Why do so many Christians misunderstand the word "Theory"?

Question

Many fundamentalist Christians seem to think that the word "theory", in reference to science means that it is a conjecture that lacks substance. They think it is simply an idea with no proof.

Atomic energy, and the science behind it is a theory. We have a "law" of gravity, while it is yet still not nearly understood.

A theory is much more than a conjecture. It is a working model, with substantial backing, and generally accepted as reliable while maintaining the possibility of modification. It's not somebody's pet idea, thrown out without substantiation.

So, why then, do these fundamentalists jump on the word "theory" as if it's something lacking in substance? Certainly scientific "theories" have much more physical evidence substantiating them than do things such as the book of Genesis.

My dear Born Again Christian. To find the definition of a word, one needs to pick the correct one out of a dictionary, and one needs to use the correct dictionary. The word 'theory' has a number of them, and the one which applies to Science is as follows: "That branch of an art or science consisting in a knowledge of its principles and mehtods rather than in its practice..." or "A formulation of apparent relationships or underlying principles of certain observed phenomena which has been verified to some degree." It's NOT a guess.

Mike... you might want to check your keyboard... I think the Caps Lock key is stuck.

Answer 1

"So, why then, do these fundamentalists jump on the word "theory" as if it's something lacking in substance?"

Perhaps it's because many secular people treat theories as facts, as in the "theory" of evolution. Science is an exact discipline that uses words with precision. That's why scientists differentiate between hypothesis, theory, and fact. But somehow many people think that the theory of evolution proves that we are all a cosmic accident and that therefore mankind is the final arbiter of what constitutes right and wrong if these two concepts even have a valid meaning beyond an individual's perception of them.

Answer 2

I agree with you except for a few things. First, Laws and Theories are two seperate things. Theories are mostly as you've described; the best scientific guess available upon current methods, knowledge, and technology. Laws are pretty much fact and are just about a sure thing. But I can count on my fingers the laws of science, Newton's Laws, Law of conservation, etc... but that's about it. Second, the thing with science is that it's always changing. There is always new discoveries and people's perspectives that completely change things. Modern times is no different. 50 years from now let's say the hadroncollider discovers anti-matter (excuse my vague, not 100% perfect example) and changes the whole interpretation of the atom or something. It's not that far fetched of an idea. Or your example yourself, the discovery of DNA changing Darwin's theory. I don't completely reject the theory of evolution; I'm just realistic to the fact that it really can be wrong.

Answer 3

You are correct, in the scientific use of the word "theory" it should not be interpreted as a hypothesis. However, when considering the theories in question they should neither be considered factual, as they have many flaws. Even the scientific community often will change their theories as the evidence proves otherwise.

As example the Bible says that the universe had a beginning in time. Scientists argued that it always existed. As they learned of the expanding universe (described in Scripture) they realized that at some point in the past there had to be a beginning - hence the theory Big Bang.

Answer 4

Look in any dictionary, a 'theory' is defined as a 'guess'.

Evolution has never been proven, it is voodoo science.

Life can't evolve from non-life, so when evolution claims life evolves, it is shown to be false because evolution can't explain how that very first life form - whatever it was - came into existence. Well, it was created! And that shows the silliness of evolution's claims.

When a scientific theory is proven, it is then called a LAW, like the Law of Gravity. Evolution is still merely a theory, an unproven guess.

Looks like Darwin has made monkeys out of all you evolutionists.

HA HA HA HA HA

Answer 5

I know! Irritating, isn't it?

In layman’s terms, if something is said to be “just a theory,” it usually means that it is a mere guess, or is unproved. It might even lack credibility. But in scientific terms, a theory implies that something has been proven and is generally accepted as being true.

Scientific Law: This is a statement of fact meant to explain, in concise terms, an action or set of actions. It is generally accepted to be true and univseral, and can sometimes be expressed in terms of a single mathematical equation. Scientific laws are similar to mathematical postulates. They don’t really need any complex external proofs; they are accepted at face value based upon the fact that they have always been observed to be true.

Hypothesis: This is an educated guess based upon observation. It is a rational explanation of a single event or phenomenon based upon what is observed, but which has not been proved. Most hypotheses can be supported or refuted by experimentation or continued observation.

Theory: A theory is more like a scientific law than a hypothesis. A theory is an explanation of a set of related observations or events based upon proven hypotheses and verified multiple times by detached groups of researchers. One scientist cannot create a theory; he can only create a hypothesis.

In general, both a scientific theory and a scientific law are accepted to be true by the scientific community as a whole. Both are used to make predictions of events. Both are used to advance technology.

The biggest difference between a law and a theory is that a theory is much more complex and dynamic. A law governs a single action, whereas a theory explains a whole series of related phenomena.

An analogy can be made using a slingshot and an automobile.

A scientific law is like a slingshot. A slingshot has but one moving part--the rubber band. If you put a rock in it and draw it back, the rock will fly out at a predictable speed, depending upon the distance the band is drawn back.

An automobile has many moving parts, all working in unison to perform the chore of transporting someone from one point to another point. An automobile is a complex piece of machinery. Sometimes, improvements are made to one or more component parts. A new set of spark plugs that are composed of a better alloy that can withstand heat better, for example, might replace the existing set. But the function of the automobile as a whole remains unchanged.

A theory is like the automobile. Components of it can be changed or improved upon, without changing the overall truth of the theory as a whole.

Some scientific theories include the theory of evolution, the theory of relativity, and the quantum theory. All of these theories are well documented and proved beyond reasonable doubt. Yet scientists continue to tinker with the component hypotheses of each theory in an attempt to make them more elegant and concise, or to make them more all-encompassing. Theories can be tweaked, but they are seldom, if ever, entirely replaced.

Answer 6

Because their religious books and religious leaders constantly berate them with absolutes and proofs, so they come to expect that from everyone before they'll change their minds about anything. The Bible doesn't say, God "may have" created the world in 6 days, it insists he did it and that's that. No argument, no confusion, no wishy washy maybes or let's discuss it, or let's look for more evidence before deciding, just a simple authoritative statement. Many people don't want to think, and will often go to great lengths to avoid it.

Answer 7

It's all part of their deliberate charade. Wordplay, misrepresentations and falsehoods are all weapons in the creationist arsenal-they can't win a debate against scientists and they know it, so they resort to using whatever means they can to give their perverse beliefs some credibility. They don't care what a theory is, they don't care about facts they care about their cherished doctrines and nothing else.

Answer 8

I don't know. Theory in science means the best possible explanation, but some people just dismiss that and give it their own meaning.

Answer 9

Many people misunderstand the word theory because it's used in conjunction with the word evolution. While observation (scientific) tells us that animals reproduce after their own kind, evolutionists believe that if we just add a few million years, frogs can become humans...

Answer 10

My theory is that the more religious you are, the more capital letters you begin to use.

It starts off as the occasional Him or Lord or Word.
Then it gradually moves into entire godly words, LORD, HIM, GOD
Then they start capitalising random points, IS ALWAYS, SHALL NOT
THEN THEY START SHOUTING IN CAPITALS ALL OF THE TIME. PRAISE JESUS!