tag name Evolution type: Miscellaneous; Science: natural, social, and applied web link bahai-library.com/tags/Evolution related tags – Concepts, Science; Biology; Creation; Science and religion, harmony of referring tags Animal cognition; Charles Darwin; Evolutionary nature of the Bahá'í Faith; Infancy, childhood and adolescence of humanity; Intelligent Design Inventory subject Evolution; human evolution notes "... A notable case in point is the treatment of the subject of the evolution of species, which is taken up explicitly in Part 4, and which must be understood in light of several Bahá’í teachings, especially the principle of the harmony of science and religion. Religious belief should not contradict science and reason. A certain reading of some of the passages found in Chapters 46–51 may lead some believers to personal conclusions that contradict modern science. Yet the Universal House of Justice has explained that Bahá’ís strive to reconcile their understanding of the statements of ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá with established scientific perspectives, and therefore it is not necessary to conclude that these passages describe conceptions rejected by science, for example, a kind of “parallel” evolution that proposes a separate line of biological evolution for the human species parallel to the animal kingdom since the beginning of life on earth. "A careful review of ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá’s statements in this volume and in other sources suggests that His concern is not with the mechanisms of evolution but with the philosophical, social, and spiritual implications of the new theory. His use of the term “species”, for example, evokes the concept of eternal or permanent archetypes, which is not how the term is defined in contemporary biology. He takes into account a reality beyond the material realm. While ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá acknowledges elsewhere the physical attributes that human beings share in common with the animal and that are derived from the animal kingdom,1 in these talks He emphasizes another capacity, a capacity for rational consciousness, that distinguishes man from the animal and that is not found in the animal kingdom or in nature itself. This unique capacity, an expression of the human spirit, is not a product of the evolutionary process, but exists potentially in creation. As ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá explains, “…since man was produced ten or a hundred thousand years ago from the same earthly elements, with the same measures and quantities, the same manner of composition and combination, and the same interactions with other beings—it follows that man was exactly the same then as exists now”. “And if a thousand million years hence,” He goes on to say, “the component elements of man are brought together, measured out in the same proportion, combined in the same manner, and subjected to the same interaction with other beings, exactly the same man will come into existence.”2 His essential argument, then, is not directed towards scientific findings but towards the materialist assertions that are built upon them. For Bahá’ís, the science of evolution is accepted, but the conclusion that humanity is merely an accidental branch of the animal kingdom—with all its attendant social implications—is not..."
– Extracted from the foreword to the 2014 revised translation of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Some Answered Questions.Notes:
1. See, for example, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá, 30.2; The Promulgation of Universal Peace: Talks Delivered by ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá during His Visit to the United States and Canada in 1912, trans. Howard MacNutt (Wilmette, IL: Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 2012), p. 427; Paris Talks: Addresses Given by ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá in 1911, 2.1 and 28.6.
2. Chap. 46, par. 7.
"... your thoughtful questions about a paragraph regarding evolution in the foreword to the 2014 edition of Some Answered Questions... which the House of Justice approved for inclusion in the foreword ...
"... The Master’s statements on evolution are subtle and complex and must be understood within the context of the entirety of the Bahá’í teachings, because His statements are both predicated upon and coherent with those teachings. In the passages found in Some Answered Questions, as well as in numerous other Tablets and talks, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá elaborates upon the principle of the harmony of science and religion, observes that human beings and animals have in common the same physical nature, emphasizes that it is the mind and the soul that distinguish humanity, and rejects the idea that human beings are merely animals, a haphazard accident, and captives of nature trapped in the struggle for existence. In light of all such statements, it is possible for a Bahá’í to conclude that one can disagree with the materialistic philosophical interpretation of scientific findings—that man is merely an animal and a random expression of nature—without contesting the scientific findings themselves, such as those in genetics which are incompatible with a concept of “parallel” evolution...
"... As you consider this matter, you may find of interest the work of those believers who have attempted to correlate ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s statements with contemporary science, such as the article “Religion and Evolution Reconciled: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Comments on Evolution” by Courosh Mehanian and Stephen R. Friberg, published in The Journal of Bahá’í Studies..."
– From: Universal House of Justice, letter to an individual, dated 21 February 2016.
references en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolution; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baháʼí_views_on_science#Bahá'í_views_on_evolution; bahai9.com/wiki/Evolution; bahaipedia.org/Science#Evolution
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