Christians ought to respect science

Waldmark, 26 May 2008

Where two are quarreling, two are to blame. This certainly seems the case in the ongoing disputes between Christians and atheist scientists.

Many Christians seem to regard science as their biggest enemy (and have they not been taught to love their enemies?) whilst atheist scientists seem intent on ridiculing everything religious and on refusing to acknowledge the many unknowns in their theories for fear of allowing metaphysics or religion a foothold in the matter of life’s big questions. It’s Evolutionism vs. Creationism; theists vs. atheists. On thousands of websites and in libraries full of books, the debate seems stuck in an “I’m right, you’re wrong” confrontation.

This confrontation is leading us nowhere.

The capability of the human mind is astonishing. Not a week goes by without science providing yet another example of its extraordinary ability to probe very far indeed into the nature and reality of our world and the universe. However, scientists need wisdom to decide on a course to stay on and a framework to give meaning to the questions, goals and endeavours of the scientific project. This framework needs to be extra-scientific, outside of science itself, which is why wisdom is appropriate seeing that wisdom originates outside of human intellect.

Science investigates the natural world using physical methods – observation and experiment. This requires that scientists operate within the same dimensions as science’s subject: the natural world. Thus, when contemplating nature, science tells us what we see. Science explains how the very small or very big things – observed through microscopes or telescopes – bear upon the natural world we live in. Science is very good at this.

However, the world cannot be fully explained in terms of natural laws interacting on matter; there are also the questions of why there is matter and why there are laws to begin with.

Atheists and agnostics have decided not to look any further than the realms of the senses. Anything that cannot be heard or seen, or that cannot be deduced from things that can be smelled or touched or seen or heard or tasted, is simply rejected as not existing in the natural world.

Mankind’s big why-questions are met with the word chance, and mankind’s amazement about the size of the universe and the intricacies of life is dealt with by introducing a time frame of 15 billion years or so, comfortably out-with the scope of any rational human being’s grasp: no individual with a life span of 80 years who accepts a universe span of 15 billion years will be likely to pose awkward questions.

That leaves people who believe in the existence of God to assume the role of being the framework for science. It must be said, however, that Christians are not taking up that role: they seem too busy quarrelling amongst themselves – only able to agree that science deserves to be blasted.

What a wonderful world this could be. A world bursting with creativity. Science constantly amazing us with new discoveries. And Christians providing meaning according to the wisdom from the God who made it all, leading humankind to a deeper appreciation of both the Natural World and its Creator. To Christians I would say: engage with scientists. Be prepared to meet scientists and make sure to understand what science has accomplished. Elaborating on the meaning of life is not just a privilege, for Christians it is a duty as well.

Tags: Meaning of Matter, Christianity and Science