Brownback on Evolution

MR. BLITZER: I wonder if you’d want to spend 30 seconds and tell our audience out there where you stand on the issue of evolution.

SEN. BROWNBACK: I’d be happy to. And it’s interesting that we’re doing this here, at St. Anselm’s, who this — that saint had a philosophy of faith seeking reason. And that’s the issue that’s missing here, if I could highlight that point, is that I believe that we are created in the image of God for a particular purpose. And I believe that with all my heart. And I’m somebody — I’ve had cancer in the past. I’ve had a season to really look at this and study it and think about the end of life. And I am fully convinced there’s a God of the universe that loves us very much and was involved in the process. How he did it, I don’t know.

One of the problems we have with our society today is that we put faith and science at odds with each other. They aren’t at odds with each other. If they are, check your faith or check your science. And we should have a discussion.

MR. BLITZER: Thank you.

SEN. BROWNBACK: And we should engage faith and reason, like Saint Anselm did.

MR. BLITZER: Thank you.

SEN. BROWNBACK: That’s something we should do.

MR. BLITZER: Thank you

So Brownback is complaining that other people put faith and science at odds with each other, but just last week he had this to say on the topic:

"Man was not an accident and reflects an image and likeness unique in the created order. Those aspects of evolutionary theory compatible with this truth are a welcome addition to human knowledge. Aspects of these theories that undermine this truth, however, should be firmly rejected as an atheistic theology posing as science."

Translation: I have a religious conviction that this event happened in the past, and any science that contradicts with that is atheistic nonsense. But it's them, not me, who's pitting science against faith by not tailoring their science to my faith.