Sunday, July 30, 2006
God is a Scientist
Moderate school board member Sue Gamble sends this note from a mother in Great Bend, Kansas:
Like Pres. Bush and Sen. McCain I essentially would agree with the concept of Intelligent Design. So would many scientists. But do you believe that there were once kangaroos in the Middle East? This is the question asked his audience of an Australian “expert” on a Christian channel I was listening to. He declared he was going to “prove” there were despite the lack of fossil evidence. I listened intently expecting an interesting study or argument. Instead he asked if his audience believed that Noah landed the Ark on Mt. Ararat and if they believed that-then they believed that kangaroos dispersed from the Middle East to Australia.
Anyone with everyday logic can spot that circular argument let alone needing the logic of syllogisms and proofs that is required of science.
After much research, as a Mom of 2 young kids, I have come to the conclusion that the Intelligent Design arguments are a red herring to forward a literal interpretation of the Bible that requires that the earth be only 6k years old. To pit Faith against science is not comparing apples and oranges-but rather apples and bicycles. One is life-giving and sustaining. The other is a means of getting from one place to another.
For Faith the answer to all Truth must be God. For a scientist everything is a theory- there is no Truth. There is only a valid conclusion (one that can be proven logically) and an invalid one.
That is why the changed science standards are so damaging. Science is nothing but a methodology which requires everything be theory. To a scientist it is theoretical that the sun will rise tomorrow. There is no true or false. Only valid and invalid. It is only accepted on empirical evidence that the sun will be there tomorrow. It cannot be “proven”. That is the standard set for science and I learned this in my first college science course.
What person of Faith would advocate his belief in a personal savior and creator be based on that kind of standard? Paradoxically those who require that the Earth be 6k years old because they believe that is what it indicates in the Bible are doing just that. That is why it is so important to them to spend millions to change the standards and discredit evolution.
You don’t eat a bike or ride an orange. I do not require a literal interpretation of time set down in the Bible by 19th century clergymen to buttress my belief lest it crumble. And more and more I see this need to push this conclusion on science represents a lack of trust in a Creator. The bike may take you to places where you hunger and are unsatisfied. But that is not the bikes fault. Science answers question about how the universe works, the mechanics. Religion answers the why, the reason, the purpose.
At the time of the Crusades the Islamic culture was the most advanced scientifically the world had yet seen. Surpassing even the Greeks. But then certain Mullahs declared nothing in science could contradict the teachings of the Koran and that early technology and scientific discovery withered. When every question in science must have a foregone conclusion-then it is no longer science. That is why it is important we know exactly what we are deciding.
As a parent I thoroughly investigated the questions raised scientifically that purported to disprove evolution. Not one wasn’t answered by other scientists and none of the anti-evolution experts countered those answers. Yet statements to the contrary still are presented as truth and as “proven” to a scientific standard. I find this very disturbing. Because the Truth that is God should never need deception or lies to hide behind. Tho I don’t doubt that those who are promoting Intelligent Design are well-meaning and have good motives. My experience has always been only the Truth shall set you free.
So when my 6 yr old son asked me what I believed about evolution. I paused and prayed that my answer be from God. And this is what came out of my mouth.
“I believe God is a scientist. As he created all things - the knowledge of how the universe works can only reveal him. Nothing we discover can shock or offend him since he created it. It is people who need material things to help their belief. But I believe we are meant to question, search, discover.
“Galileo, said his scientific experiments proved to him the Earth circled the sun not vice versa. And this created a great debate and crisis in Faith for many. But as science continued its’ discoveries we found more evidence of how special and perfect this Earth is for life. How everything is calibrated just so in an incredible balance. Evidence that to me points to an Intelligent Designer. But one who is a scientist not a magician. We do not need fear science can possibly disprove God, anymore then we can eat a bicycle.”
It is up to each parents’ conscience to decide whether they believe there were kangaroos in the Middle East and whether the answer should matter in a science class. But do not be misled into thinking that this is about whether or not God was the Intelligent Designer of the universe. And for a full understanding before you vote look up the Discovery Institute on Wikipedia.
Like Pres. Bush and Sen. McCain I essentially would agree with the concept of Intelligent Design. So would many scientists. But do you believe that there were once kangaroos in the Middle East? This is the question asked his audience of an Australian “expert” on a Christian channel I was listening to. He declared he was going to “prove” there were despite the lack of fossil evidence. I listened intently expecting an interesting study or argument. Instead he asked if his audience believed that Noah landed the Ark on Mt. Ararat and if they believed that-then they believed that kangaroos dispersed from the Middle East to Australia.
Anyone with everyday logic can spot that circular argument let alone needing the logic of syllogisms and proofs that is required of science.
After much research, as a Mom of 2 young kids, I have come to the conclusion that the Intelligent Design arguments are a red herring to forward a literal interpretation of the Bible that requires that the earth be only 6k years old. To pit Faith against science is not comparing apples and oranges-but rather apples and bicycles. One is life-giving and sustaining. The other is a means of getting from one place to another.
For Faith the answer to all Truth must be God. For a scientist everything is a theory- there is no Truth. There is only a valid conclusion (one that can be proven logically) and an invalid one.
That is why the changed science standards are so damaging. Science is nothing but a methodology which requires everything be theory. To a scientist it is theoretical that the sun will rise tomorrow. There is no true or false. Only valid and invalid. It is only accepted on empirical evidence that the sun will be there tomorrow. It cannot be “proven”. That is the standard set for science and I learned this in my first college science course.
What person of Faith would advocate his belief in a personal savior and creator be based on that kind of standard? Paradoxically those who require that the Earth be 6k years old because they believe that is what it indicates in the Bible are doing just that. That is why it is so important to them to spend millions to change the standards and discredit evolution.
You don’t eat a bike or ride an orange. I do not require a literal interpretation of time set down in the Bible by 19th century clergymen to buttress my belief lest it crumble. And more and more I see this need to push this conclusion on science represents a lack of trust in a Creator. The bike may take you to places where you hunger and are unsatisfied. But that is not the bikes fault. Science answers question about how the universe works, the mechanics. Religion answers the why, the reason, the purpose.
At the time of the Crusades the Islamic culture was the most advanced scientifically the world had yet seen. Surpassing even the Greeks. But then certain Mullahs declared nothing in science could contradict the teachings of the Koran and that early technology and scientific discovery withered. When every question in science must have a foregone conclusion-then it is no longer science. That is why it is important we know exactly what we are deciding.
As a parent I thoroughly investigated the questions raised scientifically that purported to disprove evolution. Not one wasn’t answered by other scientists and none of the anti-evolution experts countered those answers. Yet statements to the contrary still are presented as truth and as “proven” to a scientific standard. I find this very disturbing. Because the Truth that is God should never need deception or lies to hide behind. Tho I don’t doubt that those who are promoting Intelligent Design are well-meaning and have good motives. My experience has always been only the Truth shall set you free.
So when my 6 yr old son asked me what I believed about evolution. I paused and prayed that my answer be from God. And this is what came out of my mouth.
“I believe God is a scientist. As he created all things - the knowledge of how the universe works can only reveal him. Nothing we discover can shock or offend him since he created it. It is people who need material things to help their belief. But I believe we are meant to question, search, discover.
“Galileo, said his scientific experiments proved to him the Earth circled the sun not vice versa. And this created a great debate and crisis in Faith for many. But as science continued its’ discoveries we found more evidence of how special and perfect this Earth is for life. How everything is calibrated just so in an incredible balance. Evidence that to me points to an Intelligent Designer. But one who is a scientist not a magician. We do not need fear science can possibly disprove God, anymore then we can eat a bicycle.”
It is up to each parents’ conscience to decide whether they believe there were kangaroos in the Middle East and whether the answer should matter in a science class. But do not be misled into thinking that this is about whether or not God was the Intelligent Designer of the universe. And for a full understanding before you vote look up the Discovery Institute on Wikipedia.
