Is there a denomination that believes that God and science go hand in hand?

Question

I've heard that some Christians believe that God is the creator of science, which is the reason for its perfection.

We've gone to church a few times but I have a problem with the idea that science isn't true in some cases. I heard at one point that dinosaur fossils are put there by the devil to make the bible look wrong. ???!?!?!???

Needless to say, we won't be going back to that church. Too weird for me.

But it made me wonder if there is a specific denomination or something that see the beauty of God's creation in science as well.

Even before we knew that cells existed, all the cells in our body worked together in perfect harmony.

Even before we could see the planets, they all circled the sun, and there were other galaxies and planets that we didn't even know existed.

I believe that that's part of God's perfect design. How any of that could be considered not Christian is beyond me.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Nancy

I'm stunned that so many people answered this so quickly. Everyone is giving such great answers. I've been reading on answersingenesis, and looking at the demoninations everyone is mentioning. Looking forward to more responses!

Nancy

I've been driving myself nuts trying to pick a best answer here. Consider yourselves all tied for first. With the notable, yet funny, exception of the Applientology Church comment. LOL! I've been looking into all of your suggestions and reading up on all of them.

I chose Todd B's answer because his answer and his link to answersingenesis.com taught me the most about the theories and concepts of how the bible and science may work together.

Thanks again everyone for all of your answers and help on this subject.

Nancy

Answer 1

This shows a true lack of intelligence:

"Its only the fundamentalist, born-agains, ultra-othradox and the fanatically religious who really believe otherwise."

For one you are quite incorrect, most of us how did you say? oh yeah "fundamentalist, born-agains, ultra-othradox and the fanatically religious" do believe that science and God go hand in hand quite well. The bible tells us what God did and science tells us how He did it in terms we can understand. What you don't like is that we don't buy into the science that you do, which is preached by the Atheist Priests of the Non-existence God Church.

Scientists who actually believe in God have never doubted that dinosaurs existed, just the atheist account of their role and when they existed.

It's funny how people can buy into an atheist scientists, since it takes more faith to believe that God doesn't exist than that He does, claim w/ such blind faith then turn and dismiss a religious scientists claims because that person has a religious belief and background.

To answer your question, I don't think what you are looking for is a particular denomination in general, just a body of believers that believe what you believe. I think if you want to find those people who would be better looking to the "fundamentalist, born-agains, ultra-othradox and the fanatically religious" for people who thinks this, unlike someone erroneously claimed.

Answer 2

I believe if you study the bible in depth, that no matter what religion you are, you will see that science and the bible go hand in hand. For instance, take the dinosaurs....some think it is not mentioned in the bible, so did they really exist and if so, when? Take a look in Job and it speaks of animals with tails like a tree, and it gives some other descriptions as well.....it wasn't called a dino, but what was it? Some comentaries say it was an elephant.....I've never heard of an elephant with a tail like a tree have you? In Genesis it speaks of water above and below the earth.....ever wonder why people lived hundreds of years in early biblical times? Perhaps the water above and below created a terrarium effect....plants grow much bigger and longer in a terrarium. Do you suppose that dinosaurs were once lizards....maybe they lived hundreds of years also and continued to grow until they were the size of dinosaurs? Interesting thought huh? Here's another one for you.....scientist say the earth is billions of years old which contradicts what the bible says......if God made Adam and Eve adults from the beginning, why is it that scientists don't believe that He could have made the earth appear older than it was as well.....besides, isn't the age of a fossil just a concept anyway? Scientists determined by a guess how old a certain rock was and then by that they determined the age of all rocks and the earth as well. Scientists may be smart but it doesn't mean they are right.......yes I believe the bible can be scientifically proved....just not in the way most scientists believe. You should check out some of the videos and tapes put out by a scientist named Ken Hovine.....very interesting perspective on science and the bible......I promise you won't be bored. I'm sure you can look his name up on the internet and find what you are looking for.

Answer 3

I have heard the previous Pope John Paul say that faith and science go hand in hand; that science serves to prove facts that back up the Bible and what people have already accepted on faith. Because the same God who inspired the Bible created the physical universe, the divine and natural laws are consistent.

The Buddhists also support scientific study, not only formal research, but independent investigation, to seek truth and wisdom (which in Christian terms is equivalent to seeking the Kingdom of God). The founders of Buddhism and the Bahai faith both promoted independent investigation to the point of asking followers not to believe their own teachings until these were proven to the person. Both faiths value questioning and proving things before believing something so that beliefs are based on reason and free choice, not on blind faith or worse propaganda and indoctrination.

Only the most extreme fundamental types who may blindly fear or reject science -- in reaction to extreme secular types who equally reject or even attack religion -- create the extreme viewpoints you present and rightfully question. The majority of people seem to maintain a more healthy balance of faith and reason, though of course, people tend to rely on one more than the other depending if they think more with their hearts or their heads.

P.S. As for any controversy about dinosaur fossils, the only mistake I have heard of is scientists' admitting that the Brontosaurus did not exist but was based on a composite of other dinosaurs. So that was declared a myth. I would gladly concede that point to the teachers at your church; but anything beyond that seems just an equal and opposite reaction to people who have been teaching that the Christian Bible is a lie and is just used to deceive people into blindly following a religion.
For everyone who adheres unwavering to one point, there is someone defending the other to the same extreme. I find this in all systems of thought, and can only hope the mutual posturing will stop when both sides realize they are deadlocking this way.

Answer 4

I don't know of a church that believes this, which is probably why I don't go to church. I think you're right, and I don't understand why people think they have to pick between evolution and God. It makes perfect sense to me that God created the earth to evolve and change and become what it became. And yeah I've heard that thing about the dinosaurs and it's amoung the most retarded things I've ever heard. As far as I'm concerned, if Jesus didn't say it then some guy wrote it. So a lot of the Bible is just as much mythology as everything else is. It's people coming up with an explanation for why we're here. The great thing about science is it gives us concrete answers about how the creatures of earth lived long ago, things the people who wrote the Bible had no idea about. That doesn't prove God doesn't exist, it just proves man still has a lot to learn.

Answer 5

You are so right Nancy. One can combine Science with Christianity.
I have been a Baptist, changed to Disciples of Christ, and now a Methodist. Find yourself a good church that believes what comes from the Bible and accepts and makes their own decisions if it is not mentioned in the Bible.
Disciples of Christ and Methodist both believe that way. I realized after I started reading this that you were completely sincere. When I am challenged about this response, science or God, I always answer this way:
To God, one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day.

We don't know God's time frame.

God Bless You, Nancy.

Answer 6

The Roman Catholic Church allows an individual to believe in evolution, with one limitation. That limitation is that the individual must believe that Adam and Eve were the father of the entire human race, and did not represent many more groups of early humans. Most Roman Catholics, however, are Old-Earth Creationists, accepting the age of the earth as 4.6 billion years, while still accepting most of the Genesis account of creation.

*Edit*
I'm sorry, Jan K, but you have absolutely got to be kidding me!
The "dinosaur" wasn't likely a dinosaur at all, but a bull. The "with a tail like a cedar tree" was likely mistranslated. Some scholars believe that the "tail" was actually referring to the bull's reproductive organ.

No, the Canopy Theory has been disproven. For one, it isn't mentioned in the Bible at all. If such a canopy of water had been in the atmosphere, it would have raised oxygen to levels that would render all life dead. Quite the opposite of "people lived longer in Biblical times"! Also, the amount of water under the earth, even a mile deep, would have been boiled to steam.

Science only contradicts a literal reading of the Bible. Maybe you should be a little less rigid in your Biblical interpretations. Why don't scientists acccept the notion that God could have made the earth appear billions of years old? Because scientists deal with physical facts, not philosophical possibilities. No, the age of a fossil isn't "just a concept" anyways. Carbon 14 gives very accurate dating results. All fields of science agree - the earth is over 4 billion years old.

Quite possibly your biggest blunder ever, is recommending Kent Hovind. Just last week, Kent and his wife Jo Hovind were convicted on over 60 federal charges involving tax evasion. Many of Hovind's arguments for creationism can be found in the "Arguments we think creationists should NOT use section" on the fellow Young-Earth Creationist group, Answers in Genesis. Hovind also recommends reading the book "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion", a well-known anti-Semitic hoax. Hovind refers to himself as "Dr. Dino". Kent Hovind is most emphatically not a Dr. in anything. He received his diploma from a diploma mill in Colorado, in Christian education, not in any sciences.

Sorry to take so much space, but I'm that anti-Kent Hovind and Young-Earth creationism.

Answer 7

The Anglican Church (Episcopalian) is a very thoughtful church that understand the need for a Christian canon to speak to a scientific world. The Methodists are a bit more "forgiving" than many other protestants. And if you are looking for a more liberal church, try the Unitarian Universalists - they are very open with their theology as well, emphasizing the personal relationship with God, not necessarily the social restrictions that seem to invade so many theologies.

Answer 8

God created the heavens and the earth and everything there in, so every thing on earth came from earth because God put everything here for us to get to the point that we would one day get smart enough to do the things we are doing now and who knows what else is out there for us to discover,but its still put here by God and he knew what he was doing,so yes God is the one great scientist....I'm christian,and I don't see how you can have one without the other, he didn't just create without knowing what he was creating, so he had to be a scientist

Answer 9

what number situations do I ought to declare this on yahoo solutions, that's the making of time, area and fact. 2 membranes collided, or a universe chop up a area, arising capability and the 4 forces, capability makes depend, depend makes mild components, mild components make stars, stars make heavy components (which made carbon compounds) , all components made the sunlight's determine celebrity, the sunlight's determine celebrity went supernova, that made the photograph voltaic equipment, lots of the carbon compounds decrease than the main suitable temperature, and one spark of capability (lightning) existence have been given created, a self-replicating substance made out of carbon compounds, existence starts mutating, some mutations are advantageous, so evolution is born, evolution persevered till existence grew to grow to be sentient, and now you're right here thinking this technique? Creationism concept: God touched the earth that's flat and the middle of the universe, god touched the earth and for some reason, guy poped out of nowhere, this occurred numerous situations.-This has been shown scientifically incorrect, and it does not even make effortless experience, for sure creationism is inaccurate. back, Creationism is undeniable incorrect. "faith is the main perverted equipment that ever shone on guy" - Thomas Jefferson

Answer 10

Not a denomination, but the Holy Catholic Church has no fear of scientific truth. Those who fear scientific truth are those who are not secure in their own beliefs. Catholics know that truth cannot contradict truth, and therefore scientific facts cannot contradict true Christian beliefs.