In Reply to: Re: Faith, Reason, God and Other Imponderables (NT) posted by CB on July 25, 2006 at 22:17:02:
If you are truly interested in the topic of reconciling science & religious faith, you might want to read the writings of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. He was a paleontologist, philosopher & Jesuit priest. I suggest starting with the wikipedia entry on de Chardin, particularly paying attention to the concept of the noosphere and Omega point, because these are philosophical suppositions that de Chardin grounded in his faith in Christ and understanding of God.
The fact of the matter is, when one interprets the Genesis creation stories in a non-literal manner (e.g., as archtypal myths), this interpretative approach tends to undermine classic Christian doctrine about original sin and the need for salvation from sin.
SInce I have quite a bit of training in scientific method, I've struggled quite a lot over the years to bring the two--faith and science--together. The two are not mutually exclusive, but my faith has changed as my worldview expanded. I am much less inclined to speak about matters of personal faith with absolutely certainty, and more inclined to simply place hope in a power greater than myself. I think more about how to predispose myself and others to an awareness and reception of divine grace than in preaching some message or "proving" some theological proposition is true.
In working out my current understanding of sin, I've been influenced by the medieval mystic Julian of Norwich, who concluded that the vastness of divine grace is mysterious and ultimately beyond our comprehension. There is much we cannot understand, and I no longer make much effort to go there. I choose instead to trust that "All shall be well," as Julian wrote in Revelations of Divine Love. This was the message in one of her 16 "shewings" or revelations of Christ's passion. Julian also had something to say about God as Mother that is compatible with scripture and Christian tradition.
http://www.gloriana.nu/julian.htm