This post promises to be one of the shorter posts I contribute (at least in the near future). There are several reasons for this. First, this is meant to be a follow-up to my post last week, called "Religion on Science". Second, I am not drawing my discussion from any particular body of work. And third, I really don't think there is a whole lot which needs to be said about this topic in a broad sense. Certainly, narrower discussions centered around this wide issue merit larger amounts of prose and consideration. I never intend to contribute words where none are needed.
The Nature of the Supernatural
Much like our last discussion, this one begins with a question. What exactly does science have to say about religion? I am, of course, only able to knowledgeably discuss Christianity where religion is concerned, but I feel the same discourse can sufficiently cover religion as a whole.
The answer to this question, as I have found it, is "not much at all." Sure, many scientists love to talk about religion and those who belong to one faith or another. But science, the pure, unadulterated study, pays very little attention to the proceedings of religion. As I have said, religion and science are quite content to remain separate entities with only the occasional salutation. But for some reason we modern humans love to force each of these studies into the other's arena with little forethought to our actions.
Science, as almost any modern middle school student can tell you, is the study of the demonstrable and repeatable aspects of nature. My personal favorite definition (though not necessarily infinitely precise) is that science is the study of the universe which asks "How?" If something can be perceived with one or more of the five classical senses, it can theoretically be analyzed in some way using science. This is why I love science: I constantly look at the world around me and wonder how it operates. It is science's great blessing that anything in the physical world is open to its examination.
But this blessing is also a curse. Despite having such a broad range of vision, science has a fairly extensive blind spot: the non-physical. In terms of religion, this encompasses such terms as supernatural, preternatural, metaphysical, extraordinary, inexplicable, and abnormal. The fact is, not everything has to behave based on certain natural rules. Science tells us about things which follow demonstrable patterns. It does not, however, tell us that things can only follow demonstrable patterns. That would be much like a man who, never having heard of Germany, suddenly begins claiming that there is no such place as Nuremberg.
Blissful Ignorance
The simple, happy fact of science is that is is for the most part completely ignorant of religion. What does science think about God? It doesn't. What says it about an afterlife? It is mute. Where are its works regarding ethics and the human soul? They are neither written nor forthcoming. Science neither refutes nor embraces Christianity, neither condemns nor affirms Hinduism, neither chides nor endorses Zoroastrianism. And neither should men who claim to represent it.
Modern men are far too sure of themselves. Many a good scientist has been taken by the false belief that science is the true study, the answer to all questions. What they have forgotten is that science is merely the question itself. The media readily markets atheism as science, and in the process ruins the faith of a public whose ears itch for any pseudophilosophy which will allow its hedonism to go unchecked. My friends, this should not be.
Let us bring forth good scientific advances while not forgetting that science has its boundaries, and is quite happy within them. In fact, it suffocates anywhere else. Fish don't do too well out of water.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Monday, May 14, 2012
Religion on Science
Two of my favorite topics to read about and discuss are science and religion. I have always had a passion for learning about how the world works, and these two pursuits allow me to consider two very different sides of this question. In fact, it was my love for both of these disciplines which prompted me to start this blog in the first place.
The modern world, however, seems to see these forces as being diametrically opposed, and divisive arguments are brought up seemingly every day which purport to uphold one in defiance of the other. There are honestly very few things which annoy me more than these assertions. Who says that either science or religion has to be correct and the other must be totally incorrect?
Certainly science and religion are different entities, but that does not make them opposed to one another. Quite the contrary- these two studies actually compete each other. Science and religion are quite content to be separate, but while they occupy different niches, they are not necessarily ignorant of each other.
In this post, I intend to explore what religion (specifically Christianity) has to say about science. Based on some of the portrayals of Christians in the modern media, one might suppose that religion condemns science and denounces modern scientific thought. And this may be true of certain specific sects of the faith, but we are not here concerned with such minutia. Instead, our discussion focuses more on Christianity as a whole.
Transcendental Acquiescence
So what exactly does Christianity say about science? Well, to be honest, much less than many people, both proponents and adversaries of religion, assert. In truth, the most much of the Bible seems to say to the realm of science is "I agree."
The first place I see this as evident is in the accounts of the miracles. One of the modern atheist's favorite pastimes is deriding the Christian for his belief in these "unscientific" events. What he is unable to see, however, is that the Christian sees the miracles in the same way, for miracles are, by definition, "unscientific." That is, they operate outside the realm of science. Science, of course, describes the observed and expected behavior of nature. Miracles are momentary suspensions of this normally concrete natural order. The Bible does not assert that it is at all normal, or logical, or even scientifically theoretical for men to walk on water, rise from the dead, turn water to wine, part seas, or make the sun go in reverse across the sky. On the contrary, it is because these events were so strikingly peculiar that many of them made it into the book in the first place.
The men and women in the Bible were not ignorant of science. Thus we find Martha's hesitation at Jesus' request to open Lazarus' tomb, for a man dead four days naturally has a foul odor (John 11:38-44). Hence the ridicule of the men at the house of Jairus, and their astonishment when Jesus brought out the formerly dead girl alive and whole (Mark 5:35-43). Ezekiel knows that bones do not come back to life on their own (Ezekiel 37:1-14), but finds it wise not to answer God so certainly. Hezekiah knows that the sun moves in the same direction across the sky in any normal day (2 Kings 20:1-11), but this day is not normal.
In fact, it is almost frustrating how much God relies on the scientific knowledge of everyday man to make His miraculous actions stand out. And here we find the crux of the matter. Christians are not so onerous to modern scientists because they reject science, as the scientists would assert. Rather, Christians are bothersome because they claim to know the One who invented nature (and by extension, science) in the first place. Certainly, if God created the world, He created the rules that govern it. Of course it is perfectly reasonable therefore that the vast majority of history has seen nature follow a strict set of rules. It is not, however, unreasonable to say that it is impossible or even improbable for Him to suspend these rules on very rare occasions and play by His own rules.
Religion does not baldly contradict science, it agrees with it whole-heartedly. In fact, it is not going too far to say that religion even enhances science by giving it that which science alone cannot provide- a Reason.
The First Lab Manual
I close with a topic which seems to have escaped the notice of many modern Christians and atheists alike: there is science in the Bible. When Israel was first putting forth the structure of their society, one class of people was set aside to act in varying capacities in the worship of God at the tabernacle. This group was known as the Levites (the descendants of Israel's son Levi). In order to perform their priestly duties, a book was written containing many of the guidelines they were to follow. In our English Bibles, this book has been aptly titled "Leviticus." It is one of my favorite books of the Bible, though it has a (mostly) undeserved reputation for being pedantic and uninteresting. (Oddly enough, I sometimes receive this same criticism.) On top of many other uses, it served as a sort of rudimentary lab manual for the priests, who were at times called to perform medical and scientific duties.
Leviticus is full of practical scientific advice such as avoiding animal carcasses encountered in the wild (Lev. 11:24-25), how to see if a skin disease is serious or not (13:1-8), and how to deal with different kinds of mildew (13:47-58). Read these passages if you have not already (and then read the rest of Leviticus). These do not sound like the ravings of a science-denying madman. In fact, some of them resemble simple scientific experiments. There is science in the Bible! Okay, maybe I'm the only one that excited about this, but it is cool. Or at least interesting...
Here is what I want you to get out of this discussion: Christianity, and religion in general, has no real quarrel with science. Christians, this means that we should be prepared to discuss science when it is called for, instead of just dismissing it with a self-righteous remark. And Scientists, it means that we must stop ridiculing Christians for being uneducated and backwards. They simply are not. Let's do our best to put science and religion back where they belong. Honestly, they are happier that way (and so are we).
In this post, I intend to explore what religion (specifically Christianity) has to say about science. Based on some of the portrayals of Christians in the modern media, one might suppose that religion condemns science and denounces modern scientific thought. And this may be true of certain specific sects of the faith, but we are not here concerned with such minutia. Instead, our discussion focuses more on Christianity as a whole.
Transcendental Acquiescence
So what exactly does Christianity say about science? Well, to be honest, much less than many people, both proponents and adversaries of religion, assert. In truth, the most much of the Bible seems to say to the realm of science is "I agree."
The first place I see this as evident is in the accounts of the miracles. One of the modern atheist's favorite pastimes is deriding the Christian for his belief in these "unscientific" events. What he is unable to see, however, is that the Christian sees the miracles in the same way, for miracles are, by definition, "unscientific." That is, they operate outside the realm of science. Science, of course, describes the observed and expected behavior of nature. Miracles are momentary suspensions of this normally concrete natural order. The Bible does not assert that it is at all normal, or logical, or even scientifically theoretical for men to walk on water, rise from the dead, turn water to wine, part seas, or make the sun go in reverse across the sky. On the contrary, it is because these events were so strikingly peculiar that many of them made it into the book in the first place.
The men and women in the Bible were not ignorant of science. Thus we find Martha's hesitation at Jesus' request to open Lazarus' tomb, for a man dead four days naturally has a foul odor (John 11:38-44). Hence the ridicule of the men at the house of Jairus, and their astonishment when Jesus brought out the formerly dead girl alive and whole (Mark 5:35-43). Ezekiel knows that bones do not come back to life on their own (Ezekiel 37:1-14), but finds it wise not to answer God so certainly. Hezekiah knows that the sun moves in the same direction across the sky in any normal day (2 Kings 20:1-11), but this day is not normal.
In fact, it is almost frustrating how much God relies on the scientific knowledge of everyday man to make His miraculous actions stand out. And here we find the crux of the matter. Christians are not so onerous to modern scientists because they reject science, as the scientists would assert. Rather, Christians are bothersome because they claim to know the One who invented nature (and by extension, science) in the first place. Certainly, if God created the world, He created the rules that govern it. Of course it is perfectly reasonable therefore that the vast majority of history has seen nature follow a strict set of rules. It is not, however, unreasonable to say that it is impossible or even improbable for Him to suspend these rules on very rare occasions and play by His own rules.
Religion does not baldly contradict science, it agrees with it whole-heartedly. In fact, it is not going too far to say that religion even enhances science by giving it that which science alone cannot provide- a Reason.
The First Lab Manual
I close with a topic which seems to have escaped the notice of many modern Christians and atheists alike: there is science in the Bible. When Israel was first putting forth the structure of their society, one class of people was set aside to act in varying capacities in the worship of God at the tabernacle. This group was known as the Levites (the descendants of Israel's son Levi). In order to perform their priestly duties, a book was written containing many of the guidelines they were to follow. In our English Bibles, this book has been aptly titled "Leviticus." It is one of my favorite books of the Bible, though it has a (mostly) undeserved reputation for being pedantic and uninteresting. (Oddly enough, I sometimes receive this same criticism.) On top of many other uses, it served as a sort of rudimentary lab manual for the priests, who were at times called to perform medical and scientific duties.
Leviticus is full of practical scientific advice such as avoiding animal carcasses encountered in the wild (Lev. 11:24-25), how to see if a skin disease is serious or not (13:1-8), and how to deal with different kinds of mildew (13:47-58). Read these passages if you have not already (and then read the rest of Leviticus). These do not sound like the ravings of a science-denying madman. In fact, some of them resemble simple scientific experiments. There is science in the Bible! Okay, maybe I'm the only one that excited about this, but it is cool. Or at least interesting...
Here is what I want you to get out of this discussion: Christianity, and religion in general, has no real quarrel with science. Christians, this means that we should be prepared to discuss science when it is called for, instead of just dismissing it with a self-righteous remark. And Scientists, it means that we must stop ridiculing Christians for being uneducated and backwards. They simply are not. Let's do our best to put science and religion back where they belong. Honestly, they are happier that way (and so are we).
Monday, May 7, 2012
The Nature of Christian Boundaries
I recently celebrated my twenty-first birthday, and among all the good-natured jokes from my friends about my hypothetical inebriation, I couldn't help but ponder a certain aspect of the human condition. In particular, it intrigues me how people seemingly gravitate toward their limits. It seems that no matter what the context, humans are naturally drawn to the farthest point they are allowed to go. This tendency seems almost idiosyncratic, though it is certainly common to humans of any background.
The main question dogging me in this study is, "Is there anything wrong with dwelling just inside your limits?" It is not necessarily a question to which I wanted to know the answer, because if it turns out that that answer is "yes," I will need to reconsider the attitude with which I approach many different situations in my life. Yet, it is certainly a worthwhile question, and one that comes up rather often in the Bible as well. Therefore, I have set forth what I believe is a helpful discussion on the nature of Christian boundaries here.
The Root (or maybe "Fruit") of the Problem
The first place in the Bible where I see this issue of boundaries is right at the beginning, in Genesis. As you might already know, God spent a week creating the world and getting everything just right for His creation. He worked everything out down to the last detail, and then put human beings (at this point consisting of Adam and his wife Eve) in charge of a few things. They were free to enjoy all that the paradise of Eden had to offer, save one thing: they were not allowed to eat the fruit of a certain tree. Simple enough, right? Well, if you know the story, you know that it's not as simple as it sounds.
Personally, I like to think that if I were in the same position as them, I would make it my goal to stay as far away from that tree as possible. Maybe put a mile perimeter around it that I would only cross in dire situations. I would totally avoid any fruit that even resembled that which hung from the forbidden tree. This might even have been a good plan. But it's likely I could have never followed through with it forever. And, of course, Eve looked up one day to find herself near the forbidden tree. But she was not alone.
It is clear that the serpent intended for Eve to wind up near that forbidden tree. That way, his temptation would be all the more potent. The immediacy of the fruit meant that once tempted, there would be almost no time for second guesses, for considering the consequences of eating the fruit. Instead sin follows temptation in rapid succession: "When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it." (Gen. 3:6a) And don't think that Adam is exempt from this lack of sound judgment: "She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it."
And thus begins the story of man's descent into sin and depravity and God's painful salvation.
Be Like Christ
When you think about it, we are oftentimes quite a lot like Eve. Christians who clearly recognize their boundaries sometimes make a habit of dwelling near them. "'Everything is permissible,'" says Paul (I Cor 10:27), "but not everything is beneficial. 'Everything is permissible'—but not everything is constructive." We normally use this verse to discuss actions which should be outside of the Christian life, but I feel it applies equally well to things which it is all right for Christians in general to do. Take, for instance, consuming alcohol. Very few people would argue that it is a sin for a person of legal age to drink (speaking, of course, in the broad sense, and not including drunkenness, which is a sin- Gal. 5:19-21). So I am perfectly within my rights as a Christian to have an alcoholic drink every now and then. But would this be beneficial or constructive? In many situations, it simply is not. Despite the fact that the action within itself is not sinful, if I choose to drink regularly, being this close to a boundary necessarily presents me with many more opportunities to cross over that boundary. All it takes is one depressing day to start a cycle of drunkenness or an accidental one too many drinks to create a completely different situation where my foggy resolve is too weak to resist another temptation.
Instead of defining our actions by their limits, I suggest an alternative. Let's be like Jesus! This is, after all what Christians are by definition meant to do. Hebrews is very clear that Jesus "has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin." (Heb. 4:15) How was Christ able to overcome all this temptation? Not by staring it in the face day after day. According to the gospels (Matt. 14:13, Mark 1:35, Luke 4:42, etc.), Jesus regularly prayed by Himself, withdrawing from the temptations of the world. Also, it is clear that while Christ did not hesitate to associate with sinners, His actions set Him apart. Can we try to be more like Him?
Instead of flirting with our boundaries like so many Christians are inclined to do, let's have the same attitude that Paul espoused with regard to sexual immorality: "Flee from sexual immorality." (I Cor. 6:18a) These are strong words, but I agree with Paul whole-heartedly. If a temptation is strong enough for you that you have to set a boundary for yourself, get as far away from that boundary as you can! Are you struggling with gossip? Commit to only saying uplifting things about others (or nothing at all). Is pornography a temptation for you? Turn off whatever internet-connected device you're reading this on (it won't kill you) or find an accountability partner and some serious accountability software and attack the issue.
Seriously, people. Sin is not something to mess around with. All of us make mistakes. But believe me, you will feel a ton better if, when your resolve wavers for a moment, you are still inside your boundary. Even if you do happen to cross the boundary, the occurrences will almost assuredly be less frequent. It is worth it to save your soul.
I have so much more I would like to write, but this discussion is long enough as it is (and I've got to be getting to bed soon). Please do consider this subject and ask yourself if there are any boundaries in your life you should be running from instead of running beside. Satan can be clever, but sometimes he simply plays off of our naïveté. I'm not saying that you should become an ascetic and erase all ties to the world. But I am challenging all of us to live wisely and be the best reflections of Christ that we can possibly be.
The main question dogging me in this study is, "Is there anything wrong with dwelling just inside your limits?" It is not necessarily a question to which I wanted to know the answer, because if it turns out that that answer is "yes," I will need to reconsider the attitude with which I approach many different situations in my life. Yet, it is certainly a worthwhile question, and one that comes up rather often in the Bible as well. Therefore, I have set forth what I believe is a helpful discussion on the nature of Christian boundaries here.
The Root (or maybe "Fruit") of the Problem
The first place in the Bible where I see this issue of boundaries is right at the beginning, in Genesis. As you might already know, God spent a week creating the world and getting everything just right for His creation. He worked everything out down to the last detail, and then put human beings (at this point consisting of Adam and his wife Eve) in charge of a few things. They were free to enjoy all that the paradise of Eden had to offer, save one thing: they were not allowed to eat the fruit of a certain tree. Simple enough, right? Well, if you know the story, you know that it's not as simple as it sounds.
Personally, I like to think that if I were in the same position as them, I would make it my goal to stay as far away from that tree as possible. Maybe put a mile perimeter around it that I would only cross in dire situations. I would totally avoid any fruit that even resembled that which hung from the forbidden tree. This might even have been a good plan. But it's likely I could have never followed through with it forever. And, of course, Eve looked up one day to find herself near the forbidden tree. But she was not alone.
It is clear that the serpent intended for Eve to wind up near that forbidden tree. That way, his temptation would be all the more potent. The immediacy of the fruit meant that once tempted, there would be almost no time for second guesses, for considering the consequences of eating the fruit. Instead sin follows temptation in rapid succession: "When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it." (Gen. 3:6a) And don't think that Adam is exempt from this lack of sound judgment: "She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it."
And thus begins the story of man's descent into sin and depravity and God's painful salvation.
Be Like Christ
When you think about it, we are oftentimes quite a lot like Eve. Christians who clearly recognize their boundaries sometimes make a habit of dwelling near them. "'Everything is permissible,'" says Paul (I Cor 10:27), "but not everything is beneficial. 'Everything is permissible'—but not everything is constructive." We normally use this verse to discuss actions which should be outside of the Christian life, but I feel it applies equally well to things which it is all right for Christians in general to do. Take, for instance, consuming alcohol. Very few people would argue that it is a sin for a person of legal age to drink (speaking, of course, in the broad sense, and not including drunkenness, which is a sin- Gal. 5:19-21). So I am perfectly within my rights as a Christian to have an alcoholic drink every now and then. But would this be beneficial or constructive? In many situations, it simply is not. Despite the fact that the action within itself is not sinful, if I choose to drink regularly, being this close to a boundary necessarily presents me with many more opportunities to cross over that boundary. All it takes is one depressing day to start a cycle of drunkenness or an accidental one too many drinks to create a completely different situation where my foggy resolve is too weak to resist another temptation.
Instead of defining our actions by their limits, I suggest an alternative. Let's be like Jesus! This is, after all what Christians are by definition meant to do. Hebrews is very clear that Jesus "has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin." (Heb. 4:15) How was Christ able to overcome all this temptation? Not by staring it in the face day after day. According to the gospels (Matt. 14:13, Mark 1:35, Luke 4:42, etc.), Jesus regularly prayed by Himself, withdrawing from the temptations of the world. Also, it is clear that while Christ did not hesitate to associate with sinners, His actions set Him apart. Can we try to be more like Him?
Instead of flirting with our boundaries like so many Christians are inclined to do, let's have the same attitude that Paul espoused with regard to sexual immorality: "Flee from sexual immorality." (I Cor. 6:18a) These are strong words, but I agree with Paul whole-heartedly. If a temptation is strong enough for you that you have to set a boundary for yourself, get as far away from that boundary as you can! Are you struggling with gossip? Commit to only saying uplifting things about others (or nothing at all). Is pornography a temptation for you? Turn off whatever internet-connected device you're reading this on (it won't kill you) or find an accountability partner and some serious accountability software and attack the issue.
Seriously, people. Sin is not something to mess around with. All of us make mistakes. But believe me, you will feel a ton better if, when your resolve wavers for a moment, you are still inside your boundary. Even if you do happen to cross the boundary, the occurrences will almost assuredly be less frequent. It is worth it to save your soul.
I have so much more I would like to write, but this discussion is long enough as it is (and I've got to be getting to bed soon). Please do consider this subject and ask yourself if there are any boundaries in your life you should be running from instead of running beside. Satan can be clever, but sometimes he simply plays off of our naïveté. I'm not saying that you should become an ascetic and erase all ties to the world. But I am challenging all of us to live wisely and be the best reflections of Christ that we can possibly be.
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