Anti-Science

"Science and religion do not mix."

Common knowledge, right? I mean, ask a scientist and they say that, ask a theologian and they say it as well.

Let's look at the facts: Religion says the Creation was formed in seven days, but science says billions of years. Religion says God formed man, science says evolution led man to come to be as we know him. Religion taught for centuries the flat earth/earth center of the universe theories- science disproved them. Science can't explain miraculous healings or a man dead several days suddenly alive, religion is founded on those kinds of ideas.

And so, the war between religion and science has raged. Each getting defensive, each biting back at the other in sometimes petty ways. And the church has been labeled by many as being anti-science.

And the label sticks. Religion is anti-science. At it's very core, it must be. If the resurrection of Christ could be scientifically explained, then the central miracle of the Christian religion is not so special. The Cross, the Tomb, and the Resurrection must be as far from science as possible- for it to be what we followers of Christ profess it to be, it must be beyond the realm of science and human possibility. For one to follow Christ, they must accept this episode of Christ's life and death and resurrection not on scientific fact, but on faith- purely on faith.

It's now 2000 years after those events, give or take. Religion is largely unchanged in it's core elements, but science has evolved and exploded. At Christ's time, science was the fringe thing and religion was the dominant power. Our commonplace items like cars, TV's, the internet and smart phones would be labeled witchcraft and sorcery by the contemporaries of the Messiah. Now, science is the dominant power and religion is increasingly on the fringe. And that's even true among Christians.

Barna Group's research shows that around 52% of 13-17 year old active church attenders plan to go into a science related career field. Young people who have questions about faith are increasing turning to Google over theology books, mentors, or even the Bible. Young people are seeking to know why they believe what they believe ( a good thing, in my opinion), but they seem to be increasingly basing that decision on cold hard facts. They don't want to take things on faith, at least, not very often. And religion is fighting back with fear and sometimes anger at a lost generation. And they are in fact losing a generation.

As it has been from the beginning of the conflict, it is now:

Science and religion do not mix.

But science and faith can.

Consider for a moment that some of the great scientific discoveries- like that the sun was the center of the galaxy, not earth- were discovered by Christians. Galileo was devout, and bucked the church's authority when he proposed his theory on the sun-centered galaxy. He was one of many Christians who embraced both science and faith, and changed the world because of it.

At the heart of how science and faith can co-exist while science and religion cannot is the nature of the things themselves. I said earlier that religion is largely unchanged in 2000 years, while science is always changing- not unlike our personal faith. Religion is often rigid ( And to be fair, science is as well. Once an idea is accepted as law -or even theory, it's nigh impossible to change minds, even if the law or theory is wrong.). But faith is fluid. Faith is willing to trust in things, even if they don't make sense. I'd even argue that faith is necessary to be a good scientist. Scientists must have faith in their methods, in their practices, in their theories and in the scientists that have come before them.

I don't think there is anything wrong with taking a scientific approach to Christianity. I think there is room for debate on some of the seemingly immovable precepts like Time for Creation and Evolution. The reason I say that is that no matter what one believes in regards to them, one can still be saved by Christ's sacrifice.

I look at it this way: Everyone is trying to build a bridge to cross the chasm of seperation from Man to God. You use your knowledge, experience, opinions, advice of others and even science to build that bridge. Any tool available should be used. For some, the bridge is long and the construction is hard. For others, the bridge is small and the labor light.

But no one's bridge will ever complete the chasm fully. There does not exist in this world enough proof in science, experience, opinions or advice to fully bridge that gap.

Everyone comes to a point where if they want to believe in Christ, they must take a leap from the belief system they've carefully constructed to the actual presence of God. Science cannot get you there- only the Cross of Christ and His Resurrection can, and it makes no scientific sense. I'd even argue that if you believe in it based on science, you're missing the point. It MUST come down to faith.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. --Ephesians 2:8-9

I think Faith and Science can and should work together. I think the fact that 52% of young Christians want to pursue the sciences as a career is great- we the Church need to encourage their pursuit of that dream as a chance to share and discover the glory of God in new ways. A well designed bridge or a marvelous tech tool or a skilled surgeon can be just as much an act of worship to God as a praise song- if the maker of those things is intent on honoring God.

I want to close with this thought: In your faith, always strive to understand why you believe what you believe. Seek answers, allow your doubts to drive you to hope. Never settle for what religion tells you when God is the one who truly has the answers- even if He's holding out on them from time to time. And in your science, do likewise. Never simply believe in the atom or gravity or climate change or biology or evolution or intelligent design because of who proposed it or how long it's been upheld or how many people believe it.

Seek answers.