Friday 5 May 2017

Mike Pence (Chairman of the National Space Council) - Creationist, Catholic or both?

As a Catholic I know that there are many Catholics who believe in Creation, as there are many who believe in Evolution. However, most of the Catholics that I know believe in both. That is to say that God Created, but most likely through evolution.

To many non Catholic Scientific  minded people, and atheists, Catholics are a type of Christian and Christians are closed minded and fools. Never mind that most of us Catholics believe in Scientific analysis.

Now, being closed minded is not opening your mind to other peoples beliefs or worse, not accepting that other people could have a belief different from yours. Ergo it would seem that atheists are closed minded people.

Now in reality,  Catholicism is not opposed to science. In fact we embrace it. The very concept of a university as a place of higher learning was created by the Catholic Church. There was nothing like it before. By 1500AD there were over 80 Universities in Europe, almost all founded and run by the Catholic church, and we continue to found and run Universities even today.

All this being said to establish an idea in the readers head that the Catholic Church (which are made up of ordinary people and others) are all about learning, about languages, science, etc. Did you know that Catholic Priest George LemaĆ®tre put forth a theory he called his "hypothesis of the primeval atom" which is now known as the Big Bang Theory. There are hundreds of Catholic Priests over the centuries whose names are linked to scientific studies and discoveries.

Now lets talk about Catholics and Politicians - Enter Mike Pence.

 
So Mike Pence describes himself as an evangelical Catholic, or as a Christian Conservative Republican.  In a speech in the US Congress on July 11 2002 he spoke about new scientific discoveries and that the Theory of Evolution is just a Theory. He said that in schools it has been taught as fact for quite a while, not as a theory.

So we can take from that speech that he is a Creationist and that he is opposed to the teaching of Evolution and of course that he is not a scientific person. Well, maybe or maybe NOT. Rational people might say "not necessarily", and that they need more information to make a definite determination.  But in the mud slinging of politicians its about inciting hatred, not about rational thinking.  

And of course there is the press. The press will print what their Opinion Writers think. And many of the Opinion pieces are written by people with political agendas. So maybe there is a reporter somewhere who would have investigated this matter. Enter interviewer Chris Matthews.

In a 2009 interview Chris Matthews asked Mike Pence directly if he was a creationist. And I must say, his answer is the answer that I would give. And I believe strongly in science.... as I do believe in God. Here is the excerpt from the interview:

MATTHEWS: Do you believe in evolution, sir?

PENCE: Do I believe in evolution? I embrace the view that God created the heavens and the earth, the seas and all that’s in them.

MATTHEWS: Right. But do you believe in evolution as the way he did it?

PENCE: The means, Chris, that he used to do that, I can’t say. But I do believe in that fundamental truth.

So now Mike Pence is the Vice president of the United States of America and the atheist and scientist are all in a tizzy. Why? Because he is the Chairman of the National Space Council. But does anyone really know what that is?

The National Space Council was founded in 1958 by the US President Eisenhower. It was designed to be a policy-deciding committee – comprised of members of both public and private sector interests.  It has authority over any of America’s federal agencies that deal with space in some way, including  NASA and the Department of Defense.

Yes! They are all upset because in their mind  a Catholic is stupid and Mike Pence is a catholic and you can't put a Catholic (aka a stupid person) to head a scientific (political) body.

Well I hope he proves them wrong. But I believe that no matter what he does, they will still find fault with him.

And just in case you didn't get what I said before: Catholics are usually Open Minded, scientific people who believe in God. We are Good People and we do make every effort not to be linked to hate speech and actions, and I do believe that Mike Pence has so far fit this description.