MBS 109 - Christianity and Science

The meaning of the word "natural science" is a complex one and it must take on two separate assumptions. One must understand that natural laws do exist that man must be able to understand these laws. Francis Bacon stated these assumptions then lead to three different characteristics. Science must be empirical, objective, and rational. If these three features do not exist, then that particular thing does not fit into the category of natural science.

As science is to scientists, so faith is to the believer and non-believer. Several choices of faith are available to choose from, some being atheism, agnosticism, pantheism, animism, deism, and monotheism, which is the Christian view. Several steps though, are needed to be a true believer in Christianity. First, one must realize there is a need for something greater, and then we are to believe there is a God by reading the Bible. Next, we must find evidence of God and then repent of our sins.

Faith in God is also in line with logic. Logic will help to remove barriers, give us a foundation for our beliefs, help keep deception away, and show that God has a hand in nature. The Bible is also able to help explain to us about other religions by telling us about their power and the different aspects they promote that we should be aware of.

The basis for scientific proof is rationality, but some feel that the Bible presents some logical problems, therefore making the Bible untrue. One such problem is the conflict between different Christian denominations, which is a very minor point for such a large religion. Another quoted conflict is the issue that Christianity is too narrow-minded, but this is thought of by people who are not open minded to the spiritual world. There is also the issues of predestination, prophecy, free will, and prayer, all mystical issues which can only be known by God. Similar conflicts to these are the ideas of evil and suffering, and the idea of the Trinity, both which are spiritual matters that can only be believed and not proven by man’s meager thought process.

Because science and religion are based on different ideals, it only makes sense that the two would come into conflict. One such conflict is how the different areas of faith relate to science. With Christianity, what God says and does cannot be in conflict, so the only conflict between nature and God is with the people who do not believe in what is actually true. Two examples are the fact that the universe was created by God and that man was created in God’s image. Some "experts" try to disprove this, but to turn the tables, we must look at their data and all the "logic" they use in their proofs. Certain conflicts are more popular than others when it comes to the relationship between Christianity and science. Some of the more debated topics include the use of science to disprove theism and miracles, the use of natural science to dispute the idea of free will, and the use of social sciences and humanities to dispel the idea of revelation. Some other topics include the existence of UFO’s, Joshua’s long day, and the question of where Cain got his wife.

How we know that God exists is another question which is often pondered by the religious and the scientific. One proof is the fact that we know the universe had a beginning and the start of the universe can’t be properly explained by any current scientific theories, but can only be explained by creation through God. Within the universe, the fact that it is suitable for life via the laws of physics and the planet-moon-sun systems also show intelligent design, as does the possibility of theistic evolution.

Another way we know God exists is the wisdom passed down from Him into the Bible. The Bible contains many different characteristics which show God exists and that He is intelligent. One such example is the fact that the Bible is sometimes complex, but at the same time has meaning and power. Another example is that all the scientific claims made in the Bible are accurate. There are also many prophecies that have been proven as true. The story of Jesus is also proof that the Bible is true, as many of the facets of Jesus’ life have been proven by other means. Scientific dating of manuscripts have also given the Bible credibility in the scientific world, as has the proof that the original texts are almost the same as the texts that we have today. Finally, the fact that Christianity has survived every attack from every sort of enemy shows the power and truth that the Bible holds.

Apart from the argument of whether God exists or not, the debate over how and when the universe was created is still an ongoing dispute in the spiritual and technical fields. Christians say God created the universe and scientists state it came from the Big Bang. The traditional Christian belief states that God created the whole universe in seven days and this occurred approximately 6000 years ago. Most in the scientific world dispute this number and put the age of the universe in the billions of years. Both of these theories, though, have facts and assumptions that prove and disprove their basis. Some Christians try to merge the two ideals by stating that each "day" during creation was actually millions of years long or by stating that God’s time is much different than human’s time. Others say that God created the universe in a Big Bang and then created within the universe from there. Many other theories are also purported by recent-creationists to dispute the Big Bang theory and back up the idea of recent Biblical creation.

Finally, while it can be hard to prove facts about the nature of the universe, there are some fact that are incontrovertible. The beauty and complexity of the universe are indisputable. Also, the universe shows it is powerful and it is undeniably vast. Finally, the universe is old, and perhaps the age of God’s greatest creation will never be known. But although we may not know the answers to all the questions about creation and the nature of all things, we can know that God is behind it all, and in the end, that’s all that really matters.

The Bible cites several passages which can be related to science. One such passage is the original creation. It states that "In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth." This agrees with science in that the universe had a beginning. Another related passage is "And God separated the light from the darkness. And God called the light day and the darkness He called night." This also conforms with science in that both night and day are present on the earth at the same time in different hemispheres. A third passage that is scientifically sound is "And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shalt wash them with water." This shows that the Old Testament spoke about the principle of good hygiene, which is just as important today. These passages show that even though man’s knowledge was limited at the time, through God’s inspiration, the Biblical writers were able to write accurate information which has been proven in modern times.

Another scientific passage from the Bible is one from Leviticus which states "The life of the flesh is in the blood." This has been proven by the medical profession countless times over. Another scientific quote from the Bible comes from Deuteronomy. It states "And thou shalt have a paddle upon thy weapon; and it shall be when thou wilt ease thyself abroad, thou shalt did therewith, and shalt turn back and cover that which cometh from thee." This passage talks about the importance of the proper disposal of human wastes. Even in Biblical times, it was necessary to do this to keep the spread of disease at a minimum. Even Job was able to speak about science when he was writing his book. When speaking about the Earth he said "and under it is turned up as it were fire," which is a referral to the molten metals in the Earth’s core. Again, these authors were inspired by God to document reliable information, even though they may not have known the extent of what they were writing.

The Bible also speaks about such scientific principles as chemical reactions. Proverbs says "Like one who takes away a garment on a cold day. Or like vinegar poured on soda, is one who sings songs to a heavy heart." Here the Psalmist is stating that he knows soda and vinegar mixed together will produce a reaction. Another scientific ideal in the Bible is quoted in Ecclesiastes. It states "The wind goeth towards the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits." This quote shows that the author is familiar with what is now known as the North-East Trade-winds. A final scientific principle mentioned in the Bible is also found in Ecclesiastes. It says that "All the rivers run into the seas; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they run again." The author is stating here that he is aware of the earth’s natural rain cycle and how it works.

The Bible is full of different passages that show its positive relationship with science. If the Bible is interpreted properly, one has no difficulty seeing the scientific principles presented. The Bible is able to back up science and science is able to do the same, making the Bible a very accurate document.

With regards to the Bible and Science, some passages in the Bible may appear to some to contradict the scientific community. The majority of these quotes stem from passages which seem to contradict the laws of nature. But a closer examination of these passages shows that the Bible is always in line with science.

One such Biblical story that some doubters cite is the narrative of Joshua and the sun standing still. In this account, Joshua ordered the sun to stand still and it did. To some people, this would seem impossible. But there are several accounts in other cultures of a long day such as this which had occurred in history. Also, in Northern Canada, it is possible for there to be daylight for almost 24 hours a day in the summer time.

Another similar occurrence is the story of the Dial of Ahaz. This states that the shadow on the sundial went back ten degrees. At this time, no other explanation other than divine intervention can really explain what happened. But with regards to what happened with the story of Joshua, a natural phenomenon is quite possible.

A third story which many refute is that of Jonah and the whale, where Jonah was swallowed by the whale and survived. Science has shown that it is possible for living creatures to survive inside of aquatic mammals. Several examples of men and animals being rescued from the inside of sharks and whales have been well documented.

Some people also argue against the idea that man has created life apart from God when it comes to test tube babies. Because the babies do not actually grow up in test tubes and only the sperm and egg are mixed in a laboratory, this is not contradictory to the fact that only God can create life. Therefore, the story of Genesis is still correct.

The references to astronomy in the Bible are also able to show how reliable the Bible is. Job states "He hangeth the earth upon nothing." Even though all those around him thought the earth was flat and resting on something, Job’s divine inspiration allowed him to realize that the earth is hanging on nothing. Jeremiah also stated "The host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea can be measured." With this passage he is speaking about the fact that there are an uncountable number of stars in the sky, a theory which was not in existence until the 17^th century.

Another astronomical reference in the Bible is the Star of Bethlehem. Many people try to say this is only a story and there was no star. With modern scientific research, we are able to look at different theories in regards to this story, such as it being a comet, supernova, or a conjunction of the planets. So it is quite possible that the Star of Bethlehem was a natural celestial phenomenon.

In conclusion, there are many different passages in the Bible which may seem to contradict nature. But closer examination of those quotes will show that they always follow the laws of nature. This is the way that God intended it to be.

FAITH AND REASON

Though some may deny it, there does exist a relationship between faith and reason as it relates to Christianity. There are three reasons to explain such a relationship. First, there is always a need to study the idea of Biblical faith. Second, there are a growing number of agnostics within Christianity and the idea of faith and reason must be brought back into the religion. Finally, faith and reason must be talked about because of the constant attack from atheists.

When studying the idea of faith and reason, one should not have the attitude of "reason alone" or "revelation alone." Both of these philosophies must be used together. Faith is an act of intelligence and one’s will, while reason is simply based on intellect.

Biblical faith is based upon knowledge which is gained through learning. There are several different ways in which one can come to this knowledge. Some of these avenues are by induction, deduction, the use of empirical data, intuition, and by metaphysical deduction. Faith has to be based on something and it cannot just appear out of thin air. Humans are skeptical creatures and must have some form of proof before belief can manifest itself.

Several influences have defined the modern definition of faith. Immanuel Kant stated that knowledge must be denied to make room for faith. Soren Kierkegaard stated that faith in God was not rational or empirically evident. William James believed that we cannot know if God exists but to live a moral life we must pretend that he does. None of these three philosophies are in line with current Christian thinking.

There are also different positions on the idea of "rational belief," which can be defined as belief based on evidence. One such notion is the philosophic position, which focuses more on extra-Biblical proofs, such as miracles or everyday life. Another such idea is the Biblical position, which looks at proofs that exist within the Bible, such as the life of Jesus or teachings of the Apostles.

Several different hypotheses abound with respect to faith and reason. One such theory is the "as if" hypothesis. This states that man cannot know if God exists. Another premise is the "probability" hypothesis. It says that it is possible that the object of faith probably exists, but it just as equally could be that nothing exists. A third view is the "leap of faith" hypothesis. It states that one should use as much reason as possible and then go the rest of the way on faith.

Although all these different theories abound, Christians must take a different path. The object of their faith must generate evidence and the evidence itself must lead to the object of their faith. The relationship between faith and reason is one of the biggest issues in the Church today and Christians must realize that faith and reason are intertwined when it comes to Christianity, not separate, independent ideals.

COAL AND OIL

There has been much research done to explain the origin of coal and oil by using the Biblical narrative. Some scholars believe that the beginning of these fuels can be traced back to the Genesis flood. Although scientists cannot prove this hypothesis, many feel that the current scientific models are flawed and his theory is just as possible.

The uniformitarian process of the formation of coal states it is created by the decomposition of living organisms which are subjected to a specific amount of pressure and heat. This theory assumes the type of coal is dependent on how deep is it buried rather than how long it has been buried, but this theory does have its detractors.

The theory of coal being the by product of a catastrophic event is another way the origin of coal can be explained. One such reason is because of lack of gradation from one type of coal to the next. The uniformitarian theory suggests that peat eventually turns to coal over time if the conditions are right. But different tests have shown that there is no gradual process occurring when peat and coal are found in the same area together. There is simply peat and coal. This fact therefore supports the idea that all coal was created all at once because of a catastrophic event.

Another problem with the scientific model is the quantity of coal deposits. The theory suggests that it takes twelve feet of peat to form one foot of coal. This idea cannot be proven though, because when a 200 foot thick seam of coal is found, and the roughly 10,000-24,000 feet of peat cannot be located which "produced" the coal.

A third problem can be found with the types of organisms found in coal deposits. The scientific theory states that coal is formed from peat, so that would mean that coal should be made of swamp dwelling organisms. But scientists have found remains of dry land and ocean dwelling creatures in coal, thereby giving weight to the flood theory.

Another proof against the uniformitarian theory is the fact that it has been shown that the process of coal formation does not take millions of years. Robert Gentry has shown through his work that coal forming organisms were buried quickly and this caused the coal to be formed very rapidly. Again, this lends more evidence to the Genesis story.

A final proof showing the flood theory is possible is the ability to form coal rapidly in the laboratory. Several different experiments have shown that coal can be formed under similar natural conditions within the lab. This formation proves that coal can be created in less than a year, not the millions of years suggested by mainstream science.

The science behind the formation of oil and natural gas is similar to that of coal. The uniformitarian models suggests that oil takes millions of years to form, as it takes time for organic materials to be buried for the correct pressure and heat and the transformation to oil to take place.

John Woodmorappe has put forward the theory that the present quantity of oil can be explained via the flood. He states that there would have been enough organic material in the pre-flood era to explain the amount of oil in existence today. He said that if only 1% of the pre-flood carbonaceous material found in the ocean was brought into the calculation, then that would explain the amount of oil we have today.

A young deposit of oil found in the Guaymans Basin is also lending credence to the theory of the flood producing the world’s supply of oil. It is believed that this deposit is less than 5000 years old. This proves that oil can be formed very rapidly and it also shows that heated water can generate oil, such as what would have happened during the flood.

The theory of the rapid formation of oil has also been proven in the lab. Several experiments have created synthetic oil within several days. Some experiments also took up to four years, just to make sure that the theory would be plausible. In all cases, the idea of the flood being the cause of the world’s deposits of oil and natural gas has been shown to be possible.

The answer to how coal and oil were formed may take years to fully understand. Some people feel that they are the result of a build up of organic materials over millions of years. Others feel it is the result of organic material being rapidly covered because of the Flood. Yet others feel that God created coal and oil at the beginning of creation and made it look old for His purposes. Whatever the reason, the debate still continues.

ORIGIN OF RELIGION

Several different theories abound as to what the first religion of man actually was. A popular view was that it began with animatism, which evolved into animism, then polytheism, and then finally the modern day belief in monotheism. Some other theorists believe that monotheism was the first religion and has remained until today.

One form of religion which some adhere to is the belief in priest craft and magic. This belief has moved away from its original design which was likely the sacrifice of animals to a higher power. Over time, the sacrifice and the need for a priest has moved away from a basic spiritual need to one that is seen as more magical and revered. It wasn’t until the sixth century that the role of the priesthood was called into question and the way in which sacrifice was offered up.

During the sixth century, nations all over the world began to rebel against the priesthood within different religions. Within fifty years, seven major world religions emerged and still exist today. This is in relation to the preaching of several well known teachers such as Isaiah, Buddha, and Confucius. Because of this revolt, different beliefs started to be practiced, some being atheism, Buddhism, Ethicism, and Monism, each of which have branched off into several different factions.

Within all the different religions that have formed, each religion has its own way in which they worship their gods or divine beings. One such way is through the use of idols. Another such belief held by some is the idea of incarnations or god appearing in the flesh. Some examples of incarnations with mainstream religion are Buddha, Ram, and Krishna.

In most religions, there are some who believe in living their life a little differently than other worshipers. They come in different forms, but most can be classified as ascetics, monks, or renunciants. The first documented evidence of such people are found in writings from 700 BC, and since that time they could be found in such beliefs systems such as Buddhism, Jainism, Judaism, and even Christianity.

The idea that God is all powerful and man is to worship him without the need for animal sacrifice is known as Unitarianism. Zoroastrianism is believed to be the first such belief of this kind. Later Christianity and Islam would fall into this category as would Sikhism and Shinto.

Another topic which Brow touches on when speaking about the origin of religion is the idea of national religions. In ancient times, the cultures of the Mayas and Aztecs had national religions, although little is known about them. The Romans also had different religions which they accepted and licensed for practice. Some other examples of national religions are Japanese Shinto and pre-Lutheran European Christianity.

Religion in itself attempts to explain the meaning behind all things. One question that it tries to answer is if life has meaning or no meaning. If there is no meaning behind it all, that is known as Absolute Atheism. If I have faith in only myself, that is known as Egotheism. Although these philosophies do exist, the most popular way to answer the question of meaning is with the idea of Theism.

Theism is an idea which is common to Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. It is the belief that God is an all seeing all knowing being, different from His creations. A belief similar to this is Monism, which states the universe and creator are one. Different off-shoots of these ideas can be found in modified Pantheism, Absolute Monism, and Modified Monism.

For those who believe that life has meaning and the idea of God within a theistic framework, the next question which must be answered is "What is the nature of the unity of God?" The Muslims view God as an indivisible unit. Christians see God as three persons in one, which is called the Trinity. Though both ideas are similar, the idea that God is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is critical to the Christian faith.

Life after death is another topic covered by most religions. Some say that were are only a scientific combination of DNA molecules. Others feel that man is a soul apart from the universe, but we will return after we die and then eventually occupy another body. A third theory is that we will be reincarnated after we die. Some also believe that Nirvana is the final answer. Finally, the Christian view is that man will be judged at his death and be rewarded with Heaven or condemned to Hell.

Ethics and goodness are other topics which are debated quite frequently within different religions. Within this framework, the concept of law and conscience is an important one. This can include such ideas as moral and ceremonial laws. The idea of Grace is also a greatly talked about topic, especially within Christian circles. A third concept of Christian ethics is how the Holy Spirit works. Finally, the belief in fellowship can also be included as an integral part of Christian ethics.

The religious experience is another subject matter that a conversation on religion and origins cannot be without. The religious experience can be broken down into four areas. The first is that it is real and universal. Secondly, all religious experiences are based on those of the person who founded the religion. Also, experiences will differ between followers. Finally, every genuine experience connects the believer with the divine.

When it comes to the idea of the origin of religion, the most important topic is that of Jesus Christ. God has prepared man to decide whether to follow Jesus or not to follow him. The original religion was that of man worshiping the one God and God has since revealed himself to man in the form of Christ. The decision is ours and only belief in Him will save us.