A Catholic Perspective of the Creation Debate: Creator and Creation

Creator and Creation

by Mary O. Daly

I decided to modify the biology plan of First Son for First Daughter. Creator and Creation had been recommended many times, so I decided I'd finally just buy it for our biology course. Mary Daly was a scientist from a family of scientists who was passionate about allowing students to see the Lord at work in the natural world. Her books provide a solid foundation for Catholic students of science who, when they enter the university or academic world, will encounter resistance to the idea that you can be a faithful Catholic and an intelligent scientist.

In Creator and Creation, Daly begins with a clear explanation of terms like "creationism." She explores what the Church does and does not say about Creation and evolution. Early in the book, she quotes the Catechism:

Though faith is above reason, there can never be any real discrepancy between faith and reason...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. (Catechism #159, labeled as #296, perhaps from an earlier edition)

Later she says:

The creationist says that he knows what he knows because he reads the Bible. The Catholic says we know what we know because men are children of the Creator with minds in His image, and we can, therefore, learn about our Father by studying both the Bible and creation, always working in unison with the stabilizing covenant community, the Church. We are certain that revelation and natural understanding do not conflict. (p. 90)

The book essentially rejects the fundamentalist idea of Creationism (a young earth), but it is more flexible in its treatment of evolution.

But there are many flaws with the concept of evolution as a system to explain the universe and the world, including the development of life on Earth. These are not flaws in the concept of evolution, which is powerful and fascinating; they are evidence against the sufficiency of evolution as a total cosmology. (p. 94) 

Daly provides a philosophical framework for considering the Catholic faith and the scientific ideas embedded in and surrounding Creation and evolution. It can help students carefully consider new ideas as they are reading science textbooks or articles or while listening to a lecture.

The universe is far more vast than medieval cosmology had numbers to express. The Earth is a tiny planet circling an insignificant star at the edge of a commonplace galaxy which spins within the wide universe as a mote of dust might drift along the edge of a soap bubble in a child's bath. If our value be measured in physical terms, it is too slight to notice.

Of course, faith tell us to measure it in spiritual terms. (pp. 101-102)

We learn that our planet is surprisingly perfect to foster life, particularly our life. 

All the things which seemed to leave us on the insignificant margins of the cosmos, actually belonged to the perfect fitting of our universe home.   (p. 102)

The book does suffer some stylistic and editorial flaws, which is common among those that are self-published. There are some scientific theories discussed which may, in time, be thoroughly disproven, but Daly's points are not dependent on any particular theories. She consistently insists we must follow where our rational minds and the created world lead us, secure in our faith of a good God who loves us. 

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. I believe new copies of Creator and Creation are only available through the Hedge School website, but there are used copies available in the usual places.

Evaluating Science: The Monkey's Voyage

The Monkey's Voyage: How Improbable Journeys Shaped the History of Life

by Alan de Queiroz

Alan de Queiroz gives an extensive history of biogeography, the study of why plants and animals live where they do and not in other places. He also provides interesting perspectives on the kinds of assumptions scientists make about their fields and how those assumptions may be challenged over time. When the theory of continental drift became more accepted, biogeographical studies became constrained by the idea that all geographical differences were caused by the separation of land masses through continental drift. de Queiroz provides extensive evidence for the surprising idea that a few random long distance journeys by living things dramatically shaped the biogeographical landscape we have today.

Obviously, the continents had moved--nobody was claiming that the theory of plate tectonics was wrong--and obviously, they had carried species with them, but somehow, these facts did not explain nearly as much about the modern living world as we had thought.

One aspect I liked was how he showed the way scientists (really, anyone) tend to tackle any problem with the tools they know, the tools they have, or the tools that are new. Molecular modeling and dating (using changes in nucleotide sequences over time to determine how long ago a new species appears) and PCR were two tools that changes biogeographical studies. Whether those tools were used in the best manner or make the most comprehensive arguments is an interesting discussion to address before assuming results based on those tools are trustworthy. Those kinds of questions are important to ask. For some people, it's important just to realize and acknowledge that those questions exist. It is very easy to skip that step. (The alternate is also important: being able to read some eccentric website calling into question a standard scientific practice and recognize it for the fringe attack it is, rather than a valid argument.)

Building on those ideas, the author also discussed the value of scientific studies based on their methodology. Even within studies using the same models, some studies can be universally acknowledged superior or inferior, but there's a lot of room for gray area. de Quiroz explores many studies, identifying how the same method or tool can be used well or poorly, depending on the initial assumptions of the researchers. I found de Queiroz's detailed analyses informative, for anyone interested in science. The kinds of questions he asks can be translated to any other scientific discipline.

Throughout the book, the author interviews and introduces a large number of different scientists. They are real people with quirks, biases, and families. He even includes pictures of them. There are also lots of instances where scientists with very particular areas of interest talk with each other and make connections each alone would be unable to discern; that's real science in action. 

This book contains a fairly heavy dose of scientific analysis, but it is fascinating if you can wade through it all. Following the trail of studies and their value was one of my favorite biology major projects. It was fun to spend a little time thinking deeply about how research is done and whether it was valid.

This would be a fantastic geography and earth studies book for an interested and ambitious late high school student. While the study descriptions are sometimes dense, they are generally understandable for anyone willing to concentrate. You could also glean a lot from the book even if you can't follow every argument. That being said, I'm not sure most high school students would be willing to put in the effort.

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. Links to Bookshop are affiliate links.

Sixth Grade Geology with A Doorway of Amethyst

A Doorway of Amethyst by Mary Daly

A Doorway of Amethyst is recommended at Mater Amabilis for sixth grade, Level 3 Year 1. As far as I know, it's only available at the Hedge School (linked above). Mary Daly is also the author of Genesis 1, which I wrote about here. Her ideas about Creation and the intersection of faith and science are apparent in all of her writings.

I was excited for First Son to study geology this year. He has very little exposure to this subject and we're planning a camping trip out west for later this year.

This book was one of the more challenging ones for First Son this year. The text is rather dense with definitions and new vocabulary introduced quickly. At only twelve chapters, I had planned to read half a chapter a week, once a week, and still finish in only 24 or 25 weeks, but it was quickly apparent he wasn't able to ingest that much new material in one sitting. I adjusted our schedule a little bit so he was still usually reading half a chapter a week, but spread over two days each week. His "narration" consisted in a written page of notes and drawings for each reading. His pages of notes were often his favorite part of geology, as he was free to make silly drawings and goofy jokes

There are crossword puzzles in many of the chapters, sometimes more than one per chapter. At first, I asked First Son to complete these puzzles as extra practice with the vocabulary, in addition to his written notes. He found them very difficult and I sometimes agreed. Every once in a while, the answer would be a geological term even I couldn't find in the text. They were easier if I provided a list of the answers, but after awhile, I simply dropped the crosswords and was satisfied with his note pages.

In addition to the crosswords, most chapters have a review section at the end with suggested projects, questions, or activities for further exploration. Usually we skipped these, but they could be useful in showing work in a portfolio or for those who do not use narration. There is also an extensive list of internet resources, none of which we used because I didn't really pay attention when someone mentioned them, but hopefully I'll remember them next time around.

First Son improved dramatically at his comprehension of this textbook over the course of the year. I believe this was a combination of practice, maturing, and a decreased level of stress once we set aside the crosswords and I spread the readings over two days a week.

The book is spiral bound, which makes it easy to hold open and lay flat. The illustrations are in full color and clearly illustrate the geological formations. There are some mispellings and typographical errors in the text, but usually it was still understandable. First Son was quite disturbed at a mistake on the date for the Jurassic era on one table, but it was easily corrected with a quick search online.

Most important to know is that the text is overtly anti-Creationist and specifically Catholic. In chapter 11, the author describes Glenn Morton's paper on the geologic column found in the Williston Basin of North Dakota (which may have once been online, but it doesn't seem to be at the time I'm writing this review). This paper specifically counters those who believe all sediments were laid down during a great flood. Apparently, he was ostracized by his former friends when he began to question his faith in the flood and wrote this paper partly to explain his scientific understanding of the geologic column and to bolster the faith of those who choose to believe in God who created the world over a great length of time. Mary Daly writes:

Our Catholic faith does not teach that we must believe that the Flood of Noah actually covered the entire earth, only that there was a flood of very great extent, that it was God's doing, that it changed real history, and that God saved some number of men who "walked with him" for the purpose of deepening his covenant with mankind.

Chapter 12, "Geologist and Catholic," is a brief history of the most important geologists over the history of the field, including the most important who were not Catholic.

There is also an appendix on Evolution in which the author leads the reader through an exploration of Roemer's table of vertebrate development (published in 1933). I failed to find this table available online, but it's an interesting one showing eras on the left and evolution from the bottom to the top (earlier times to more recent times). It "shows how various backboned animals emerged in the geologic record," beginning with the jawless fish. For each type of phyla, there is a branching off relatively early in its existence and then...nothing. No new families.

According to Mary Daly, Roemer's belief in Darwinian evolution is not supported by his own representation of evolutionary history because it "exhibits evolution as a process both lawful and directional" which suggests it is directed by a "mind" and suggests mankind was the final and intentional result.

Evolutionary creativity has wholly collapsed through the phylum chordata, and since evolutionary creativity has always been greatest in the youth of any class of creatures, not in its final speculation, there is no scientific reason to expect a new surge of creativity.

She continues later:

National evolution certainly appears to be over. For whatever reason, or without any reason, it stopped when mankind arrived, and seems destined to continue, if at all, only under the designing hand of mankind.

While the appendix on evolution could be skipped, the theories developed in that section underlie the entire book. I asked First Son to read it and narrate it orally. We had a fantastic discussion of Darwinian evolution, science, theories, faith, and how preconceived notions of all kinds cloud our ability to study the world and discern truth, a discussion that did not depend on agreeing with the author on all of her points. (I actually think I do agree with the author, though I hesitate to be quite so explicit in dismissing the views of those who may disagree with me as unreasonable. I may think they are unreasonable, but I don't like to say so directly.)

We will definitely use this resource again when my other children.

Links to the Hedge School are not affiliate links. I purchased this copy of A Doorway of Amethyst.