Article: "A biologist converted: 'A fresh view on Christianity'"
Why occurs in an evolutionary biologist Catholic Church? - 'Christianity to me is no natural form of existence. " - 'Who has been on the cross prayed for his enemies? " -Kath.net-Exclusive Interview: Petra Lorleberg with Dr. Peter Menke
Linz (kath.net) The evolutionary biologist Dr. Peter Menke is the end of 2010 in the Catholic church occurred. He had studied biology in Tübingen and in 2007 received his doctorate from the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz about particular aspects of the evolution of primates. Now he teaches at a school in Baiersbronn, Baden-Wurttemberg and is co-author textbooks. are exclusively for
kath.net Dr. Menke Interview with information about his conversion and his view on the relationship between faith and science.
Dr. Menke, in a time that seems to be shaped by the church crisis and leaving the church, you have become a Catholic - we can certainly say that you do not simply follow the majority opinion. What fascinates you about your belief?
Christianity is for me certainly no obvious form of existence. Basically, I've been since my childhood in the search. Spirituality and religion have always appealed to me. The specifically Christian for me is the access to God through Jesus Christ and the movement of life and death - who has already on the cross prayed for his enemies?
is often the public views science is as sober facts and brings religion into the vicinity of a story time. Had to balance for yourself faith and science? Fixes the science of faith or faith in science?
There were certainly moments when I had the feeling that they "have to" balance my studies and faith. This example has shown is that I had completed my PhD with Prof. Dr. Christian Kummer almost SJ from the School of Philosophy in Munich, the focus should be the work of Teilhard de Chardin. This paleontologist had developed a type of theology, the evolutionary elements included. However, I am after studying in Tübingen, but then decided on a purely scientific doctorate at the Institute of Anthropology Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz.
I think that modern science and religion are in some ways a mutual corrective - both in terms of our evolutionary world view now, on the other hand, with regard to essential questions of bioethics.
you have your dissertation written about particular aspects of evolution of primates. Is the Christian faith with scientific Statements about the theory of evolution compatible? How do you think creationism, so that Christians take the biblical creation story as the basis of scientific research?
Instinctively, I never had a problem accepting the fact that the God of life forms through a quasi-evolution, has created a family tree so. It seemed to me that on the contrary just to be more interesting ... In this context I would like to quote the famous philosopher and Pope consultant Robert Spaemann "... you have to say that the evolutionary view of the universe favors the belief in God. "
I believe that we separate the two levels should. With creationism or modified forms - such as design intelligent - you reduce the idea of God to a stop-gap function. Meritorious biologists such as Christian de Duve and Simon Conway Morris had or have any difficulties, brilliant academic performance and a religious life to combine harmoniously. The famous phrase "Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution" is from Theodosius Dobzhansky, one of the most famous biologists in general. He was one of the pioneers of the synthetic theory of evolution, so the combination of classical genetics and evolutionary theory - and Dobzhansky was a practicing Orthodox Christian!
I Quite frankly, the world - the result of a scientifically comprehensible series of coincidences and laws of nature or the result of an almighty God freedom Creator action? We humans - a product of chance or lovingly brought to life by the Creator?
Here I would like to quote self from the epilogue of "stages of life" chemists and Nobel Prize winner Manfred: "So when it does the most frequently asked question:" Creation or Evolution to an apparent problem by having the word "or" two non-commensurable projections are confronted with each other (...) Actually they ask for something . A much different, for science has no answer "
As a religious scientist is one (private) course on the anthropic principle convinced, man would therefore be no accident product, but since the beginning of the universe" created ". An atheist scientists interpret the big bang and evolution but obviously different.
is the end for me, the "separation" between science and religion, even by Jesus founded words. "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and unto God what is God's" This relates to me personally not only to the Separation of church and state. These fields overlap, I see such as bioethical issues.
God: Is he for you an abstract idea? Clock and watchmaker of the universe? Legislators and moral authority? A psychic accident insurance? A loving comparison?
God is for me definitely a loving counterpart, but also legislators and moral authority. The American astrophysicist George V. Coyne, director of the observatory in the Vatican, it has expressed to me a very vivid way: "You raise a child, but you try to get the independent personality of the child and to enrich and his own passion for life. Parents must allow a child to grow up to come so far that it makes its own decisions on its own route through life. This is the way how God deals with the universe "
From science to back your own lives. If you a basic Christian education with in the cradle been? If you provide us with the most important stages of your development to the faith?
a basic Christian education in the sense that I at 14 - was baptized a Protestant - that at my confirmation. A few years later, I have dealt mainly with Buddhism. In retrospect, this was for me a very valuable time I could win again by a "fresh" view of Christianity. About the Christian mystics like Thomas Merton and intensive reading of works by Romano Guardini, Klaus Berger, Robert Joseph Ratzinger Spaemann or of course I am slowly but surely made a pilgrimage to Catholicism. A factor was not merely incidental course of many years of regular service visit with my wife, who teaches, among other Catholic religion. This allowed me a closer acquaintance of the Eucharist.
I n contrast to some Catholic brothers and sisters, I feel the Papacy and the "centralism" as a very constructive institutions that raise the profile in a globalized world, especially. The monastic tradition impressed me very much.
What was the conversion for you at your biggest challenge?
That was certainly the moment at the registry office, when I left the evangelical Christian community. Since then I felt it, like Protestantism was part of my identity. But the fact that I am baptized a Protestant and was accepted by the Roman Catholic Church, so that the next step could be the confirmation - that strikes me in retrospect as a personal, spiritual "evolution."
If I may ask: Who is the prayer of your favorite celestial partner and why?
Normally, I am praying the Lord's Prayer and read the New Testament. In the evening I pray three Hail Mary (faith-hope-love) and currently I am learning the Rosary - for me the way, also a meditative very profitable form of prayer!
Photo: © Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz
Source: "A biologist converted: 'A fresh view on Christianity'"
