Regarding your first question on whether the story of Adam and Eve is a myth, I’d like to direct you to my answer to an earlier question on AskTM, namely: How should we interpret the message of Creation, Adam and Eve, and the forbidden fruit in Genesis? (Asked by Charlie R., SE-1). Click here to read the answer.
Regarding your follow up question, I am presenting below the answer presented in http://www.catholic.com/, with some editing and additional comments done by me. The website article has a “Nihil Obstat” (meaning “free from error”) and “Imprimatur” (meaning, “approved for publication). If you want to read the complete answer, you can click here.
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What is the Catholic position concerning belief or unbelief in evolution? The question may never be finally settled, but there are definite parameters to what is acceptable Catholic belief. Concerning cosmological evolution, the Church has infallibly defined that the universe was specially created out of nothing. Vatican I solemnly defined that everyone must "confess the world and all things which are contained in it, both spiritual and material, as regards their whole substance, have been produced by God from nothing" (Canons on God the Creator of All Things, canon 5). The Church does not have an official position on whether the stars, nebulae, and planets we see today were created at that time or whether they developed over time (for example, in the aftermath of the Big Bang that modern cosmologists discuss). However, the Church would maintain that, if the stars and planets did develop over time, this still ultimately must be attributed to God and his plan.
Concerning biological evolution, the Church does not have an official position on whether various life forms developed over the course of time. However, it says that, if they did develop, then they did so under the impetus and guidance of God, and their ultimate creation must be ascribed to him.
Concerning human evolution, the Church has a more definite teaching. It allows for the possibility that man’s body developed from previous biological forms, under God’s guidance, but it insists on the special creation of his soul. Pope Pius XII declared that "the teaching authority of the Church does not forbid that, in conformity with the present state of human sciences and sacred theology, research and discussions . . . take place with regard to the doctrine of evolution, in as far as it inquires into the origin of the human body as coming from pre-existent and living matter—[but] the Catholic faith obliges us to hold that souls are immediately created by God" (Pius XII, Humani Generis 36). So whether the human body was specially created or developed, we are required to hold as a matter of Catholic faith that the human soul is specially created; it did not evolve, and it is not inherited from our parents, as our bodies are.
(My comment: The Catechism for the Catholic Church defines “soul” not as a ghost trapped in a human body but as the “spiritual principle in a person.” CCC, 363-364).
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Having cited that, I would like to also encourage you to think of the significant teachings of the Creation story that we can apply in our lives today, namely:
- Your question reflects a longing within all of us to understand the origin of things and life and, more importantly, its purpose and destination. The bible tells us that God is the source of all creation, and that God is also our purpose and destination. It tells us that God is not a watchmaker who created a watch and simply let the world tick endlessly, while God watches from the heavens and observe. No, God continues the work of creation: things and life are getting better everyday. The Christian perspective is always that we COOPERATE with God to make things better. “May your kingdom come.”
- Secondly, we are reminded that God is in control. The God who created does not leave the world and people alone. God continues the work of creation through the everyday encounter we face where we can contribute to this work: helping a person in need, forgiving the person who hurt you, taking the initiative to mend a broken relationship, going out of your comfort zone to reach out and touch someone, making our daily business decisions consistent with Gospel values.
