Creationism; Evolution and Judaism

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Creationism; Evolution and Judaism
September 17, 1999

A story is told about two old Victorian ladies whom, when first learning of Darwin’s theory of evolution, said: “Let’s hope it’s not true, and if it is, let’s hush it up." Living on the edge of the pre-modern age, I am sure that the only thing they understood about the creation of the world was a literal reading of the first chapters of our Torah, as had been transmitted to them through the Church, of every and any denomination. They would have heard similar teachings in the synagogues of their time. YET, which is very big word, AUTHENTICJUDAISM NEVER, which is another very big word, excluded modern knowledge, as defined by its time, from deepening our understanding of the message of the Torah. Sometimes when I hear and see the distortions made to OUR Bible by others, I wish that we could have kept it a secret, or that we can take it back. I am provoked to such thoughts in following the recent decision of the Kansas Board of Education to eliminate the required teaching of evolution as science, and elevate the chapters of Genesis, which is religion, to the stature of science. We have a vested interest and greatest stake in these deliberations, which have already echoed in Virginia. Out of exasperation, all I can see, tongue in cheek, is “God forbid!”

Fortunately there have been six important court decisions since 1968 that continue to protect that which our Victorian ladies would have swept under the carpet. Continuously the wall that has separated church and state, the dogmatic teaching one any one religious position as the correct or as the authoritative position has been assaulted. At least these six times the courts have enforced the very clear dichotomy of “evolution which is science” from “creationism which is not science.” But that has not stopped people from trying.

We, the Jewish people, are responsible for “birthing the Bible.” Sidestepping the question, of “Who wrote the Bible?" it is sufficient to say that we have brought it to the world. Thus, we should articulate an answer to the very simple question:

Is the book of Genesis, particularly the first and second chapters, supposed to be read literally?

To put another way:

Did God want us to believe that the world was made in six days, or 144 hours, or 8,640 minutes or 581,400 seconds?

Can we read the Bible non-fundamentalistcally and be religious people?

I have phrased the questions in this manner for the following reason. At the root of the argument the "creationists" claim that acceptance of the "scientific" theory of evolution MUST contradict one's belief in God. This contradiction becomes absolute when you stake your religious belief system on the Bible with the opening chapters of Genesis in opposition to "science" which proposes a seemingly very different story. The "creationists" read our Biblical text LITERALLY. It is a fundamental text. You either believe in the Bible literally and thus root your belief in God, or you believe in science, which contradicts "the word of God".

What is our response?

Fortunately, the Jewish tradition looks at the Biblical text in what I call the "Seven Layer Cake" approach. There are more than one way to understand the text. Not even resorting to the more mystical tendencies, mainstream Judaism reads the Torah at least in two ways simultaneously, without contradiction. There is the PESHAT - the simple, plain meaning of the text. The first two chapters of Genesis have a straightforward story line, which sets out creation in a six-day format. BUT we also read the same words through the prism of DERASH, namely, a reading for meaning. This reading does not deal the text as a literal document, but as a meaningful document.

What lessons does the text teach?

What framework does the story line provide?

What are the differences from this story line to other similar story lines?

[There were other creation stories in antiquity.]

What does this text teach us about God?

What does this text teach us about humanity?

The great medieval Jewish commentator Rashi coined the phrase that the Biblical text never loses it plain meaning. We cannot abrogate or rewrite the actual text. When it says "days" it means twenty-four hours. "Six" is six. Yet the Torah text is never read in its peshat form alone.

It is meant to be read midrashically, namely, to be read for its deeper meanings about God and us. Realizing that the Bible uses metaphor, simile, analogical language, and myth helps us arrive at the true meaning of the text. It was NEVER meant to be read as a science book. It was ALWAYS meant to be read as a religious book.

Judaism declares that science and religion are not in contradistinction. The more science teaches us about the world, about our origins, about the universe, the greater and deeper is our appreciation, love and devotion to our Creator. In Psalm 19 the Psalmist writes: ”The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim His handiwork. Day after day reveals His splendor; night after night recounts His greatness." The further out into space and the deeper into the earth that scientists dig, the larger is our sense of the mystery and uniqueness of our existence. Judaism concludes that we are not an accident, not a random creation, but a purposeful existence stemming from a loving God. The opening chapters of Genesis set the stage, use words to express the that which is beyond words. Most assuredly, neither the source of this document nor we its bearers EVER, EVER, intended for it to be in the public school curriculum, nor to be studied as a book about science.

Judaism is NEVER afraid of new knowledge. My teacher at the Jewish Theological Seminary, Dr. Fritz Rothschild, wrote that "the view that the Bible contains God's message to man had led to ever new interpretations, since it constantly forced believing readers to reconcile the words of the sacred text with whatever they held to be true on the basis of their own experience, the canons of logic, contemporary science, and their moral insights." He concludes: "To freeze a particular understanding of the text and canonize it as the only legitimate one makes its message irrelevant and defeats its very purpose." Our greatest Jewish scholars, the essence of Judaism, have always brought new insights from new knowledge from different disciplines in order to better understand the Bible. To mention just a few: Philo of Alexandria (20 B.C.E. - 45 C.E.), the entire scope of Rabbinic literature, specifically the vast collections of midrash, Saadya Gaon (892 - 942), Maimonides (1135 - 1204), and the Zohar, Judaism's mystical literature.

As I understand our faith, Judaism must denounce "creationism" as the ONLY religious reading of the Bible, and equally condemn its introduction into public school curriculum in place of science. My three points substantiate this position.

I am equally strenuously opposed to "creationism" because it is the foil for a larger agenda, fomented by the Religious Right. That is the subject for a separate sermon on another night. If and when this subject comes on the agenda here in Virginia we the Jewish community are, in my mind, commanded to present our methodology of reading the Bible and fight to preserve science in the school curriculums while preserving Bible for the church and synagogue schools. We owe this to our heritage our children, our faith, and ourselves and to America.