Science vs Religion

How has it become science versus religion?

I don't believe science and religion should be mutually exclusive; opposites forbidden to interact.



To me, science is the process of gaining new insight into how God knit creation together. The Bible says that creation testifies to the creator. Why shouldn't I be amazed at the discovery of each new planet? How can people not be amazed when they hear the spider silk is ounce for ounce stronger than steel? Einstein, who did not believe in a personal God, once said, "The more I study science, the more I believe in God." There is so much underlying order in the mechanisms of the chaotic universe we live in I believe it should make people stop and think.

As long as discoveries are sought in an ethical manner, and glory is attributed to Him I say "Keep researching!" Faith can inspire science. Science can lead to faith. Many revolutionary discoveries were made by believers. Believers who searched for God in nature and wanted a glimpse further into creation.

Unfortunately, it feels like religion or anyone religious is seen as an opponent to 'science.' Scroll down through the comments of any online article and invariably the topic comes up. I have friends who post pictures online that cast science as always right. Anyone who disagrees is clearly religious and clearly wrong.

To many, this is a contradiction: I teach life science, but I believe God created the world.

The Theory of Evolution is part of the curriculum. Maybe one day saying that won't mean much, but I doubt it.

There are many scientists and educated individuals who believe in Intelligent Design; that it is impossible for our ordered universe to spring forth from chaos by nothing other than random chance. It feels like the other two extremes are who I hear most: those that believe evolution is a hoax or (at worst) an insult to God, and those that believe Evolution disproves God's existence.

I don't subscribe to a young Earth. I do believe in an unchanging, omnipotent God. I believe he built the mechanisms for the universe on an unchanging and incredible rule set that we are continuously chipping away at and discovering new facets of. Unchanging God, unchanging rules.

Complexity? Beyond human imagination. The more we find the more layers we find underneath unraveling a deeper and deeper mystery. The chair you're sitting on? Made of atoms. The atoms? Tiny particles with an electric charge. What's under those?

I also believe that God does not lie. I don't see all of the fossil records and similar DNA structures throughout all living things as some red herring or cosmic joke. I don't believe that they were left behind by the devil, either. Only God has the power to bring life.

And yet, how do I reconcile these beliefs with Genesis? If I believe the Bible is God's infallible word, then why does it not make note of dinosaurs, atoms, or Pangaea?

Well, I do believe the Word is infallible; Divinely inspired. Even when the Gospels have slightly different accounts (such as John doesn't mention Judas' kiss of betrayal) I believe that the writers are telling what they remember from their perspectives and were led to put onto paper. The different voices may speak to different people at different times.

My wife and I have some marked differences in how we remember when Carrie met my mother, but the core event did happen. My mother will attest to that! She'll tell the story differently than either my wife or I would, as well! There are parts of the Law that can make me cringe, as well, but I think dwelling and harping on those isn't really the end goal. The Law was put there to show how messed up many of the things we do are and that the wages of sin are very serious. In Christ, there is grace that frees us from all of that.

In the case of Genesis, I believe 1:1 is literal. The rest, I wonder if it's allegorical, but I'm not sure. It's not like the ancient Hebrews had a word in their vocabulary for dinosaur. They were far simpler and more worried about surviving day to day. If God exists in all times simultaneously, what is a day to Him? If he wanted birds to be around for us and used the entire Mesozoic era (Triassic through Cretaceous) to allow his universal mechanism to run until the world was how he wanted it, who's to tell him no? Or "that's impossible! Absurd!" The Bible is full of symbolism, dreams, and analogies. Perhaps the first verses were meant as a 101 overview and not to spoil the hunt. Later on, Genesis mentions that there were people aside from Adam, Eve, Cain and Abel. Could they have been our ancient ancestors and Adam was the first of a new breed of spiritually ready humans?

I am not sure it matters to me. I wonder if this starts to wander into the territory of some of the letters in the New Testament where Paul encourages believers not to get into contentious philosophical arguments of points that don't really matter. If someone believes in a young Earth, but spends their days pursuing God and lives a righteous life feeding the homeless because of it, who am I to judge? If they attribute glory to God by believing he had the power to make it happen in a literal week, good for them. It's even better for them if their faith causes them to bear fruit in their life and they lead a life of selflessness. Personally, I feel it attributes more power and glory to God to think that he built a never-ending onion of mechanisms that he allowed to run over a huge period of time to produce the world as it is today. Dinosaur fossils and all.

I hope that all makes sense. I suspect it does and doesn't; Schrodinger's thought dump. I started writing this on Monday and it's mostly languished since. It's set to update now. May God turn my ramblings to some good end.