Since I know a few more Christians than I do scientists, I have a little more advice for the Christians.
1. Stop pretending that you know everything.
- Christians: Keep in mind the Biblical precept of, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways." Please, just leave climate change and evolution alone. Answers in Genesis and organizations like them hold up the Bible as a science text book, doing a great disservice to the beauty of the Christian Bible. I can't wrap my mind around why we have to take Genesis literally when we understand so much of the Bible through metaphor, allegory, and hyperbole.
- When we use Genesis to "prove" a literal seven day creation, we do a disservice to an Almighty Creator who exists outside the limitations of human time. Both science and religion can agree that time is not something experienced linearly. Read, "Space and Time are Curved" if you'd like to stretch your brain muscles (it definitely hurt mine).
- Scientists: Keep in mind that science is constantly changing. Humans inhabit a small planet in a vast universe, but are born with an innate desire to understand what we are doing here. Science is one way to explore our existence, but not the only way.
2. Please stop fighting.
- I could write a book on this (if I had the time, desire, and a big advance from a well-know publisher), but I think this article sums it up nicely: "Are science and religion at war?" The answer to that question is complex. I'll let you decide.
3. Get rid of some of your presuppositions.
- Christians: Jesus taught in hyperbole, metaphor, allegory, and used a variety of rhetorical techniques. Can we leave a little wiggle room for the idea that perhaps some of the poetry of the Old Testament contains those same literary devices, and maybe the Answers in Genesis folks should back off a little on the militant young earth theories? Read, "What Kinds of Literary Techniques are in the Bible?" for nice explanations and examples of literary techniques in the Bible.
- Scientists: If your particular scientific slant includes to presupposition that there is no God or gods, check back with me when you are actually doing science. Proving a negative is extremely difficult. I have no problem with scientist setting out to cast doubt on the idea of a god or one omnipotent God--that's your prerogative. If you start out presupposing there is not god, that's not science. Read, "Scientists discover that atheists might not exist, and that’s not a joke" from Science 2.0. Read about Science 2.0 on their About Science 2.0 page if you have serious questions about this source.
4. Agree to disagree on certain matters and science and spirituality.
- Christians: I was raised in a very traditional church body with a strong slant toward western thought. I listened to presentations from creation scientists, read books about creation science and intelligent design, and have heard the evidence presented in a thoughtful way. (Lee Strobel and Brian Young are two individuals who make some fair points, but are definitely not scientists). I believe many of the creation scientists out there have some good points, but by in large they seem more concerned with being right than being loving.
- I find edification in the idea that God can work through the natural processes in his miracles. In the book of John, Jesus' first miracle was making a whole lot of wine for a wedding banquet. Isn't that how things work? C.S. Lewis wrote that Jesus did miracles in the order of God the Father. God turns water into wine through the natural processes of fermentation. Is this a miracle? I think so.
- Scientists: Read about Gerald Schroeder. Watch this video about his thoughts on creation:
That's all for now. If we want to talk about science and faith, let's do it in a loving way.
I believe the seven day creation by faith, not because a creation scientist has proven it. I remember hearing J.D.Weinhold, a college science professor at Concordia for many years, say that creation could not be proven - we accept it by the faith given to us by God. He was a scientist and a Christian, and he had no trouble believing in a seven (actually six) day creation.
ReplyDeleteMy problem with any other interpretation of Genesis is that I don't know why God would say "day" if He didn't mean "day." His Word is all-powerful so when He said "let there be" it was. I don't understand it any more than I understand the Trinity, Jesus's resurrection, or any number of things that are beyond my human reasoning. However, I know all those things are true because God has given me faith.
Don't go telling your father to leave climate change & evolution alone! Ever hear of the 1st amendment? LOL (looney old Lutheran, that's me.) Seriously, you seem to be picturing this as a zero-sum issue, but it's not. My esteemed sister's wisdom is well worth your time. Also, if I remember correctly, the Hebrew word for "day" used in Genesis refers to a 24-hr period of time, & it's the same Hebrew word used for "day", referring to a 24-hr period to time, used elsewhere in the OT. To quote another esteemed theologian, Rich Miullins, "Our God is an awesome God."
ReplyDeleteIt's me again. I just finished watching the video & found it fascinating. What this man is describing is what Lutherans (& not just Lutherans) would describe as the Natural knowledge of God. He talks about the Biblical God but also uses phrases like "science discovered God." Sounds like a believer in intelligent design, so I would see him as a step or two away, perhaps, from the Truth. Intelligent design has always made me uncomfortable because it strikes me as as accommodation made by & for those who desperately want to believe in the Biblical God yet somehow want to believe in evolution.
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