Creation or evolution: battle with windmills

1. Entity type Lemma
2. Original titleТворение или эволюция: битва с ветряными мельницами
3. Language term Russian
4. lemma author Saprykin, Dmitry
5. lemma category Scientific theories and disciplines > Biology:evolution
6. Publication date 05-01-2004
7. lemma work Печерный Андрей [Author]. Creation or evolution: battle with windmills
8. lemma manifestations Киевская Русь
9. Keywords Creationism - Evolution
10. Citations
    1. http://www.kiev-orthodox.org/site/faithscience/594/
11. Lemma body

    1. The author of the article criticizes the concept of "Orthodox creationism" expressed in the collective work "Hexameron Against Evolution," in which evolutionism is declared a heresy and the creation days duration is interpreted literally on the basis of some quotations from the Church Holy Fathers works. He inquires: is the Universe development idea really contrary to the Orthodox worldview and how do the Holy Fathers teach about this?

       Not every thought in the field of natural science which occurs in patristic writings should be immediately declared a church dogma, the author believes, since in terms of natural science they were largely people of their time.

       At the core of the "Orthodox creationists" worldview, according to the author, lies the following principle: everything that happens in the world according to the nature laws is a tough need in which there are no glimpses of grace; and, on the contrary, everything that is done in the world by God must inevitably contradict the laws of nature and be only an irrational miracle. In their understanding, the "self-activity" of the world necessarily means that there is no need for the Creator and His Providence, and therefore no "self" is applicable to the nature for them.

       Andrey Pecherniy argues that the "Orthodox creationists" worldview, despite all their loud statements, is difficult to describe as fully consistent with the spirit of patristic theology, because in the Holy Fathers’ vision God creates the world of permanent action, change, development, and this development itself is carried out in accordance with the God established laws. The laws of the universe, being the same creation of God as the world itself, cannot fail to correspond to the will of the Creator. In the view of Orthodox "creationists", God is powerless and incapable to endow the capacity for independent development to His creation, and therefore creates the world exclusively through a series of supernatural interventions.

       The author is confident that there can be an Orthodox understanding of the theory of development of animal world certain species from ones to others, which can only serve to glorify the greatness and wisdom of the Creator.

       "Orthodox creationists", being little acquainted with serious scientific works, discredit the Church, the Fathers and theology itself, the author believes, and deliberately provoke a conflict between faith and science where it could and should be avoided.