Commentary: Galileo and Darwin All Over Again?

Just the other day, I wanted to share some of last year's stuff that I missed during my previous blog.

Then, earlier today, I remembered an article I read a month back that really irritated me. So I'm writing about that instead. It's entitled "Will a New Vatican Document Affect Science and Reproductive Health?" from Scientific American. You can read the full article here.

Now, I honestly haven't read the actual Vatican document. Though as I write this, I think I'll find time to read it.

Now, the Church has a very long history of condemning a lot of activities and a lot people, and later retracting its own accusations, sometimes apologetically, sometimes silently. Statistically, I wouldn't bet the Church is "right" this time around. And yes, I do believe other people should not also. But I also believe that we should let people (or even whole societies) believe what they want.

What really irritates me (and it's irritating me a lot) is how many people still actually believe that the Pope's words are true, and are actually [their] God's word. If I told those same people stock prices will jump 100% upwards tomorrow across the board, they won't believe me and will ask for data. An organization who has never proven any of its theses tells them to believe something, and they immediately swallow it hook, line, and sinker. That's indoctrination for you.

Does that mean I don't think that human dignity, the subject of the document, to be important? Of course I do. I just disagree with the arbitrary way (i.e. the method) the line between dignity and indignity was drawn. Of course, the Church doesn't believe in conducting studies on where the line should really be drawn, much less getting the second opinion from the general populace - it would be more convenient to simply get "divine intervention" - essentially, a system based on faith. Faith in God (which is good), and faith that the Catholic Church is really the God's church (which is hard to swallow). That's asking a lot of faith.

If a company doesn't have the proper systems and processes in place, and a bad track record, would you believe in its declarations to deliver? Because essentially, that is what the Catholic Church seem to be - an organization with one of the worst systems and processes in place when it comes to determining truths. Admittedly, it has good financial and asset management systems, a well-controlled(-oiled) political machinery, and a big charitable arm; but when it comes to systems on finding and identifying truths about reality, it's archaic, outdated, and needs an overhaul. If it's God guiding them, I don't believe they would have taken so many wrong intellectual positions time and time again without fail. After all, God can only make so many mistakes, right?

Now, why does science prove itself time and time again? The answer is simple: systems make an organization work. The systems of science make its entire organization - the whole scientific community - work. Systems embodied by the scientific principle and practiced in peer review. Sure, it may at times fail and falter, but the systems ensure the organization recovers. Does the Catholic Church have the same systems in place, with the same reputation?

Times like these, I just wish people truly understood what Carl Sagan was saying when he titled one of his books as "The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark."