Election deadline
The deadline for letters to the editor related to the May 4 election is at noon Monday, April 26. No election-related letters will be published after Friday, April 30.
Almost exactly 400 years ago, Galileo published his report that, based on his empirical observations using the newly invented telescope, the Earth moves around the Sun, not vice versa. This claim had been made before, but Galileo had solid scientific evidence.
Galileo was then attacked because his report contradicted Scripture. He was charged with heresy by the Catholic Inquisition and threatened with a flaming death at the stake if he did not recant. Who was right? Galileo or Scripture?
Accordingly, Dr. (Richard) Moore and I acknowledged (“Christians need not feel threatened by evolution,” Feb. 25) that the discoveries of science do not support a literal interpretation of the Genesis creation story. We asserted that this does not discredit the Bible. It is clear from the scientific evidence that the creation story is an allegory of God’s work, not literal history.
Norm Pennington wrote (“It can’t be done,” March 9 letter) that “if evolution is true – meaning that human beings are the product of billions of years of chance development ... there would be no basis for Christianity.”
This is where Mr. Pennington is completely wrong; that is a non sequitur. He obviously does not understand evolution theory or Christianity. Evolution works because nature is selective, not driven by chance. That is why Darwin called the process “natural selection.” Christianity works, not because of what it says in Genesis, but because of what Jesus said in the Gospels.
Pennington falsely argues that if Genesis is wrong, there is no source of sin. Jesus died for our sins, not because of the mythical Adam and Eve. Jesus understood human nature, that every generation would need redemption.
Christians indeed should “do their homework.” They’ll see Pennington is just wrong; there are no peer-reviewed articles in legitimate scientific journals “that contradict evolution.” ...
Daniel K. Gladish
Hamilton
Editor’s note: The letter writer is an associate professor of botany at Miami University Hamilton.