Science And Religion, Not Science Versus Religion

Over the life of Musings, I've shared many posts on this topic, including 29 Great Catholic Mathematicians You Should Know.

From Catholic Stand

By J.a.c. Man

In today’s world, smart phones are common tools.  Most of us know loosely how they work, or at least we are not surprised by what they can do.  They are scientific marvels.

We understand that smart phones are an electronic technology that has evolved over more than a hundred of years.  They came into being as the result of electrical experiments, the creation of electronic components, micronization, and the development of software.

Now imagine going back in time only 100 years and showing someone a smart phone.  How would the person react?  How would that person describe a smart phone?  I suspect the word “magic” might be included in their description.

Let’s push this thought experiment further.  Imagine giving a smart phone to Abraham.  How would he react?  How would he describe a smart phone?

Modern Aversion to Religion

Let’s table this thought experiment for moment and shift to a parallel topic.  Many modern academics, such as Richard Dawkins and Neil Tyson, promote the premise that science and religion are incompatible.  Only one can be true, but not both.

This is not a new premise.  Atheist academics have promoted this idea for well over a hundred years.  John William Draper in particular penned a work titled the History of Conflict between Religion and Science. 

Some atheist academics offer that religion contradicts science.  They also claim that religious texts include events that cannot be explained by science.  Thus, science and religion are incompatible.

I must confess that I bought into these arguments when I was younger.  However, does this premise stand up to scrutiny to basic reason?

Describing the World Before Scientific Discovery

One of the arguments offered to prove that Christianity contradicts science is how the Bible describes physical phenomena.  A common example given is that light comes from the moon.  This is even referenced many times in the Bible (Isaiah 30:26, Ezekiel 32:7, Mark 13:24).

Today, however, we know that the moon does not give off light.  Science tells us light comes from the sun which is bouncing off the moon.

Now let’s bring back the smart phone thought experiment and apply it to light from the moon.  How would someone thousands of years ago describe moonlight with no basic concept of physics and astronomy?  The ‘offending’ passages in the Bible were written hundreds of years before the advent of the simplest telescopes.  Even the Greek model for the solar system, with the earth at the center, had not yet been theorized.

Now shift to a modern-day poet.  How do poets describe moonlight?  Of course, poets get a pass because poetry is not science.

And this is an underlying point.  The Bible is not a science book.  It was written thousands of years ago, before the word ‘science’ even came into being.  Why would anyone expect an inspired writer to describe physical phenomena in modern scientific language?  So, again, the Bible is not a science book.  The Bible is a theology.

Without Physics, How Would One Describe the Big Bang

Let‘s explore another example.  The best explanation modern science postulates for the creation of the universe is the ‘Big Bang’ theory.  The Belgian physicist and Catholic priest Fr. Georges Lemaître came up with this theory.  It is straight forward in that the universe began with a massive explosion of energy that resulted in the creation of the universe.  In the finely tuned, expanding universe, matter coalesced, formed galaxies, and our solar system emerged.

So how would someone inspired to explain creation in written word with no knowledge of physics or astronomy begin his text?   One might suspect that the author would begin with something like, “Then God said: Let there be light, and there was light.”  For sure, this explanation would not be suitable for publication in a scientific journal.

Science Cannot Explain Many Things

Let’s explore the second claim from the “science only” academics.  One must concede that the Bible includes many miracles that cannot be explained by science.

Of course, science falls short, very short, of explaining everything.  Science can not accurately predict the weather in 10 days let alone explain how some people are cured of cancer without medical intervention.  So the presupposition of the “science only” claim is false.  Scientific knowledge cannot explain everything.

An Alternative Premise

When examining the logic of modern-day proponents of science, one must also address a nagging question.  If science and Christianity are directly opposed to each other, then why did (and does) so much scientific advancement occur in the Christian World?

The giants of modern science, including Newton, Boyle, Kepler, and Galileo were deeply religious men.  More than 50% of Nobel laureates claim Christianity as their faith.  The number is over 90% if one combines Jewish and Christian laureates.

Although scientific discoveries occurred throughout history, the systematic scientific method wasn’t even established in “Christian” Europe until the 16th and 17th centuries.

Scientific study is the study of God’s creation.  But God did not give us the textbook on how He did it.  However, scientists of the Judeo-Christian tradition believe that God is both omnipotent and rational.  So He created an ordered world.  Scientists are merely trying to write the textbook by figuring out the laws of the universe on their own.

Support of Science by the Holy See

Although not very well known, the Vatican openly supports support scientific exploration.  Catholics can trace their interest in science back hundreds of years.

The Vatican Observatory (Specola Vaticana) was established in 1774, and is based at the College of Rome in Castel Gandolfo, Italy.  The Accademia dei Lincei was established in Rome in 1603, by Roman Prince, Federico Cesi (1585–1630), who was a young botanist.  This academy even claims Galileo Galilei as its president for some time.

Science & Christianity

Although it is a popular idea in our modern world, science and Christianity are not in conflict.  Common arguments offered to support this claim do not stand up to basic reason.

The long and short of it is that Science and Christianity answer very different questions.  Science addresses how the universe works.  Christianity reveals how one should live one’s life.

If you are interested in reading more content on Science and Christianity, you may find the following two CS articles by retired physicist Bob Kurland of interest:  Can a Faithful Catholic Believe in Science?  and Science, God’s Gift to Mankind.