Christianity and Science, Part 1 – “Not at Odds”
Since my oldest son’s recent obsession with Dinosaurs, a love for the Sciences that I once had has been revived. First of all, Dinosaurs are just cool. Secondly, all the sciences surrounding how they are studied like Paleontology, Geology, et al, I find fascinating to study. When most folks are watching the boob tube I am curled up with a Geology textbook (guess I am a dork, no?).
Recently I have been recording everything I could find on the National Geographic, Discovery and Science Channels that has anything to do with these subjects. Now if you do this, the first thing you’ll notice is that everything on these channels is saturated with Evolution; however, I am not too disheartened by this. As with most things one has to take in the good and throw out the bad. There are many things that can be learned from these shows and many things they say actually confirm the Bible (ironically).
One quick example is the Ceolophysis of Arizona. A large grouping of this Dinosaur (among others) were apparently killed by a flash flood. This theory is given because of the way the Dinosaur bones were found grouped together (apparently they were all buried rapidly and together). Now, as a Christian I am thinking… hmmm… now what event that the Bible (as well as other sources) says happened could have suddenly buried large groups of animals at the same time? I’ll give you three guesses.
However, since the average non-Christian scientist automatically discounts even the possibility that a Sovereign God could have created all that we see, they miss out on pieces of the many puzzles that could otherwise be answered.
I find this sad because in my many hours of study I haven’t found one single contradiction between the Bible and TRUE Science. I haven’t had one single reason yet to demonstrate why they would have to be at odds. What do I mean by true science? Folks that disagree may be saying at this point, “no, you only see true science as the parts of science that line up with YOUR view of the Bible”. Let me answer that perceived accusation in two parts.
Firstly, if you’ll begin to read scientific journals, magazines and books, etc, on your own you will begin to notice that A LOT of guessing goes on. In many of the articles and shows out there, a critical look further into the issues often (if not almost always) shows that what is presented many times as fact to the “general public” are a loosely held together hodge-podge of theories, opinions and guesses. I am not going to go into detail of the myriad of examples that could be given… I just want you the reader, Christian or not, to begin to challenge everything, question everything and be a critical thinker. One of the reasons my faith in the Bible and the God thereof is so strong is BECAUSE I looked deeper into its’ claims and truths.
Secondly, Science is constantly “evolving” (forgive the play on words). Just one example is our understanding of what is called “plate tectonics” and “continental drift”. Since Scientists have began thinking about this 3 major theories have been posited, 2 have been abandoned and 1 is currently held. I am not going into the details of these, you’ll have to look that up on your own if you don’t know what I am talking about; however, you don’t need to know the details in order to understand my point. Let’s critically think about this… if the two earlier “theories” or “ideas” about this issue have been replaced, how do we know the current one won’t be replaced in the next 5, 10 or 20 years? I do realize that there are certain facts established by science that will not be augmented; however, a lot more than you realize is not set on a solid foundation and the information is constantly changing. I have sadly read of many who have rejected the Bible based on scientific knowledge that we know now is obsolete. The Bible is not a scientific manual; however, when it touches on the subject, it speaks infallibly. The Bible and true Science are not at odds. If one takes out the guess work that many scientists have dishonestly posited as fact… there is no disagreement with the Bible.
I do realize that this opening article makes very general statements. I am not seeking to convince you of my view point here. What I do hope is that you will begin to critically think about everything. Don’t just accept anything and use the brain God gave you. Christians, we have a RESPONSIBILITY to be as educated as possible on everything that we can. Knowing the Bible is first and foremost on our agenda but adding to that a good knowledge of other subjects can open more doors for ministry… and isn’t that what it’s all about?
My goal with these articles will be to demonstrate that the Bible and Science are not as at odds as many have supposed.
Recently I have been recording everything I could find on the National Geographic, Discovery and Science Channels that has anything to do with these subjects. Now if you do this, the first thing you’ll notice is that everything on these channels is saturated with Evolution; however, I am not too disheartened by this. As with most things one has to take in the good and throw out the bad. There are many things that can be learned from these shows and many things they say actually confirm the Bible (ironically).
One quick example is the Ceolophysis of Arizona. A large grouping of this Dinosaur (among others) were apparently killed by a flash flood. This theory is given because of the way the Dinosaur bones were found grouped together (apparently they were all buried rapidly and together). Now, as a Christian I am thinking… hmmm… now what event that the Bible (as well as other sources) says happened could have suddenly buried large groups of animals at the same time? I’ll give you three guesses.
However, since the average non-Christian scientist automatically discounts even the possibility that a Sovereign God could have created all that we see, they miss out on pieces of the many puzzles that could otherwise be answered.
I find this sad because in my many hours of study I haven’t found one single contradiction between the Bible and TRUE Science. I haven’t had one single reason yet to demonstrate why they would have to be at odds. What do I mean by true science? Folks that disagree may be saying at this point, “no, you only see true science as the parts of science that line up with YOUR view of the Bible”. Let me answer that perceived accusation in two parts.
Firstly, if you’ll begin to read scientific journals, magazines and books, etc, on your own you will begin to notice that A LOT of guessing goes on. In many of the articles and shows out there, a critical look further into the issues often (if not almost always) shows that what is presented many times as fact to the “general public” are a loosely held together hodge-podge of theories, opinions and guesses. I am not going to go into detail of the myriad of examples that could be given… I just want you the reader, Christian or not, to begin to challenge everything, question everything and be a critical thinker. One of the reasons my faith in the Bible and the God thereof is so strong is BECAUSE I looked deeper into its’ claims and truths.
Secondly, Science is constantly “evolving” (forgive the play on words). Just one example is our understanding of what is called “plate tectonics” and “continental drift”. Since Scientists have began thinking about this 3 major theories have been posited, 2 have been abandoned and 1 is currently held. I am not going into the details of these, you’ll have to look that up on your own if you don’t know what I am talking about; however, you don’t need to know the details in order to understand my point. Let’s critically think about this… if the two earlier “theories” or “ideas” about this issue have been replaced, how do we know the current one won’t be replaced in the next 5, 10 or 20 years? I do realize that there are certain facts established by science that will not be augmented; however, a lot more than you realize is not set on a solid foundation and the information is constantly changing. I have sadly read of many who have rejected the Bible based on scientific knowledge that we know now is obsolete. The Bible is not a scientific manual; however, when it touches on the subject, it speaks infallibly. The Bible and true Science are not at odds. If one takes out the guess work that many scientists have dishonestly posited as fact… there is no disagreement with the Bible.
I do realize that this opening article makes very general statements. I am not seeking to convince you of my view point here. What I do hope is that you will begin to critically think about everything. Don’t just accept anything and use the brain God gave you. Christians, we have a RESPONSIBILITY to be as educated as possible on everything that we can. Knowing the Bible is first and foremost on our agenda but adding to that a good knowledge of other subjects can open more doors for ministry… and isn’t that what it’s all about?
My goal with these articles will be to demonstrate that the Bible and Science are not as at odds as many have supposed.
Labels: Science
posted by I say, I say... at 8:00 PM
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