Pope Benedict to embrace Intelligent Design?

A great deal of ink has been spilled about the Catholic church's embrace of evolution during Pope John Paul II's watch. But now, his successsor- Pope Benedict XVI- is reportedly getting ready to endorse Intelligent Design.

Intelligent design, of course- despite the repeated statements to the contrary by those on the cultural Left- is not simply another way of saying "Creationism." The latter has to do with the notion that the world was created in six literal 24-hour days, as related by Genesis 1. Intelligent Design, on the other hand, is merely the idea that the universe didn't come into being by accident- an affirmation any consistent theist would have a hard time questioning.

So why the ruckus? Because classical Darwinism is more than simply evolution through natural selection. It's specifically evolution through random natural selection. The randomness is an important part of the concept- and as much a matter of metaphysics rather than science as the affirmation that the universe is the work of an intelligent Creator.

Perhaps the apparently impending embrace of Intelligent Design by a church which has already embraced evolution- and without involving even a hint of contradiction- may make it just a tad more difficult for those who either don't understand the terms or are trying to pull an intellectual fast one by conflating Creationism and Intelligent Design- which do not even discuss the same subject (Creationism has to do with the origin of species; Intelligent Design, with that of the universe itself).

Perhaps, too, it will help make the point that at least classic Darwinism is utterly incompatible with the notion of a Creator, its model of evolution depending dogmatically, metaphysically- and unscientifically- on random chance.

A First Cause, maybe. Perhaps a Deist Clockmaker, who created the materials necessary for life, and perhaps got the process started- but thereafter simply sat by eating metaphorical popcorn and being surprised by what happened next. But not a God in the sense of any of the great Western religious traditions.

But no. Even a Clockmaker would imply purpose and some sort of design- which the metaphysical dogmatics of classical Darwinism emphatically reject.

HT: Drudge