Vatican Observatory head calls intelligent design 'absurd' concept

Published: 2006-03-28

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The director of the Vatican Observatory called the concept of intelligent design "absurd" and part of a religious fundamentalist movement in the United States, which wants science to show that God exists. "They are using the Bible as science, as a source of scientific knowledge. This is wrong," Jesuit Father George Coyne told Catholic News Service after a March 27 lecture in Washington. The earliest date given for the start of modern science is the 13th century, more than 1,000 years after all of the books of the Bible were written, he said. "How could biblical writers draw on science when modern science didn't exist yet?" said Father Coyne. He also discussed intelligent design in his speech on the evolution of the universe and in a subsequent question-and-answer period. His talk was sponsored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. "Intelligent design is a religious movement based on fear that if you don't teach an alternative to evolution, we will have a lot of little atheists running around," he said.

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