Science vs religion. This is a battle that has been going on since I was born. There are people who say that one cannot do science and have religion. There are those who say you cannot have religion and do science. There are a variety of people who think and feel some where between those two extremes. I'd not like to talk about science vs religion too much because for me the two have never been at odds, and in fact some of the first scientist were not at odds with their religion either. In truth the real battle is between the lazy thinkers and the true explorers and we have people on both sides. Let's not beat around the bush. The big issue here is Darwinian evolution and the creation account in Genesis. Even deeper than that it is God or no God. Although it is not required for an atheist to believe or as they would put it accept evolution, it is a theory that is important to many atheists because it a theory with scientific evidence that gives an account of where everything came from without the need for a God. The big issue for many Christians is not that evolution is contradictory from Genesis chapter 1, the real problem comes from Romans where Paul said through one man sin and death entered the world, and through one man life enters the world. Paul makes a parallel between Adam and Jesus. Through Adam sin and death entered the world meaning there was no death prior to Adam. Just as sin and death entered through Adam, through Jesus one has life. You can see the problem between the two possibilities because one says there was no death before man, and the other says there must have been many deaths in order for man to become man. I need to clarify that when I say evolution I am referring to the idea that one species jumps to another. So all life came from some progenitor life form that is no longer around. When I said that there were lazy thinkers and true explorers on each side I wasn't kidding. There are those who just learn the basics of evolution and then do not bother to learn any more. They shut their brain down and refuse to listen to any evidence that could lead them away from viewing evolution as the origin of the world. The same is true for those who believe in God. Instead of trying to understand the world God has made they simply accept that God made and remain ignorant of the world around them. Early scientists where were Christians did not have this idea. They thought that is God is a Go of order then it makes sense that he would make a world of order too. Thus they started to look at the world in an orderly way, and the scientific method was on its way to being born. As a Christian it is important that I do not allow myself to simply shut my brain off. If my faith is true as I believe it is then my faith and what my faith says should make sense in the real world and I should be back up my faith with evidence and reason. Granted I cannot prove my faith as one proves gravity because faith is the evidence of things unseen, where as scientific proof is what is observed, but I can hold to my faith, based off available evidence, reasonable thought, and inward conviction. I think these are the 3 pillars which one's worldview should stand. If one cannot give an accounting in one of these pillars then perhaps their worldview should be abandoned. Each person should examine their worldview based of these pillars and see how it measures up see if it is consistent, and see if they can hold when measured against other worldviews. Getting back to the issue of science and religion, there is often an idea that if a scientist goes into the lab with an assumption in mind then their results are going to be wrong because they find evidence to fit that assumption, thus all assumptions should be given up. I would like to say that not only is this not done, but it is impossible, and it is not how these early scientists first started to examine the world. They started with a theological point. God is a God of order. Each person has to start somewhere. If one does not believe in God then they will seek to find evidence to support that belief. It should not be surprising that people who already think evolution is the way everything came to be have continued to find evidence to support that claim. Of course people found evidence to support the claim that the world was flat at one point as well. The trouble I see with many Scientists is that they are just scientists. They are not philosophers, or theologians, or anything else, and thus they limit their mind. The same can be said for pastors and theologians. I know it would do me some good to learn some more science, and this where discussion, and dialogue are important. As a Christian I believe God did create the world and the way he described it is accurate because I believe the Bible is his word and is true. Yes this shapes how I view the world, but I keep my eyes and ears open as well. I continue to learn, however I learn through the appropriate filter and it is shaped into the Christian worldview. This does not mean that I do not reflect upon my worldview and the 3 pillars upon which it stands, but I have yet to find a worldview that holds up as well as the Christian one. So keep thinking and learning Christian. Don't be afraid of science, but understand that you don't have to start at the same place scientists who don't believe in God start. Don't turn your brain off, but let your knowledge be guided by the word of God and the Holy Spirit.
2 Comments
Brandon
3/9/2015 03:20:46 am
I thought this was a well written article. My question as a Christian would be... where do you draw the line?
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Thomas
3/9/2015 07:37:10 am
Hey thanks for your comment. You kinda answered your own question. When I spoke about keeping one's eyes and ears open I did mean what you said about leaning about Islam and what they believe, as a means of doing apologetics and sharing the gospel. It's important that Christians are willing to engage with opposing view points, and try to truly understand what they are saying. One thing that bothers me is when a non-believer is not really engaging with scripture, but just taking verses out of context. It is only fair that I engage in opposing view points fairly if I expect the same. This does not mean that I change my beliefs to to these view points however, but I have an open enough mind to read them, and read them in a fair manner.
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