Religion and Evolution

This evening I went to the panel on religion and evolution. The question was phrased "How does evolution represent a threat to your faith?" Despite the diverse views of science and faith (though not race or gender) four out of five panelists had the same answer: it doesn't. This observation was one of the most fascinating things that I realized. The first panelist was an atheist scientist who responded that it confirms his faith in the scientific method. Also, there was a Mormon who believed in the coherence of evolution and God. Next, was a scientist who said that he doesn't believe in Darwinian evolution, but he doesn't have enough faith to be either believe in a God or be an atheist, so there is no faith for something he thinks is false to threaten. The last panelist said that his faith in God does not depend on the current theories of science. All of these men had different points of view, but held that there were no contradictions. The only one who held that there was a contradiction, the only one who dared to admit that he was not completely certain was the Religious Studies professor. I really respected the courage and confidence that it must have taken to admit in a room full of people that you believe things that may be wrong. I think this confidence does come from studying religions. As a Religious Studies major, I have studied many religions and know that they aren't all harmonious with each other. Not everyone in the world can have the "correct" belief, if there even is one. But by knowing and respecting that, we know that our own beliefs might also be wrong. The other poignant part of this panel, for me, was an assumption brought up at the very end of the discussion. The same professor brought up the fact that we had all been referring to the Creator or God with the pronoun "He". But that assumes an Abrahamic faith, specifically, in this context, Christianity. The panel had been set up to talk about religion in general, but it kept referring only towards Christianity. My friend remarked that, of course that is what it turned in to, given our location. It is, in my opinion, okay that this is where the conversation drifted, but I do think that it is essential to recognize the assumption being made. It is one step towards recognizing and understanding Christian privilege.