HOW CAN PEOPLE "CONFUSE" FAITH AND TRY TO PROVE IT SCIENTIFICALLY?

FAITH: THE STORM RAGES, LIGHTNING STREAKS ACROSS AN OMINOUS SKY. THUNDER CRACKLES. THIS TOO IS CREATION. STORMS ARE NECESSARY FOR RENEWAL. LIGHTNING CLEANSES THE ATMOSPHERE AND RAIN RAISES OUR FACES IN GRATITUDE. LET US REJOICE! CREATION NEVER CEASES AND GOD IS OUR ETERNAL CREATOR. SARAH MANKOWSKI.





Confronting the Controversies - Evolution and Creation in School
Posted by admin on October 15th, 2008

Confronting the Controversies

Week 2: Teaching Evolution and Creation in School

For those who read the pre-release version of my novel (And The Dominoes Fall) this past summer, you have a pretty good idea where I stand on this topic. In this discussion I will attempt to keep it simple.

What is Science?
From Wikipedia - Science is the effort to discover, and increase human understanding of how the physical world works. Through controlled methods, scientists use observable physical evidence of natural phenomena to collect data, and analyze this information to explain what and how things work. Such methods include experimentation that tries to simulate natural phenomena under controlled conditions and thought experiments. Knowledge in science is gained through research.

What is Faith?
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

I am tempted to leave it at that. Enough said. Shouldn't it be obvious that scripture and science do not attempt to answer the same questions using the same techniques? When Moses brought down the Ten Commandments he didn't say, "Before we put this law into practice we must create some scientific instruments and develop experiments to discover what kind of stone this is and how the tablets were created." Not only is such a suggestion ridiculous but it would take the people away from the whole point of the law. This was, as Christ taught us, love our God and love one another.

Should We Include Scriptural Passages in Science Class?
I say, "Absolutely not."

Most students who take high-school level science courses will not pursue a career in science. Some may never give the physical world a second thought. And yet, by studying the scientific method perhaps they will improve critical thinking skills. Perhaps they will learn to become better observers of their natural surroundings. For me, these are sound reasons to leave science class to the scientific method. Let them learn something of the what and the how of the natural world. After all, they cannot get to the who of creation without the faith inside their own being.
Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
In other words, Seek and you will find. If we do not believe (at least in some small way) that what we seek exists, how can we begin to find it?
As the chorus from a Michael Card song goes:

To hear with my heart
To see with my soul
To be guided by a hand I cannot hold
To trust in a way that I cannot see
That's what faith must be
That is faith and there is absolutely nothing in the scientific method that can get us there.
Then, what about Genesis? If you want to include the creation story, which one? There are two. Whose interpretation will you use? Some Christians read for literal understanding while many others read the stories as doxology. That is, affirming that the God we worship is God of all that has been created and all that will ever be created. This is a statement of faith, which doesn't attempt to explain the how.
These days, some Christian groups try to get around the creation debate with Intelligent Design. Once again I turned to Wikipedia for a definition.
Intelligent Design is the assertion that ‘certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection.'
This is not science. Working within the scientific method one cannot declare a conclusion based on faith. Why would proponents of Intelligent Design seek to redefine science to include what cannot be explained by the scientific method? Isn't it a good thing for a society to have as many citizens as possible who possess good skills in critical thinking? Let science teach science.
1Kings 19:11, 12 … Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.
When I read this passage I understand it to mean that God's Spirit did not speak to Elijah through the wind or the earthquake or the volcano. God's Spirit spoke to him as so often happens through a gentle whisper that can only be felt by the soul.
Science is equipped to study the great natural forces of this planet such as earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes and tornadoes. But how can science explain the gentle whisper heard only by the faithful soul?
If we insist on injecting faith into the scientific process, what choice does science have but to reject the concept? What scientific experiment could be devised to hear the gentle whisper of God's Spirit?
To me, God is too great and too vast to ever be contained by human understanding. Look at the natural world and relish it in awe, in God's presence. But let us not dishonor God by thinking Him so small and so comprehendible that a mere mortal mind could ever know His ways.