Is there room for science and faith to co-exist?

Question

I was raised as an athiest and therefor do not really know if people with faith can still believe in science or vise versa. This is really bothering me, please help me out.

and uh how does science back up the bible

Answer 1

Yes,definitely.Both are not of different entities but are correlated.Science has tremendously contributed an overwhelming change in the picture of the world. With all advancement in technologies all people received immeasurable benefits as we could say.Modern facilities,to the recently wireless technologies and still researches going on to uncover things beyond ones imagination,and so on and so forth. All of those facts do you think are just correlated to science?Definitely not.Let take the SUN for example.Science says sun is a ball of fire and many theories has been postulated about it.Will just we look at a sun and just believe it as it is?Have not few wonderings generated in anybody's rational mind? There are so many things happening around which cannot be answered by scientific explanation. Could we just say it is a miracle...PERIOD! Whether anyone will acknowledge or not,it is merely the truth and fact that things beyond science explanation are beyond human mental capacity ,and THERE IS SOMEONE GREAT behind all of these.GOD ONLY KNOWS.
Let me add this excerpt from an article from the link below.
"In reality, early-modern science got its impetus from the intellectual and cultural milieu provided by Christianity. The pioneers of science worked within the general conviction that a reasonable God created a reasonable universe, and that by reasonable observation we might discover something of the truth of this universe."(1)(http://www.coshoctontribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?ID=/20060725/OPINION03/607250331)

Answer 2

I've been raised religious my entire life and sometimes what they teach as science has been disturbing to the things I've been taught. As a result, I've come up with my own interpretation on the subject:

I am a creationist in the fact I believe that it took a supernatural authority to turn the first nothing into something. So far there is no scientific theory on the planet (that I'm aware of) that can explain how the first atom, cell, proton, particle, whatever actually "started the universe" got there in the first place. The rest of the story is what becomes the unknown. Science argues the progression of what happened after the first something was there. Religion generally carries the belief how the first something got there. The grey area is that religion doesn't stop at how did the first something get there - it argues that bam, there's a tree. It wasn't a seed, it was a tree. Bam, there's the earth, not a cell. I'm not arguing the point here from any specific religion, but moreas someone open minded to possibilities.

If you want to justify The Bible, then one way to look at it is to say that when God created everything, he built in "age" into the planet. He had to create natural cycles, evolution (such that we can adapt to change) and such to allow the planet to thrive. For all we know, dinosaurs never walked the earth, God just put the bones there for us to find and puzzle us while he sits and laughs. After all, God is the all powerful supreme being and could've done whatever he wanted at the time of creation. If this is so, then both creation and science are true.

I could rattle on pages and pages more; there are definitely other avenues to consider. The point doesn't change - that religion and science can definitely coexist.

Answer 3

Until the last century and a half, most of the big names in science were Christians and they didn't have much problem with it. They were describing and discovering the world about them. That is not too hard. The Bible tells enough about the world of its day in terms that the people of its day understood. The Bible is not a science book and never pretended to be one. When the ancient scientists discovered that air had physical properties, when they could not see them, that welded faith and fact even though it was not fully understood. When an ancient Greek measured a shadow in Egypt on a day of a solar solstice, applied the mathematical formula and came within a couple hundred miles of describing the circumfrence of the earth, that data assumed something that he did not know for a fact, that welded faith to an observation that would not be confirmed for several millennia to come.

When a scientist makes a fascinating observation there are two general reactions. Atheists will say, "Just how lucky was that?" after enjoying the discovery. Christians who are scientists, perhaps standing next to an atheist and helping the study along, will share the joy of discovery and probably turn their eyes upwards and mutter, "Thanks for letting me see that." One is appreciated of the possiblity of discovery, the other is appreciate of the person who made it and let them see it. The Christian doesn't have to consult the Bible first and see if such things can be. This is no stranger than one person saying, "I like beef" and another person saying "I like chicken, but I also like peanut butter."

You can be a scientist that does not accept that there is a deity. You can be a scientist that does. You can have both scientists working on the same science project without problem. It happens all the time. Throughout history, it always has.

Answer 4

Yes. But there is alot to think about. Some of science IS faith. Any theory is faith because its something someone believes but hasnt or cant prove. Like evolutuion. Their is no complete half monkey half man skeleton. Not even one and if we did evolve from monkey there would be a ton of skeletons. So evolution is faith because there is no long term convincing truth. So yes in that regaurad science is faith.

Now for religious faith. Faith in a god or gods is something every culture and society now and from the past has had. Im not going to lead you to one religion because I think thats too forward but I will try to broden your mind. Think of how complicated our world is. Biology, Chemistry, Physics... exe. These are the studies of science. Man has spent centeries trying to explian life from a microscopic view, and every time they say they found the smallest part some one finds a smaller part. Example... it use to be as small as an atom... then electron neutrons and protons... now they say electrons have more to them. You see where Im going. The world we live in is infinately complicated. Look at the physics, the weather, or a human body. We may be able to explain A CAUSE but in the end there is THE CAUSE. A greater being controlling what happens. Universe is to vast and complicated to be "just random." Its not a cop-out to belive there is something controlling all this... its practical.

A few last things to think about. Faith is something you believe in based on some standing fact. However, it is mostly just an idea. Faith in a god is the same way. So how do we know god is here. We see his effects. I cant see the wind but I can see the effects of the wind. I cant see god but i can see the effects of god. Have you ever had a problem that seemed really bad that was fixed by some random event? I just did. I couldnt pay my phone bill because im poor, and wouldnt you know it the day before it was due the army deposited 200 bucks in my account because the computer had made a mistake. Thats a pretty big coincidence. I mean the mistake was 3 years ago and it got fixed right when I needed it. WOW!!! That is SO not random.

I challange you too open your mind and think for yourself. Broden your perceptions by asking question to others about what they believe. Look around and ask... is this random? Oh and, if it is random... man whats the point. Wow that statement has like no hope in it, so i say its not random and there is a point. What do you think? Dont let your upbringing decide your faith or lack there of. I didnt and now I have a better understanding of god than my parents.

If you want to discusse this futher I have a Facebook. Justin Metsker from Emporia ESU.

Answer 5

Good questions. Yes I believe that science and faith can co-exist to the degree that it can be proven (science that is). I guess to all of the science people who are out there who do not believe in the one true and living God, I would have to ask this question:

Using the "Big Bang" theory could anyone please explain how something came from nothing? According to evolutions, there was nothing but a void in space and suddenly there was a bang and we have just miraculously evolved into modern day humans. How is that possible? Something CANNOT and NEVER WILL come from NOTHING! It is impossible.

Now, to answer your other question. Does science prove the bible. Absolutely YES. It is a well known fact that the earth had a great flood at some point in time, there have been archaeological digs that have uncovered cities, roads, ruins and artifacts time and time again that the bible has described 100% accurately. Science will always prove the bible because the bible is not only accurate but also true.

Hope this answers your question.

Answer 6

Well you should not be bothered by this at all. Since most people believe that science and faith are different beasts, and work against each other the truth is quite different.
Science is the art of proving something to be true or false through trials, or experiments.
Faith is believing in something without having to prove it. Or is it?
The Bible is a book of faith some would say. It contains many stories of things past, and many predictions of things to come. There is one thing most people do not realize and that is of ALL the books and writings in the Bible only those predictions (prophecies) from any particular author that have thus far been proven to be 100% accurate remain in the Bible. Any person who was wrong even once about something had their books stricken from the Bible.
Science on the other had has had many changes to things which occures once a better way of determining results or conducting experiments is discovered. Many examples of this are how the solar system works, or effects of coffee, asperin, or you name it that has been changed or modified in the past 50 years.
Science can only prove to be true something, no anything, that is written in the Bible. It can never, and never will disprove not even a single word.
Believing that is called faith.
Many if not most scientists are also very religious people.
I may know nothing, but I hope my answer is a good one just the same.
Take care.

Answer 7

Like political parties, scientists and people of faith go out of their way to separate themselves from each-other. In the Bible there are many contradictions, however, the contradictions are of no consequence unless one tries to use the scripture to say more than ithey were intended to say. For example, counting the generations of mankind by counting the generations since Adam and Eve. Or saying that the earth isn't very old because God created the world in seven days and then immediately got busy creating man.

Every culture has a creation story, the old testiment is a updated version of creation borrowed from the Mesopetameans. All tribes had a story that told about how they came to be in the world and the important events that have taken place during the course of that tribes existence. The Old testiment is the accumulated wisdom of a people. We shouldn't use these stories as wheights and measures that all truth can be tested against; this is not theire purpose and it would be absurd to think that it could be. Science is a process for comming to a conclusion about things observed in the world. We can use these conclusions to predict what will happen in similiar circumstances. Science is not a religion, we have faith that proven scientific principles can predict some events in the future but we also know that discoveries will change and refine those scientific principles to predict something else. This does not threten our faith and therefore Science is not a religion.

Answer 8

There are actually two ways of looking at this... first from a scientific perspective and another from a faith perspective.

First, anyone who says that science does not require faith is wrong. Current scientific thought is really a belief system too. Everything that we "know" about the world or the universe is strictly theory that simply holds true with most everything we have experienced to this point. But even still, a lot of it require faith. I mean, considering that no one scientist knows what caused the big bang, or where that matter came from that originally "banged". They are really taking big bang on faith. In addition, the idea that humans actually evolved from a different creature requires faith as no "missing link" has even been discovered. Basically, science has faith that everything was caused by one gigantic and complex cosmic accident. The intracasies of the universe and nature and every single thing that exist are all accidental. I personally think that takes more faith than believing that some great power helped it all along!

On the flip side, I think most people who believe in a supreme being, or intelligent design or whatever believe that most scientific theory (including the big bang or evolution) does not preclude the existence of "God". Scientific data has proven that the Earth was around for billions of years before people ever lived on it. All that proves is that if there is a God, he created the Earth billions of years before he put people on it. They are not mutually exclusive ideas!

Answer 9

Yes, there is a lot of room for science and faith to co-exist. Many people have the misunderstanding that it either has to be one or the other. I once read that they were different ways of telling the same story. I like that notion. I grew up Christian (I still am one). So of course I did hear a lot about how evolution and the Big Bang were wrong, etc. However, once I learned the actual theory behind the Big Bang, it actually matches the creation story.

I see the world around me and know that there has to be a creator. There is too much beauty in the world for there not to be one. I also believe that mathematics (especially once you get into higher math, like advanced calculus) prove that there has to be a God. I find it hard to believe that many of the complex mathematical concepts are just a coincidence.

I'm a chemist, and the same thing goes with the wide world of chemistry. I am well aware of all of the experiments and evidence that supports evolution. So my question is, couldn't God have chosen to create the world in that way? And in all honesty, does it really matter how the earth began?

I hope this helped you! As a Christian and a scientist, I have to struggle with this issue everyday. But the more I learn, the more science points to a God.

Answer 10

Science is mankind's way of measuring and understanding the workings of what already exists. Science DOES NOT answer the question, "what is the original source of all things?" or, "How did everything that exists come into existance?" Science CANNOT create something from what does not exist. However, Faith helps us know the How, and from Where....I see no reason why Faith in a Creator cannot co-exist with the pursuit of science. Faith answers questions that science will never be able to answer.
As to whether a person can have Faith and still be scientifically curious, yes, I believe that is possible. On the other hand, if you are suggesting that science has all the answers and should be the final authority on which we rely, then no.

Answer 11

There is room for both if one can accept that the bible does NOT need to be proven or even factual to be an extremely valuable resource for teaching morality and ethics.

Biblical scholars will tell you that they know the bible is a combination of historical fact, FABLE and PARABLE. Each story is told with the intent of illustrating and teaching a specific message.

That message has been proven for thousands of years to be an excellent guide for how to live a good, honest life. That message could very well be divinely inspired or guided.

While humans wrote the bible, it is indeed possible that a "higher spirit" aka God in the Judeo Christian world, or Ala or any other religion's spirit, dictated what messages were to be delivered.

So yes, if you are open-minded enough to accept that the testaments and religion don't need to be proven (hence the word "faith"), then you can accept that science may corroborate or conflict with the actual words and stories that deliver the "message."

Unfortunately many of faith fear that accepting science constitutes accepting a direct contradiction to what they accept as "the truth."

I remember our rabbi once saying that evolution did not conflict with creation because nothing in the bible says that the "6 days" in which God created the earth were equivalent to the current human day. God's day may have encompassed millions of years. (Judaism is constantly studying the bible for intent and interpretation, thus such a theory or question is considered and not feared as in some sects of Christianity).

There is scientific fact that the earth has existed far beyond the 5000 years or so the bible claims we have been around. Clearly the theory I was presented explains how that can be.

It is also possible that since the bible was written thousands of years ago, and presented to a much simpler audience that the message written was delivered so it could be understood and embraced by the audience.

As recent as a few hundred years ago, people though the world was flat and didn't realize there were humans all over the world. Is it possible that the "truth" would have been too much to handle for such simple people and that to deliver that information then, would have caused a rejection of what were important messages?

Just one thought and opinion.