I have often been puzzled by the
notion that if you are a thinking, rational, scientific person, there is no
room for faith in your life. I want to strongly suggest that this is a flawed
assumption. If it were not for people of faith, who believed in a God who
created our world with order and meaning, there would be no science. I know
that today science rejects faith, but it was not so in the beginning.
I have a degree in biology and a
love for science. I also have a degree in theology and have an even deeper love
of Christ Jesus. I strongly believe that these two spheres can live in harmony
with one another. They do not have to be adversaries as they are today.
Science seeks to answer the
question, how do things work. Science is based on observation and
experimentation. It carefully examines the components of an object or situation
and seeks to understand the mechanism by which it functions. So, for example,
biology seeks to understand the mechanisms of living things. When I was in
college I took a class in endocrinology. Through varies experiments we learned
how hormones and the organs that produce them affect the individual. We know
that certain hormones produce certain traits in the individual. Remove the
hormone from the system and those traits are diminished or disappear
altogether.
Theology seeks to answer the
question, why do things work, or why are things the way they are. Theology also
uses observation but informed by revelation. It begins with the premise that
the world was created with both order and purpose. Theology focuses on the
meaning of life, not just the mechanics of life.
One of the ways in which science
and theology differ is that science is focused on a pragmatic approach to life,
while theology is focused on a moral and ethical approach to life. I am not
saying that science ignores ethics. It just starts from a different place. In
its efforts to expand our knowledge about our world, science tends to run far
ahead of ethics. Their mantra is, “Is this possible?” Theology begins from the
other end. It examines the possibilities and asks the question, “Is this moral
or ethical?”
One of the hallmarks of science
is having an open mind to all possible explanations, no matter how unlikely.
More than once, the unlikely explanation has turned out to be the right one.
Yet, when it comes to the Divine, many scientists reject that possibility out
of hand. They sneer at religion as superstition, myth and fantasy. A form of
social elitism as permeated the soul of science. They look upon people of faith
as backward and unintelligent. Science has succumbed to that ancient temptation
to want to be God. By eliminating the possibility of a transcendent God,
science has taken His place.
By eliminating God from the
picture, science has opened the door for the dehumanization of mankind. Without
God there is no ultimate meaning in life. Without God we are just another
animal form fighting for a temporary existence on an insignificant planet.
Without God meaning is drained out of life itself. Without some outside,
ultimate standard by which to judge our actions, anything goes.
Let me return to my original
idea. Science and faith do not need to be at odds with one another. In no way
does belief in a transcendent God hinder the work of science, except in holding
us accountable for how we use our discoveries. Belief in God does not stop us
from exploring to the fullest extent the world in which we live. Belief in God
gives meaning and purpose to our discoveries. Are we really improving the
quality of our life by expunging any real meaning and purpose from it?
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