Finding a balance between science and faith
A number of people assume that faith and science are two creatures that will never get along. We have all heard the story of Galileo and how the church persecuted him, or we have heard that people who take Charles Darwin seriously reject the concept of God. Lately Richard Dawkins has published a book called The God Delusion, arguing (again) exactly what its title suggests.
It is all too easy for a discussion to become polarized. We don't often hear that Galileo was an argumentative sort who undermined his own efforts to persuade the church authorities of his time (some church leaders were quite sympathetic towards him). We don't often hear that many people in the natural sciences are Christians who have no difficulty seeing the world as created by God and, at the same time filled, with incredible “mechanisms” including the processes of evolution. I myself know geneticists and biologists at the University of Western Ontario who are also very active Christians.
Dawkins can seem very impressive, but what about John Polkinghorne, the Cambridge physicist, winner of the Templeton Prize (a prize that comes with extreme funds)? He also happens to be an Anglican priest. If you are going to check out Dawkins' web site, let me also recommend to you Polkinghorne's. There you will find a much more balanced, not polarized, discussion about faith and science.
The February 2007 issue of National Geographic carries an interview with Francis Collins. Collins headed the Human Genome Project, which has decoded the entire human genome. He is the author of the current best seller, The Language of God.
In the Geographic interview Collins responds to questions about terrorism, genetic determinism, miracles, the reality of evil, the experience of suffering and the neurological aspects of religious experience.
What he offers is, in my view, an understandable and helpful approach to both science and Christian faith. He says, “The God of the Bible is also the God of the genome.”
This approach has helped me a lot too over the years. When I observe a seascape (very common in Nova Scotia where I spend a lot of time these days) or a sunset over the well-ordered landscape of South Western Ontario, I am almost always overcome by a feeling of wonder, of awe. I would say, even, worship.
Faith helps me understand that the world is a reflection of the glory of God. My feelings are, for that reason, reasonable and understandable. At the same time, when I read National Geographic, or some other science-based publication, I can't help but be impressed by the astounding complexity of the world, its beauty, its interconnectedness as an infinite collection of exquisite instruments, all interrelated and dependent on one another. It seems to have an intrinsic value - a glory built into it. So, my understanding of the universe as God's world, and my appreciation of discoveries by science come together. Both deepen my appreciation of the universe.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
It is all too easy for a discussion to become polarized. We don't often hear that Galileo was an argumentative sort who undermined his own efforts to persuade the church authorities of his time (some church leaders were quite sympathetic towards him). We don't often hear that many people in the natural sciences are Christians who have no difficulty seeing the world as created by God and, at the same time filled, with incredible “mechanisms” including the processes of evolution. I myself know geneticists and biologists at the University of Western Ontario who are also very active Christians.
Dawkins can seem very impressive, but what about John Polkinghorne, the Cambridge physicist, winner of the Templeton Prize (a prize that comes with extreme funds)? He also happens to be an Anglican priest. If you are going to check out Dawkins' web site, let me also recommend to you Polkinghorne's. There you will find a much more balanced, not polarized, discussion about faith and science.
The February 2007 issue of National Geographic carries an interview with Francis Collins. Collins headed the Human Genome Project, which has decoded the entire human genome. He is the author of the current best seller, The Language of God.
In the Geographic interview Collins responds to questions about terrorism, genetic determinism, miracles, the reality of evil, the experience of suffering and the neurological aspects of religious experience.
What he offers is, in my view, an understandable and helpful approach to both science and Christian faith. He says, “The God of the Bible is also the God of the genome.”
This approach has helped me a lot too over the years. When I observe a seascape (very common in Nova Scotia where I spend a lot of time these days) or a sunset over the well-ordered landscape of South Western Ontario, I am almost always overcome by a feeling of wonder, of awe. I would say, even, worship.
Faith helps me understand that the world is a reflection of the glory of God. My feelings are, for that reason, reasonable and understandable. At the same time, when I read National Geographic, or some other science-based publication, I can't help but be impressed by the astounding complexity of the world, its beauty, its interconnectedness as an infinite collection of exquisite instruments, all interrelated and dependent on one another. It seems to have an intrinsic value - a glory built into it. So, my understanding of the universe as God's world, and my appreciation of discoveries by science come together. Both deepen my appreciation of the universe.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
