Faith & Reflection
The disparity between science and faith is growing.
This is interesting since most pioneers of modern-day science (Copernicus, Galileo, Lister and Pascal, to list a few) were committed to Christian faith and biblical truth.
In fact, their scientific research was basically an ordered and consistent endeavor to learn God’s laws and understand how they function.
The aforementioned efforts contributed immensely to modern science. So, when science scorns faith, it is a classic example of biting the hand that fed it.
Alfred Whitehead, affirming this said, “Christianity is the mother of science simply because of its insistence on the rationality of God.” He claimed that this belief in God, absolute truth, order and predictability, “provided Christian scientists with confidence, resulted in innumerable discoveries and the establishment of the scientific method”.
Isaac Newton, addressing the same topic in Principia wrote, “This most beautiful system of the sun, planets, and comets, could only proceed from the Council and dominion of an intelligent and powerful Being...this Being governs all things...”
Additionally, the rift may not be as vast as has been supposed. For example, astronomer Fred Hoyle (after rejecting the “Big-Bang” theory) said, “common-sense interpretation of the facts suggest that a super intellect has monkeyed with physics as well as chemistry and biology...there are no blind forces worth speaking about in nature...the facts seem to me so overwhelming... this conclusion is almost beyond question.”
Albert Einstein chimed in saying, “Everyone who is seriously involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that a spirit is manifest in the laws of the universe – a spirit vastly superior to that of man and one in the face of which we must feel humble...”
It may surprise some, but Charles Darwin stated, “The impossibility of conceiving that this grand and wondrous universe, with our conscious selves, arose through chance, seems to be the chief argument for the existence of God.”
As a Christian, I lament the fact that modern science seems to demonstrate a demeaning attitude toward Christianity ranging from doubt to disdain. On the other hand, I’m not impressed when Christians exhibit disparaging attitudes or make belittling comments in response toward those holding variant opinions.
Let me close with a science lesson from the Bible. “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky proclaims the work of His hands. Day after day they pour out speech; night after night they communicate knowledge. There is no speech; there are no words; their voice is not heard. Yet their message has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens He has pitched a tent for the sun…it rejoices like an athlete running a course” (Psalm 19:1 – 5).