Catholic Resources on the Internet
Science
THE ASSOCIATION OF CHRISTIAN ASTRONOMERS INTERNATIONAL "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." (Psalm 19:1) Membership of the Association is free and the site has various resources including an informative and helpful evening sky map for amateur astronomers. A "Junior Galactic Explorers" club is offered for children. The statement of faith has a markedly evangelistic bias but the site as a whole is encouraging and upbeat. In the FAQ section, it is stated that no position is taken on the creationist/evolutionist debate.
DAYSTAR "Exploring and debating the big questions raised by science", this site is devoted to asking questions about cause and chance within the universe and evidence for the existence of God. Fred Heeren, a science writer, is now working for the Day Star Network as "the world's only cosmic reporter". The aim is to encourage people to think about the big questions - "the opposite of trivial Pursuit." There is an interview of the week with a top scientist, a discussion forum and a resources section with books and videos relating to Science and the existence of God.
EVOLUTION The BBC's guide to evolution. Transcript of the series Life on Earth.
FAITH One of the most promising developments in the Church since Vatican ll. The focus of the FAITH movement is a new synthesis of science and the Catholic faith. It offers a perspective on creation through evolution which shows clearly the transcendent existence of God and the essential distinction of matter and spirit. Linking creation, incarnation, salvation, Church and sacrament in one coherent theology, it presents a dynamic and attractive vision of the faith. There is an unfortunate tension between some traditional Catholics, who prefer the slam-bam-job-done-Sam view of creation, and the Faith movement.
REASONS TO BELIEVE Another site that FAITH readers will find interesting is "Reasons to Believe". Founded by Dr Hugh Ross of Pasadena, California, the mission of Reasons To Believe is "to show that science and faith are, and always will be, allies, not enemies." The papers "Design Evidences in the Cosmos" and "Design Evidences in Life Support" will be of particular interest to FAITH apologists. However, the evangelical influence is evident in the testable creation model which exemplifies the mistake analyzed by Stanley Jaki of making Genesis a "cosmogenesis".
SCIENCE IN CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE "A fellowship of men and women in science and disciplines that relate to science who share a common fidelity to the Word of God and a commitment to integrity in the practice of science." The "Topic Collections" have papers on a variety of subjects including apologetics, origins of life and psychology, to name but a few. The mathematics section provides among other things, a number of articles debunking the "Bible Codes" theory from a Christian point of view. Again, the ASA has no position on evolution but provides a forum for discussion. Most intriguing site for readers of FAITH.
THE COOL OBSERVATORY Well in fact, it is located in Cool, California, just NE of Sacramento. So as you would expect, the name is a gift for this youth-orientated site. Some "cool" photos, news items and advice on image acquisition, the site is a good resource for youngsters interested in astronomy from a Christian standpoint - the sort of youngster who would be enthused by a picture captioned "M29 in Cyngus - coo Diffraction Spikes...Huh?"