Actually religion and science
are NOT in conflict at this time.
They more likely support,
rather than challenge,
each other.
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1. INTRODUCTION
A good proportion of society guess that science and religion are in conflict with each other. In fact that suspicion alone prevents many a person from even trying Christian faith for themselves.
Let me say firstly that there is no reason why the two even need to be compared. I am definitely not the first person to reach that conclusion! Science attempts to explain how things work. Religion, on the other hand, answers the big questions that begin with the word “why”?
I consider that many unbelievers struggle with this ‘supposed’ conflict because of the views of Christian fundamentalists. Basically, this comes from the fundamentalists’ literal translation of the first Book of the Bible’s Old Testament, “Genesis”, which was finalised hundreds of years before Jesus was born. With such an outlook, any scientific theory that challenges their views is taken as a threat to their faith. It was the case when Copernicus theorised during the 1500s that the Earth revolved around the Sun. Darwin’s theory of evolution creates the same ‘zealous’ response today!
Note: that all Catholics and most traditional Protestants, in the Christian Church, understand that the Bible’s book of Genesis provides ‘deep guidance for us humans’ and an ‘explanation of God’s authority’, offered within its powerful ‘symbolism/ imagery’. (In effect, they see great ‘truths’ are included there, but they don’t consider the scriptures are to be taken literally.) And as such, its words are not in conflict with scientific theory at all.
But look, I do absolutely accept the Christian fundamentalists’ right to their views. And I do have a couple of close friends who are actually fundamentalists. I have worshipped with fundamentalists too … and you know … I admire their zeal and enjoy taking part in their church services. However I just DO NOT agree with their overall interpretations of the Bible’s Old Testament.
(Note that I am from a senior auditing background and the majority of my advisory team are Christian clergy. To glimpse the ‘who’, ‘how’ and ‘why’ of this website please click here.)
2. NO COMPARISON NEEDED!
‘So … the subsection of the website, that this article introduces, does try to make it clear that science and religion are NOT in conflict with each other.
But, in any case, scientific evidence or theory should never affect the basis of our faith. Faith can certainly ‘stand on its own two feet’. Absolutely! As far as I am concerned, the existence of God can be proven, beyond reasonable doubt, by any person who is willing to truly ‘evaluate the possibility‘. That is by putting faith to the test.
I am positive that the presence of God, ‘within his Church‘ and ‘our individual lives‘ as a minimum, CAN be recognised by anybody IF they know how and where to look. (Yes, to read about the ‘who’, ‘how’ and ‘why’ of this website please click here.)
Of course once we have proven to ourselves that Chrisitan faith does have a sound basis, then we will inevitably progress to believing that God HAS to be the universe’s creator.
With this outlook of God as the universe’s creator, scientific theory is to be basically understood as the mechanism for explaining how God’s ‘creation’ actually functions!
Essentially, as a result, science should never stand in the way of a quest for personal faith. On the other hand, neither should religious views impact the development of scientific theory. Science and religion should have their own separate paths.
3. SCIENCE HAS MOVED ON
That all aside, the real conflict expected by so many people is just NOT there! It might have been true in the case of pre-twentieth century classical physics.
Despite his best intentions, Sir Isaac Newton (1643 – 1727), more than any other person, is responsible for the outlook that is held by a large proportion of Western atheists. The Newtonian idea of a ‘machine-like’ reality that has cranked on forever, raises the question, “Why do we need a Creator (God) at all?” That is, why do we need to theorise about a God?
HOWEVER, within current scientific theory the universe is actually known to be anything but machine-like! And current science theory indicates that it is also most unlikely that the universe has been in existence forever.
4. THE MYSTERY OF MATTER
The science of the twenty first century – including the theories of relativity and, more importantly, quantum physics – still raises more questions on the ‘basis of reality’ than it answers.
By the early twentieth century physicists had reached the understanding that sub atomic particles could no longer be explained in a common sense manner. For example, the laws of cause and effect, which do apply to the macroscopic (visible to the naked eye) world, do not fully apply to the microscopic world of sub atomic particles.
One of the oddest scientific theories is that of “non-local effects”. As an example analogy, a billiard ball will react when it is struck by another billiard ball. Once the two balls have separated and lost speed, neither ball can affect the other, that is unless they are physically brought into contact again. But within quantum mechanics, two sub atomic particles that have interrelated locally (say within an atom) can continue to influence each other through ‘non-local’ effects after separation. Measurements taken of one of these particles will be partially affected by the state of the other particle, even if it is on the other side of the universe. And the effect will be instantaneous.
Even Einstein struggled with that one at the time, but experimentation in the 1980s proved beyond doubt that non-local effects are real at a sub atomic level.
And, you know, if God is the ‘Ground of Being’, as suggested within the article, “So why is God invisible?” there would be a common ‘one-ness’ existing through every sub-atomic particle in the universe. And this ‘could’ be the basis for that instant communication mentioned above. Well … at least … I do wonder about it?
But yes, there is a lot more ‘mystery in matter’ than initially imagined by most of us. Please note that I am merely trying here to ‘set the stage’ for what follows under this subsection of the website. Just click on the other subheadings under “Are science and religion in conflict?” in the Menu Bar above. Links to those articles are also available below.
5. CONCLUSION
Firstly, there is no real need for science and religion to be compared at all.
Secondly there is little conflict, if any, between ‘moderate’ Christian theology and current scientific theory. Actually … they more likely support each other!
Importantly though, it is absolutely possible for ‘thinkers’ to ‘believe in God‘, no matter what science has to say. In fact this website has been developed by one thinker who DOES believe, with the aim of helping other thinkers to do the same. Yes, the site is a guide on how this can be achieved. Of course I had a lot of help, from a team of highly qualified advisers, during the site’s development. (Again, to read about the ‘who’, ‘how’ and ‘why’ of this website please click here.)
Before moving on though, maybe you would like to look at the big questions that do arise when we consider the universe and life on Earth:
• Why does the universe EXIST at all (i.e. what put it here)?
• Why are there such extreme ODDS against our universe being ‘just as it is’?
• How do we explain away the extreme COMPLEXITIES of conditions on Earth and in life itself?
If so, please continue to the following article, “The universe, life and God”.
The final article in this subsection of the website, “The answer” offers a way forward in light of ‘the big picture’ highlighted here.
Inevitably, confidence in God – as the creator and sustainer of ‘all that is’ – comes from recognising his genuine presence ‘in the Church‘ and ‘our individual lives‘. As well as within the Bible’s incredible and complex contents I must add. We simply engage with him; open ourselves to him as the Bible explains. And when we do find him there, we then KNOW what caused, and still sustains, ‘all that is’.