Faith and Science
One of the most critical moments in my religious faith happened while I was a freshmen in college. I took an anthropology course from an instructor who spent the first week railing against religion. His main target, however, was the Judeo-Christian faiths. Now at that time, I was familiar with ideas such as the Big Bang and Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, but was not subject to an onslaught such as this. He attacked religion with veracity, anger, and logic. He used his “authority” with certainty. The gloves were off. He went for the jugular. There was no need to soften blows or provide parental warnings— this was college. At first, my defense mechanism kicked in and I scoffed at his ideas and rolled my eyes. I can feel my anger welling up inside and wanting to argue with him. However, a braver soul than I attempted a dissenting argument. He quickly filleted her. I took note and sat quietly. After about the third lecture, I found myself less certain. His arguments explaining evolution were hard to counter. His expertise of the geology and anthropology could not be brushed off. My faith had been wounded.
By the following week my defenses were weakened and seeds of doubt were planted. I, for the first time in my life, was doubting the faith that had been firmly established in me since birth. I recall the anxiety of realizing my understanding of the world was no longer valid. I was restless and depressed and began searching out answers longing to find an argument that would re-establish my faith. This being 1997, the internet was still in its 28k modem infancy. Youtube and Google were not even verbs yet, let alone a part of everyday nomenclature. I went to bookstores (they still were popular back then) and grabbed books off the shelf hoping find some reassurance. Hours were spent delving into my personal research. I prayed fervently to God hoping he would provide me some of the "peace that passes all understanding" or at the very least send a sign.
It was dark, literally and figuratively. I lay awake in bed struggling to get to sleep as I wrestled with my doubt and the prospects of creating a whole new sense of purpose and meaning for my life. That’s when it happened. A sense of calm came over me and I realized that my faith was not about proof or evidence, but it was about the lack thereof. For the first time I understood the Biblical definition of faith found in the Book of Hebrews, “Faith was being certain of what you don’t see, and sure of what you hope for.” More importantly, I also realized that my faith was ultimately my choice. I felt as if I was present when Joshua gathered around the Elders before his death and told them to “choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods of your forefathers...or the gods of the Amorites...But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” It hit me. I am going to choose to serve the Lord.
What led me to this choice, was not an ignorant denial of facts and evidence. Actually it was the opposite. My choice was and is a result of a number of factors that includes logical reasoning, personal experience, and supernatural experiences (the Holy Spirit). The logical reasoning has to do with understanding the complexity of life and the order that exists. The personal experience has to do with the many times I had took leaps of faith, or had no other place to turn than to God. In his letter to the Romans, Paul says that “what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities -his eternal power and divine nature -have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made so that men are without excuse.” Essentially, Paul claims that the physical world is a constant reminder that their is a creator. When I think of the origins of life explanations from the scientific community, I am struck by the amount of faith they have in their science. The idea that matter and gasses existed in time and space all on their own with specific physical characteristics, oh and that gravity, light, heat, and all the other forces of life just happened. Moreover, the idea that after the alleged “Big Bang” that earth eventually had a primordial combination of particles and elements that through billions of years of heating and cooling, eventually the most simplistic cells sprung to life. But not just any cells, cells that had coded deep within them the ability to become more complex and adjust to the environment. Still even more unbelievable, is that under this idea, every characteristic (and I mean every) of all current species both animal and plants, had to evolve through this process of evolution. Think about this for a minute. Every characteristic. Hands, fingers, eyes, teeth, tongues, ears, hair, toes, etc. And all of this just happened. Now, I am not trying to build a strawman argument, and I realize that was a simplistic view of the origins of life and the universe, and I will say there are some solid pieces of evidence, or reasonable assertion of evidence of some of those claims. But the reality is that one must have just as much faith to believe in the scientific version as one does to believe in a creator.
What is even more fascinating to me about the “scientific” community in regards to religion, faith, and their viewpoints is their belligerent condescension, their false intellectual superiority, and their unwillingness to engage in debate. Often they refuse to even have dialogue or even consider alternatives. When one does counter the scientific community the response is often to hurl ad hominem attacks and limit, or keep quiet any dissenting views. All of this is ironic, In many ways the scientific community is similar to the Catholic Church of the late Medieval time period. While they may not be burning people at the stake or having them thrown in jail, but they do often try to silence them and prevent the discussion from even taking place.
I am not asking for the scientific community and those who believe in evolution to change. What I am asking is them to admit their belief system takes an equal amount of faith, and much of what they claim as scientific fact, is more of a theory. I am asking that they, like myself, realize their belief in evolution is ultimately something they are choosing to believe in.
By the following week my defenses were weakened and seeds of doubt were planted. I, for the first time in my life, was doubting the faith that had been firmly established in me since birth. I recall the anxiety of realizing my understanding of the world was no longer valid. I was restless and depressed and began searching out answers longing to find an argument that would re-establish my faith. This being 1997, the internet was still in its 28k modem infancy. Youtube and Google were not even verbs yet, let alone a part of everyday nomenclature. I went to bookstores (they still were popular back then) and grabbed books off the shelf hoping find some reassurance. Hours were spent delving into my personal research. I prayed fervently to God hoping he would provide me some of the "peace that passes all understanding" or at the very least send a sign.
It was dark, literally and figuratively. I lay awake in bed struggling to get to sleep as I wrestled with my doubt and the prospects of creating a whole new sense of purpose and meaning for my life. That’s when it happened. A sense of calm came over me and I realized that my faith was not about proof or evidence, but it was about the lack thereof. For the first time I understood the Biblical definition of faith found in the Book of Hebrews, “Faith was being certain of what you don’t see, and sure of what you hope for.” More importantly, I also realized that my faith was ultimately my choice. I felt as if I was present when Joshua gathered around the Elders before his death and told them to “choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods of your forefathers...or the gods of the Amorites...But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” It hit me. I am going to choose to serve the Lord.
What led me to this choice, was not an ignorant denial of facts and evidence. Actually it was the opposite. My choice was and is a result of a number of factors that includes logical reasoning, personal experience, and supernatural experiences (the Holy Spirit). The logical reasoning has to do with understanding the complexity of life and the order that exists. The personal experience has to do with the many times I had took leaps of faith, or had no other place to turn than to God. In his letter to the Romans, Paul says that “what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities -his eternal power and divine nature -have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made so that men are without excuse.” Essentially, Paul claims that the physical world is a constant reminder that their is a creator. When I think of the origins of life explanations from the scientific community, I am struck by the amount of faith they have in their science. The idea that matter and gasses existed in time and space all on their own with specific physical characteristics, oh and that gravity, light, heat, and all the other forces of life just happened. Moreover, the idea that after the alleged “Big Bang” that earth eventually had a primordial combination of particles and elements that through billions of years of heating and cooling, eventually the most simplistic cells sprung to life. But not just any cells, cells that had coded deep within them the ability to become more complex and adjust to the environment. Still even more unbelievable, is that under this idea, every characteristic (and I mean every) of all current species both animal and plants, had to evolve through this process of evolution. Think about this for a minute. Every characteristic. Hands, fingers, eyes, teeth, tongues, ears, hair, toes, etc. And all of this just happened. Now, I am not trying to build a strawman argument, and I realize that was a simplistic view of the origins of life and the universe, and I will say there are some solid pieces of evidence, or reasonable assertion of evidence of some of those claims. But the reality is that one must have just as much faith to believe in the scientific version as one does to believe in a creator.
What is even more fascinating to me about the “scientific” community in regards to religion, faith, and their viewpoints is their belligerent condescension, their false intellectual superiority, and their unwillingness to engage in debate. Often they refuse to even have dialogue or even consider alternatives. When one does counter the scientific community the response is often to hurl ad hominem attacks and limit, or keep quiet any dissenting views. All of this is ironic, In many ways the scientific community is similar to the Catholic Church of the late Medieval time period. While they may not be burning people at the stake or having them thrown in jail, but they do often try to silence them and prevent the discussion from even taking place.
I am not asking for the scientific community and those who believe in evolution to change. What I am asking is them to admit their belief system takes an equal amount of faith, and much of what they claim as scientific fact, is more of a theory. I am asking that they, like myself, realize their belief in evolution is ultimately something they are choosing to believe in.
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