Science and Faith, part 2

Persons with different worldviews(basic beliefs, presuppositions) approach science with a belief in something/someone that is self-existent. This entity represents for them the ultimate reality. For the atheist it will most probably be matter or reason; for the naturalist it will be nature; for the new ager it will be a "collective consciousness"; for the pantheist it will be an impersonal spirit and for the theist "it" will be God. This means that faith is basic to the human existence; humanity must have a god or he will invent one! Total neutrality is therefore an impossibilty, and as I pointed out in the previous article every scientist come to scientific study with presuppositions and assumptions(Faith).

Too often in the debate about science and faith, any opposition or alternative to the prevailing naturalistic theories is vehemently attacked as an attempt to drag religion into the field of "neutral and factual knowledge", which is maskeraded as science. Fact is, religion( the belief in an ultimate reality that is self-existent) is part and parcel of the naturalistic worldview. Watch with what dogmatic and religious zeal some naturalist scientists attack anyone who proposes that children should be taught different ways to look at the origins of life; I thought we live in an enlightened era where children should be taught to think by comparing different theories, ideas and even facts in order to make up their own minds about reality. One should think that something that is "proved beyond any reasonable doubt", as some scientists want us to believe about Darwinism and other naturalistic interpretations of creation, will be able to withstand the test of scrutiny from other perspectives.

It is general knowledge that modern science was promoted by theists and Christians who believed that the laws of nature could be studied because there is a God of order. Some of these scientists were Isaac Newton, Louis Pasteur etc. E. Stanley Jones says in his book, The Christ on the Mount; "It is no mere chance that with the rediscovery of Christ during the last century there has been a rediscovery of the scientific method, nor that only where Christ is known has the scientific spirit been developed. Science now swings back to faith because faith has Christ as it's center and the very essence of that Christ is love of truth and reality. May this swing back to faith be a swing back to the Faith which has Christ (by whom and for whom are all things and who uphold all things by the Word of His power) as it's essence! Science, like revelation, is for the humble, and I believe that the greatest discoveries await those who search with humility. Stanley Jones also wrote; "The secrets of heaven are open to those who are simple of heart and straightforward, and we may add, the secrets of the earth also. Everything in heaven and earth is open to the man who himself is open. It is only as we become as little children-frank,open,simple, that the kingdom of heaven or the kingdom of earth is open to us"

The Sons of God can look forward to an integration of the heavenly and the earthly, the spiritual and the material, the sacred and the secular as well as an integration of revelation and scientific discovery as Christ comes forth in His Sons! The ONE who lives within the Sons of God is the one who has created all things by and through His awesome power, He is still in charge of everything, and he is eager to reveal the mysteries of His creation to the humble! Once science is "reposessed" by those who acknowledge the greatest Scientist, more children will perhaps want to study science again, and those who do so with the right kind of Faith will be the ones who will make the greatest breakthroughs humanity has ever known! Then will the kingdom of heaven come and God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven!

Science and faith: Part one

There seems to be a hot debate these days over the issue of science and faith. In the following article or two I will show that faith is a universal trait and part and parcel of the basic make-up of any human being. Has science proven that humanity has progressed so far that they have outgrown the "childish" belief in a god? What is true science and what do we mean by faith? By true science I mean that discipline where we come to conclusions based on careful study, observation and repeated testings in laboratories. Despite these criteria we must acknowledge that even true science is fluid, and theories and "facts" change constantly as we discover new things.

We must also state right at the outset that all scientists "come to the table" with certain assumptions and beliefs that may cloud and colour their observations.This kind of science is normally called observational or operational science and this science has helped humanity tremendously in medicine, travel and the information technology to mention just a few. The other form of science is more what we could call philosophy of science or also historical science where an attempt is made to answer questions about the origins of life, the creation etc.This kind of science is just as much about beliefs and assumptions as any religion or philosophical system. This kind of "science" sometimes makes claims and put forward conlusions as if they are proven facts and anyone criticising or questioning these conclusions will be branded as stupid and ignorant. Not less dogmatic than many fundamentalists in religion!

Let's ask what true(observational) science has definitely proven as fact. What follows are the observations from someone who is not a scientist, but just a thinking human being. Science has proven that humanity does not know everything and is constantly discovering new and wonderful things in the cosmos. Science has proven that humans must live with a lot of humility when we compare our own insignificance to the vastness and the mysteries of the creation, and also the fact that scientists are still looking for cures for cancer, aids and the common cold! Science has proven that there are laws that control nature and that there is therefore good reason to expect the existence of a lawgiver. Science has proven that the human genome is full of information and where there is information you can expect there to be an information-giver! Science has proven that inside molecules is an entity that scientists struggle to define that is apparently not solid, but behaves like an idea or a wave! This reminds the Christian about the Bible that says that all things are held together by the Logos(Word/ Idea) of God! Science has also proven that humans cannot create anything out of nothing, but can discover what is already there and use it to invent things eg. electricity, gravity, aero-dynamics, etc. Science has proven that this planet of ours seems to be just right to sustain life-just the right distance from the sun at just the right angle with just the right amount of oxygen!

Many scientists have found that their faith in the existence of a Supreme Being is strengthened through their study of science while others have used their studies and knowledge to become "puffed up" or full of pride. Two thousand years ago the Creator of science came in person to this planet to bring together in His Person all things that became disjointed and fractured through the rebellion of humanity in Adam and Eve. In his Person and body he brought together in perfect harmony matter and spirit, the material and the immaterial, the visible and the invisible, heaven and earth, future and past and also God and Man! In Christ, God the Father found a Man who perfectly lived by His laws, and in Him, Man found a God who demonstrated a science that most humans still only dream of-walking on water; speeding up the process whereby water become wine; increasing the quantity of food; healing all kinds of sicknesses and defeating the laws of death! Man discovered a God who demonstrated a perfect love and made possible a perfect peace between the Creator and His creation. In intimacy with Christ man not only discover the laws of nature but also the laws of life that brings contentment, commitment, meaning, purpose and a sustainable joy!