Your response was:
The Church does not endorse intelligent design because ID purports to be a science when it is not. Rather, the Church continues to embrace theistic evolution which is a reconciliation between science and religion (recognizing their complementary relationship). In other words, the Church teaches that the whole discussion cannot be contained to science but inevitably leads to faith.
· I’ve not read the Ratzinger book mentioned above but it looks like a good resource for the Mom to read for her own enrichment. That still leaves the issue of how to engage the child. Take a look at this link: http://www.love2learn.net/science/creation.htm. The site reviews a book, Creator and Creation (second edition) that seems to address the issue thoughtfully.
· Take a look at this link from John Allen in which he synthesizes Benedict XVI’s views on the issue: http://nationalcatholicreporter.org/word/word090106.htm
· I think that the bottom line is that the child’s interest in the science of evolution should not be hindered but encouraged along with an encouragement to explore the mystery of our being – the WHY of our being – which can only be explored in the realm of faith. The child should be led to understand that the theory of evolution is not necessarily atheistic, but expands our understanding of the complexity, intricacy, and intimacy of God’s relationship with all of creation…like a loving parent’s relationship with a developing child.

But later on you stated:
Personally, I have no need to pursue the inadequacy of the theory of evolution because I do not see it as being in conflict with my faith. I don’t think that our strategy should be to respond to disbelievers with more science but rather to invite them to consider the meaning of life and the WHY of creation.

Do you realize that you are actually contradicting yourself? You are promoting exactly the opposite of what Catholic Church is asking of you: Catholic Church wants us to study both and be curious of both and through both to find meaning and knowledge, this is the message of the Catholic Church and not to ignore one and just blindly accept faith and not to try to convince one group to accept faith and drop their search to find answers to their WHYs! it is absurd! How will the world be, if all scientists dropped their Whys? Will their be research in medical, technological fields? Will you have better medical care, internet, pharmacy or transportation or living conditions? How will their be any advancements in social economic medical technological fields without science? By prayer?
Science , Theory of Evolution and Theistic Evolution do go hand in hand and they complement each other. Nobody can ignore the fact from dinosaurs and million year old fossils and hundred thousand year old human remains and artifacts that life was on earth for millions of years and did not start with Bible. But some find the Bible and Torah and Kuran as religious texts inspiring. They certainly can not explain how Life started on earth scientifically. But they are testaments to human imagination, records of our recent human history, human search for meaning, poetry and they have their place and importance in their own right. But just because of those texts nobody becomes more ethical nor moral as we see countless of times with hateful behavior they have also induced: divisiveness, religious hatred, bigotry and religious wars. Human beings are complex and the “god” they are searching outside is within each of us. Love is within and hate is within. Religious texts are certainly inspiring. Science is certainly fascinating. But at the end, human beings are alone with their conscious and their reason and they must be and have the strength to be their own judge and their own ” church”

I’m so glad we could be of help. Continue checking here for more comments from people with good ideas that may assist you. God bless your vocation as a parent!

How about Ben Stein’s recent movie that exposes the “untelligencia” for what they are: people who choose disbelieve in God and attempt to make science support their foregone conclusion. We need to question these so-called “scholars” more than we question the Church. http://www.expelledthemovie.com/ If this kid is watching the Discovery and Encylopedia channel, he can watch Expelled.

For the more scientifically minded, read “A Case Against Accident and Self-Organization”. http://www.amazon.com/Case-Against-Accident-Self-Organization/dp/0742511677 Wowee, what book. Too hard for an 11 year old, though, I would imagine.

For me, I’m convinced of the existence of God whenever I learn about biological processes like the nucleus of a cell (mind boggling), how conception works (true design) or as I witnessed the birth of my children. Absolute transcendence!

oug