geoffroy de Saint-Hilaire. Darwin, in 1859, gave it a new form by endeavouring to explain the origin of species by means of natural selection. According to this theory the breeding of new species depends on the survival of the fittest in the struggle for existence. The Darwinian theory of selection is Darwinism–adhering to the narrower, and accurate, sense of the word. As a theory, it is scientifically inadequate, since it does not account for the origin of attributes fitted to the purpose, which must be referred back to the interior, original causes of evolution. Haeckel, with other materialists, has enlarged this selection theory of Darwin's into a philosophical world-idea, by attempting to account for the whole evolution of the cosmos by means of the chance survival of the fittest. This theory is Darwinism in the secondary, and wider, sense of the word. It is that atheistical form of the theory of evolution which was shown above–under (2)–to be untenable. The third signification of the term Darwinism arose from the application of the theory of selection to man, which is likewise impossible of acceptance. In the fourth place, Darwinism frequently stands, in popular usage, for the theory of evolution in general. This use of the word rests on an evident confusion of ideas, and must therefore be set aside. ("Catholics and Evolution" from the Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913)
It is absurd for the Evolutionist to complain that it is unthinkable for an admittedly unthinkable God to make everything out of nothing, and then pretend it is more thinkable that nothing should turn itself into anything. (G.K. Chesterton in St. Thomas Aquinas)

1000 Years of Catholic Scientists

Book cover: 1000 yea
Author(s): 
Jane Meyerhofer
Number of pages: 
88 pages
Copyright: 
2006
Publisher: 
Ye Hedge School
Binding: 
Stapled Softcover
Subject(s): 
Biographies
Scientists
Grade / Age level: 
All ages
Review: 

Nearly 200 Catholic scientists from the past thousand years are overviewed by means of brief biographies, with dates and places where each scientist lived and worked. The scientists are listed in chronological order with an alphabetical index in back. The author's primary source of information is the Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913 (which can be found online at http://www.newadvent.org/cathen). Her main purposes in working on this project are "to show students that Catholics have always been scientists" and "that there is nothing incompatible between science and the Catholic faith."

I have received QUITE a few e-mails from Catholic homeschoolers (particularly ones using Protestant science texts - which tend to highlight the religious beliefs of Protestant scientists) who want to know how to find out which scientists were Catholic. This booklet is a good place to start. Even though the Catholic Encyclopedia is available free online, this booklet is a simple, easy, and well-organized way of finding what you're looking for. The author has done the time-consuming work of locating, collating, and ordering for us.

Last updated: 21 Mar 2024

Perspective: 
Catholic
Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
First reviewed: 
Jan 31, 2008

A Doorway of Amethyst

Beginning Geology
Book Cover
Author(s): 
Mary Daly
Illustrator(s): 
Margy Jakos
Copyright: 
2007
Publisher: 
Hedge School
Binding: 
Spiralbound
Subject(s): 
Earth Science
Grade / Age level: 
Grades 6-8
Resource Type: 
Text
Review: 

Here is a geology text that assumes no conflict between Christianity and science and is faithful to Church teaching. This book covers basic topics in geology, including the Earth's age and composition, the dynamics of continental plate motion, classification of rocks and soil, effects of glaciers, radiometric dating, and more. The illustrations are lovely and hand-drawn – not what you would expect in a textbook. However, I prefer a few glossy photographs as well, but you can find these on the internet. I was unfamiliar with many of the geologic terms so I learned a lot along side my 12-year-old daughter. I especially appreciated the author's explanation of evolution in the appendix and Chapter 11 on the geologic column in the Williston Basin.

I allotted 18 weeks to finish this book, but it took 22 weeks, rushing a bit. The book has suggested research activities at the end of most chapters, but we did not do very many of them. (I had already ”planned” one semester of chemistry to follow one semester of geology.) The last chapter consists of short biographies of mostly Catholic scientists. There is also a suggested reading list at the end of the book. Exercises are included at the end of each chapter - lots of crosswords, matching, fill-in-the-blank, multiple choice, etc. There are also poems interspersed throughout the text to aid in memorization. If we had done more research activities and added supplemental reading, this book would expanded into a full-year course. There were no tests included so it was necessary to make some to reinforce the material.

Mary Daly mostly separates scientific considerations from philosophical ones. She sticks her opinions in the appendices. However, the one exception is in the first chapter when she explains charitably that Young Earth Creationism is inconsistent with scientific evidence.

Here are some of the ideas (as far as I can understand) that really distinguish this book from most geology texts aimed at the home school market:

  • The text is consistent with our Catholic Faith.
  • Radiometric dating of rocks shows that the Earth is about 4.5 billion years old.
  • While we are all descended from two first parents, the fossil record points to a single "family tree of life" of which we are a part.
  • Evolution of new species by natural selection is an incomplete explanation of the fossil record. In an appendix, the author suggests that additional mechanism is needed to account for the sudden appearance of new species in the fossil record. John Davison, a professor of zoology, developed a semi-meiotic hypothesis as just this sort of mechanism. I found this very intriguing since it is compatible with what is observed and is testable. Mary Daly also suggests that some paleontologists have a philosophical bias that prevents them from considering other scientific explanations.
  • The geologic record does not support a worldwide flood. Mary Daly explains there is not enough water on Earth to do this. She suggests that Noah's flood was probably a catastrophic flood that affected the part of the world known to the inspired writer.

Overall, I think A Doorway of Amethyst is a very good, well-written geology text. I am grateful that Mary Daly took the time to write it. I recommend it and plan to use it again. Next time, I would want to write cumulative quizzes for each chapter, allow more time for supplemental reading, and incorporate more projects and writing assignments. (I can dream, anyway.)

You can view sample pages at the end of this document on the author's Hedge School website.

Quibble:

This is a 1st edition of the text, and my daughter found quite a few typographical errors in it.

Perspective: 
Catholic
Additional notes: 

Reviewed by Pam Blakeslee

Reviewed by: 
Guest Reviewer
First reviewed: 
5-31-2012

A Look at Minerals

from Galena to Gold
Book cover: A Look at Minerals
Author(s): 
Jo S. Kittinger
Number of pages: 
64 pages
Copyright: 
1998
ISBN / ID: 
9780531159255
Publisher: 
Franklin Watts/Grolier
Binding: 
Softcover
Sample Pages
Subject(s): 
Earth Science
Grade / Age level: 
Elementary
Resource Type: 
Picture Books
Review: 

A surprisingly interesting (and fairly in-depth) picture book that introduces children to minerals – which include metals and gems. Many full color photos highlight and enhance the text, which covers topics such as Mohs' Scale of Mineral Hardness, ice crystals, cleavage planes (the way minerals break when cut) of various minerals, metals in their natural state, special metals like gold, silver and platinum, how various minerals form and what they look like in their natural state. My children and I found this to be quite an interesting book.

Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
First reviewed: 
4-25-01

A Look at Rocks

from Coal to Kimberlite
Book cover: A Look at Rocks
Author(s): 
Jo S. Kittinger
Number of pages: 
64 pages
Copyright: 
1997
ISBN / ID: 
9780531158876
Publisher: 
Franklin Watts/Grolier
Binding: 
Softcover
Sample Pages
Subject(s): 
Earth Science
Grade / Age level: 
Elementary
Resource Type: 
Picture Books
Review: 

I really didn't expect to get much out of a children's picture book on rocks. Rocks are, well, rocks! I was wrong. Mrs. Kittinger has done a fine job in presenting various types of rock, how they are formed in nature (with a significant emphasis on volcanoes) and the various fascinating and often beautiful varieties of rocks. There are many stunning photos and fascinating statistics on rock-related items from Mount Rushmore (and it's lesser known "sister-sculpture" – Stone Mountain – of some "monumental" figures of the Confederacy) to the Grand Canyon to amazing volcano formations. The book also includes a glossary, an index, suggestions for further reading and internet resources for rock collectors.

Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
First reviewed: 
4-25-01

Animal Tracks

Book cover: Animal Tracks
Author(s): 
Arthur Dorros
Illustrator(s): 
Arthur Dorros
Number of pages: 
30 pages
Copyright: 
1991
ISBN / ID: 
9780590433662
Publisher: 
Scholastic
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Animal Life
Grade / Age level: 
Elementary
Review: 

One of the things that fascinates me most about Wisconsin winters (I grew up in California) are the animal tracks clearly visible in the snow. It leaves a temporary record of what was visiting while you weren't looking – what a fascinating thing for homeschoolers to look into. Animal Tracks will make a nice resource for younger students to study local wildlife. This is an illustrated narrative of animal life with a little guessing game on each page based on the tracks left by each animal. The book also contains four pages of identified tracks (including humans) and instructions for "preserving" the tracks with plaster of paris or by tracing. An excellent way to spark children's interest in nature.

Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
First reviewed: 
1998-99

AntWorks Ant Habitat

Book cover: 'AntWorks Ant Habitat'
Publisher: 
Fascinations
Subject(s): 
Insects and Arthropods
Grade / Age level: 
Elementary
Review: 

AntWorks was one of the highlights of our summer natural history studies! This simple kit became a quirky centerpiece on our dinner table, engaging the entire family from the 18-month-old who insists that they are "Nants" to a 40-something daddy. AntWorks comes as a thick-walled plastic home with a stable base; this became important as the little ones spent time watching the ants. We have tried the sand-filled ant farms with dismal spills that freed too many of the inhabitants. The AntWorks home is filled with a blue gel-like substance that provides both nourishment and liquid to the ants. Accompanying literature explains that this gel was developed by NASA for experiments carried out on the Space Shuttle. One of the nicest features is that this gel is translucent, allowing observers to see completely through the tunnels. An optional illuminator is a nice addition which makes an interesting night light, but we thought that it wasn't necessary.

Ants are not included with the kit. You can either catch your own or mail in the enclosed coupon. We opted for the mail-order ants, and that boosted interest in the project for our little ones who love to receive mail. Once the ants are added to their home, the only maintenance that is needed is opening the top for a few seconds a week to allow fresh air to enter. Occasionally you will need to remove a dead ant, but our industrious insects buried their fallen comrades deep in the gel in sealed chambers. It was incredible to observe! This kit, combined with a few books from the library and a couple of diagrams and coloring pages downloaded from the Internet, provided a wonderful investigation into the life of ants for our elementary school-aged students.

Additional notes: 

Science Kit, Dimensions: 6.5"L x 5.5"W x 1.25"D

Reviewed by: 
Susan Kalis
First reviewed: 
8-24-05

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