Science/Miracles
Science/Miracles
How does the idea of a young earth vs. an old earth fit with the Bible? see notes below; the idea of old earth/young earth is not necessarily a Biblical issue ... many people over the years have looked at Genesis 1-2 as giving more information that it actually does (it is not a science text); in addition, it is poetry ... nothing in Genesis 1-2 is contrary to science but actually complements it.
What about microevolution and macroevolution? see notes below
The following doubts/questions all fall under the question of whether or not the miraculous is possible: (see notes below)
I doubt that there was a virgin birth
I doubt that Jesus walked on water.
I doubt that Jesus turned water into wine.
How could a woman, Sarah in the Old Testament, have a baby at 105 years old?
How could a donkey talk? (e.g., Balaam’s donkey)
the following notes are from June 14, 2009 "Doubts about Science and Faith" Dr. Ted Wueste (click here for audio)
1. The origins of religious thought demonstrate its irrelevance to modern life.
The idea here is that religious thought/the idea of God originated in ancient times when scientific inquiry was not around --- so, to explain things – primitive man had to invent the idea of god/the unseen to explain why certain things happen … for example, a tornado was a punishment from the gods or someone with a sickness was inhabited by an evil spirit ---
So, modern science comes along and is able to explain how a lot of things work and the assumption is that the idea of God is no longer necessary --- it is like knitting – nice, maybe comforting to some but not helpful or truthful in explaining life --- here’s the problem with this conclusion:
Take the question: why is the sky blue? Primitive man: God made it that way. Modern science says:
“When transmitted light such as sunlight enters our atmosphere it collides with the oxygen and nitrogen atoms. The color with the shorter wavelength is scattered more by this collision. Because violet and blue are the shortest wavelengths the sky appears to be violet / blue. But because our eyes are more sensitive to blue light than they are violet light, we perceive the sky as blue.” (from why-is-the-sky-blue.tv)
So, the idea is … now that we know the science – we can rule out God, but this is not necessary --- it could in fact be that God made it that way and our progress in scientific understanding helps us understand how He made it that way. Scientific explanation does not necessarily rule out religious thought --- it can’t. In addition, science may be able to show us that the sick person had epilepsy but it doesn’t necessarily mean that there is nothing supernatural going on …
And, this moves us into the second perceived problem … that:
2. Miracles defy the laws of science.
There have been lots of doubts submitted in this area … here’s what’s important to grasp … it is possible to believe in the miraculous and be scientifically consistent … William Lane Craig, the noted Christian philosopher defines a miracle as: “an event which is not produced by the natural causes that are operative at the time and place that the event occurs.”
And, the idea is that generally – when there is nothing intervening, the law of gravity states that an apple will go straight to the ground when it falls from a tree. If you reached out your hand, you wouldn’t defy the law of gravity – you are merely intervening and causing the conditions to change. The laws of nature or science can only tell us what will happen if nothing intervenes.
C. S. Lewis said this in his work, “The Grand Miracle”
“This point of scientific method merely shows (what no one to my knowledge ever denied) that if miracles did occur, science, as science, could not prove, or disprove, their occurrence. What cannot be trusted to recur is not material for science: that is why history is not one of the sciences. You cannot find out what Napoleon did at the battle of Austerlitz by asking him to come and fight it again in a laboratory with the same combatants, the same terrain, the same weather, and in the same age. You have to go to the records. We have not, in fact, proved that science excludes miracles: we have only proved that the question of miracles, like innumerable other questions, excludes laboratory treatment.”
It requires to faith to say that miracles can’t happen --- however, it is very legitimate to doubt … it is hard to believe because interventions into the way things generally have been observed to work are not normal … look at Matthew 28:17 ---
“When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted.”
This was in referenced to the resurrection … it is hard to believe but it doesn’t mean it wasn’t true. And, remember that these people who doubted were “primitive” --- it’s not just “scientifically” enlightened humanity that finds it hard to believe and I love that the Bible preserves the reality that it is hard to believe …
The last perceived problem we’ll examine is that …
3. Evolutionary science is incompatible with religious thought.
First, it needs to be clarified that there is evolutionary science and there is evolutionary theory --- the science side demonstrates the evolution and development within a species; the theory side theorizes that there has been development from one species to another (this has never been conclusively demonstrated) … second, evolutionary science can only go so far – it can begin to explain the processes for how life began but it can’t tell us where the stuff came from that allowed the processes to begin in the first place --- it can’t rule out the idea of God --- Stephen Jay Gould, the brilliant Harvard biologist who took the atheist position did say this:
“Either half of my colleagues are enormously stupid, or else the science of Darwinism is fully compatible with conventional religious beliefs – and equally compatible with atheism.”
The questions then roll in to whether or not the Bible contradicts what science suggests or has even proven …
Open in your Bible to Genesis chapter 1 --- read vv. 1-5
I want you to notice several things: this is a poem --- there is a rhythm to it --- repeated phrases, the symmetry … one of the ways that the Hebrews wrote poetry is using parallelism …
… we see in verse 2 (without form and void) – the idea is that there was no form or function --- and so, God spends three days give form and the last three days filling the form and there is a parallelism to what’s going on … people often get hung up on the days but that is not the point of the poem … the days are just a way of showing God’s purpose … it wasn’t even until day four that the sun and moon and stars which regulate day and night were even created … think of the days as acts … the last day doesn’t even end …
So, the Biblical account of the beginning of the world is not a scientific treatise on how life began --- that doesn’t mean that it is unscientific … it goes where science cannot – at least at this point in time …
The Biblical account tells us not how but why --- and that’s what the poem is all about --- that God had purpose in what was made … not of this is here randomly … there is a form and there is a filling of each form with purpose … mankind was purposely formed … in God’s image – the word image: the share one’s essence/the accomplish the work of another (we are more than just physical) --- this is the very reason why we ask questions … because inherent to our makeup is the idea that there is a reason for everything … that everything is purposeful …
And this is where the idea of integrating faith and science comes in … how does that work?
The integration of faith and science …
- There is not a conflict between the two – but dialogue and interaction.
- There is no division between secular and sacred … everything is connected to God.
“All of life is drenched in the divine. The issue is whether our eyes are open enough to see it.” Rob Bell
Seven days is an unnatural division of time … a week is the only unit of time we have that is not based upon the natural world. Why? Because God wanted to remind us that we are more than the just natural world … he wanted to remind us to break up our days … so that we wouldn’t become machines – simply products of our circumstances … we are spiritual beings, connected to God and He is involved in everything …