Evolution statement was misconstrued

In a March 12 Fence Post letter about the proper place for the teaching of creationism, David Thiessen made a statement that demands some correction. Pope John Paul II’s Oct. 22, 1996, “Message To The Pontifical Academy Of Sciences: On Evolution” was the basis for Mr. Thiessen’s statement: “I decided to study both sides of the issue . . . especially after John Paul II’s 1996 Truth Cannot Contradict Truth Encyclical in which the Catholic Church accepted evolution as God’s plan for humanity.”

I do not find a statement anywhere in John Paul’s message about evolution being God’s plan for humanity. At best, his message seems to acknowledge scientific research: “Some new findings lead us toward the recognition of evolution as more than a hypothesis . . . The convergence in the results of these independent studies — which was neither planned nor sought — constitutes in itself a significant argument in favor of the theory.”

The pontiff goes on to say, “And to tell the truth, rather than speaking about the theory of evolution, it is more accurate to speak of the theories of evolution. . . . As a result, the theories of evolution are incompatible with the truth about man. They are therefore unable to serve as the basis for the dignity of the human person.”

In 1899 the U.S. Patent Office commissioner, Charles H. Duell, said, “Everything that can be invented has been invented.” And in 1981 Bill Gates remarked that “640K ought to be enough for anybody.” Absolute truths are few and far between; believers must be careful on what they build their foundation.

Mike Butz

Bartlett