Every life form on earth is a discovery. It is fascinating to watch the birds fly through the air, or to see a fish swim in the ocean. From the tiniest forms of microscopic life in our intestines to the outermost limits of the universe, “science” has been there in the midst of it all, trying to explain it, to understand it, to save it. But, what is it exactly? How do we know that the objects of observation deserve more than just our attention, our analysis, or our gratitude?
In my experience of studying science I have become more narrow-minded in my search for the truth of existence. As a child I enjoyed reading the stories of how babies are made, or the National Geographic versions of biology, geology, astronomy or chemistry. Yet in all my studies there is one thing that stands out beyond all other descriptions of scientific origins. The passage below is a quote from the apostle Paul in the New Testament which states, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20, NKJV)
Why would I interject a verse from the Bible into this glimpse of my “world view” of science? Isn’t that trying to combine religion with science? Isn’t that a form of non-political-correct behavior? Well, for those of you who do not share in the same faith, then the answer would be yes. For those of you who do hold to the same beliefs as I do, then again, my answer is yes. Before you decide to exit the page, shut the book, or curse at my words, please let me explain (in simple terms) why faith and science go hand-in-hand.
As a person goes through life, she usually sits behind a desk at the local school and listens to the designated teacher describe the science lesson from the prescribed textbook publisher. If she happens to be enrolled in a class that allows for “out-of-the-box” instruction and experiments, she may be receiving an additional form of knowledge that most science teachers do not feel obliged to share. Most children grow up and find that the study of science is boring and unrelated to their current needs. What a shame! The educational system has an opportunity to expand the minds of the students and encourage the opportunities for exploration and a deeper knowledge of the world.
For someone to take a teacher’s spoken lecture at face value, or even delve into the words of the textbook, the student must have some starting point of faith when understanding science. I am not speaking of a “religious” faith per se, but I am pointing out that science must be evaluated through a lens of faith. If a teacher says, “E equals M C squared,” do we take it at face value or do we try to prove it? What if the teacher says, “the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell,” but we have no way to see it or examine the process without a microscope? Do we just take the teacher’s word in faith, or do we want proof? Yet, in all of the classes I have taken in science, I have been expected to take the teacher’s lecture at face value and believe every word from the textbook publisher. Something is wrong when I choose to believe so naively that it is automatically true, rather than trying to prove the truth through my own research. The educational system is telling all students to have a base measure of faith to assume that all of the textbooks and lectures are true. What a shame!
If a person wants to be truly educated in science, it is only for the betterment of that person to go out into the world and research every possible angle of that particular subject. Do not conform to the ways of the world by believing the first person who tells you that the Earth is round. Go out and prove it for yourself!
In return of the above-mentioned verse, I have to say that my faith in God has only solidified my passion for science. As I study the process of creation, the vastness of the universe, or the depths of the oceans, I am more firmly convinced in a Creator who is the CEO of science! The whole decision to study and believe the methods of science come down to a choice in faith: do I choose to believe what the world has deduced regarding science, or do I choose to believe the simple scriptures that point to God as the almighty Creator? I choose to take option number two: it is the road less traveled yet more ridiculed by scholars and laymen alike.
In the post-modern society our “educated” people have been trained to believe (through an unknowing and underlying faith) in a different perspective of science than those science scholars who lived before 1850 AD. The world has changed drastically in the past 150 years. A complete polar-shift has occurred in how science works and defines life on earth and life in space. If you disagree, and that is okay, take some time to study the lives of respected science scholars like Johannes Kepler, Ferdinand Magellan, and Galileo Galilei. These men lived hundreds of years before now, and their “world-view” of science was founded on their belief in a Creator. In spite of the so-called conflict of religion versus science, they are still well-respected in the scientific communities for their discoveries, their beliefs, and their legacies.
Becoming Process Driven 