How has mankind’s perception of evolution impacted society?

How has mankind’s perception of evolution impacted society? The concept of evolution has occurred to philosophers, thinkers and scientists since decades before the birth of Jesus Christ, with pre-Socratic Greek philosophers, such as Anaximander and Empedocles being some of the first ones to hit upon the idea (Oktar). However, it is not until the publication of the work of Charles Darwin’s – On Origin of Species, that the theory of evolution became an epic revolution in mankind’s perception of life origin and evolution. In virtue of the theory, impacts are many, such as advancement in science and technology (National Academy of Sciences & Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, 2008). However, this essay will only focus on the influence on religion, in particular, Christianity. The theory of evolution has undermined religious faith, in a sense that not only do people challenge the church’s view on science, morality and truths, more seriously, an uprooting scientific mentality using an evolution framework is deployed by many which breaks down religion into a social phenomenon. According to the Book of Genesis, the world was created in seven days, or more precisely, six days with the seventh day as the Sabbath day for rest. The Bible makes no literal description that any of the creatures came from some antecedents which disappeared or became other life forms (Cserháti). Hence as Darwinism emerged numerous Creationists opposed to the idea. However, the debate started to ebb as more and more Christians, mostly Catholics, compromise to the scientific evidence and theory. This can be explained by two facts. First, as the quantity of fossil records discovered has been going up in these few decades ("The Nature and Adequacy of the Fossil Record," 2011), missing links are being gradually replaced by concrete proofs. Subsequently, the theory of evolution appears more creditable than in the time of Darwin. Second, as the Vatican takes a step down from the controversy, many believers change their mind and begin to think for a holistic view on the Creation through the process of natural selection. In one occasion, Pope Benedict XVI put it:
I see in Germany, but also in the United States, a very bitter debate between so-called creationism and evolutionism, presented as if they were mutually exclusive alternatives: those who believe in the Creator cannot consider evolution and those who affirm evolution must exclude God. This juxtaposition is an absurdity, because there are many scientific proofs supporting evolution as a reality, which we must recognize and which enrich our understanding of life. But the doctrine of evolution does not answer all questions, and above all does not answer the greatest philosophical question: where does everything come from? And how is it that it took a path that arrived ultimately at man?(CADORE, 2007)
The Catholic Church, along with many other Protestant Churches, is not so much a conservative religious organization as a compromising yet truth-seeking-and-holding body. In regard of the Pope’s speech, Christianity, especially the Roman Catholic Church, protects not only its central doctrine but its role in today’s world with a neutral standpoint with respect to the theory of evolution, that non-believers shall find less irritation in the Church than before. Nonetheless, there remain a considerable number of scientists and scholars who maintain an atheist view on the origin of life and attacked the faith with scientific knowledge. One example is Richard Dawkins, author of several evolution-related books like The Selfish Gene and The Blind Watchmaker, who proceeded from a Darwinian theory of evolution to a confident atheistic world-view, which he preaches with what often seems to be messianic zeal and unassailable certainty (MCGRATH, 2005, p. 116). The concept of evolution is also vicariously taken by modern social scientists, scientists and anthropologists to explain the origin and evolution of religions. It is argued that religion exists because it has secular functions: as people are able to lead better lives in religious groups than outside the reciprocal aid and consolation of such groups, systematic religious beliefs, practices, and institutions are resulted (Benzon, 2003, p. 35). On the other hand, as some religions often compare their communities to an organism or even an insect colony, the evolutionary process of religion implies a resemblance of that of organisms: religions have been going through variations and natural selection, with the selecting agents being theology, sociology, history, economics and psychology (Wilson, 2002, p. 2). On the surface it is not much a malign hypothesis, however, what it imposes is not only an extra supplement to religion, but also destruction to the sanctity as well as an incontrovertible denial of the existence of a true supreme being. The conflict between religion and science since the enlightenment in Europe has changed from the primitive form, which is constant dispute over natural phenomena to a new form, which involves utilization of a domain’s reasoning to uproot the foundation of another. In contrast to the history, modern mankind has stepped into a new realm, where the balance has nearly toppled over. From the dominance of religion in ancient times, constant controversies over theories and observations few centuries backwards, to the modern prevalence of science, in particular the theory of evolution, which outweighs religion, the norms and mentality of humans today are far from that in the past. As the situation is turning hot white, what appears indubitable is that many believers shall encounter a time of doubt and suffer, and the benefits of religions, such as different sets of morality and values, will be very likely to be wiped out by so-called logic and science, which, although coming from great social scientists and philosophers, when compared to religion, seems void and precarious.
(931 words) Reference:
Benzon, W. L. (2003). Rock Art in Darwin’s Cathedral. [Shamanism and the Ancient Mind: A Cognitive Approach to Archaeology, Darwin's Cathedral: Evolution, Religion, and the Nature of Society ]. Evolutionary Psychology, 1.
CADORE, L. D. (2007, 25-7-2007). Pope Benedict XVI: Creation vs. evolution an ‘absurdity’, MSNBC News Services Retrieved from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19956961/ns/world_news-europe/t/pope-creation-vs-evolution-clash-absurdity/#.Tr-lGEOInUA
Cserháti, M. Catholicism’s Evolution Connection a Compromise Typical of Apostasy. Retrieved from Berean Beacon website: http://www.bereanbeacon.org/articles/sorted/08_Sponsored_Articles/Catholicisms_Evolution_connection.pdf
MCGRATH, A. (2005). Has Science eliminated God? –Richard Dawkins and the Meaning of Life. Science & Christian Belief, 17(2).
National Academy of Sciences, & Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. (2008). Science, Evolution, and Creationism: National Academies Press.
The Nature and Adequacy of the Fossil Record. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.geo.wvu.edu/~kammer/g231/AdequacyFossilRecord.pdf
Oktar, A. THE ROOT OF NATURAL SELECTION: PAGANISM, from http://www.naturalselectionanddarwinism.com/paganism.html
Wilson, D. S. (2002). Darwin's cathedral: evolution, religion, and the nature of society. USA: The University of Chicago.