Can a devoted Christian be a good scientist?

Question

Christians believe that everything is created by god, while scientists believe in evolution. Can these two go hand in hand?

Answer 1

I used to be a Christian until I attended a CE Alpha course, at a church other than my own, to see what was being asserted in the church at that time.

The question we were all asked was, "What do you think about Genesis?"

I replied, "I think I must go with Evolution."

From then on, I was shunned by the group -- if I entered into any conversation, I was literarily shouted out.

But most unforgivingly, the goosip went round to my own church and my reputation slumped to nothing.

Since I know that science gives the best way to understand the world, I lost my faith.

You cannot be a scientist and a christian in the modern bigotted mould. In the past there was some tolerance for science -- not any more.

Answer 2

Yes.

When I see a rose

As a scientist I can say :
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Subfamily: Rosoideae
Genus: Rosa
I may describe the size and shape of each part of the rose, list every chemical in it. Maybe use some of the chemicals, maybe breed a new type of rose.

As an artist I might write a poem about a rose, or use the rose as a metaphor.

As a Christian I might be thankful to live in a world where roses exist.

A person is certainly at liberty to choose more than one type of response to an event, analytical, intuitive, artistic, spiritual, social. The scientific method is a wonderful tool, providing (at its best best) a rigorous way of analysing and modelling the universe - able to make many predictions which are useful in our everyday lives.

Some people find great richness is making connections which have to do with beauty and intuition ... 'Shall I compare thee to a summer's day' - we understand something of what the writer is saying without reference to the scientific definition of summer, though. There is much of value which science is poor at embracing.

Christianity is a broad church indeed, there is a whole spectrum of tolerance through to intolerance within that single faith for example. Some Christians believe every word in the bible is literally true and some, including major faith leaders within christianity will refer to the use of imagery in language.

For some hues in this spectrum of Christianity, being a scientist may be difficult, I guess the whole creationism debate represents one area where the ideas seem to collide. If one was a creationist it would be hard to also be a professor of evolution I guess. But many Christians, committed and otherwise are scientists. Having studied at a world class science institution myself I know that there were many Christians (and followers of other faiths) both amongst my peers and amongst the academic staff.

Personally, I am thankful to live in a world with such a rich set of experience available and for the chance to see how others respond in ways that cause me to reflect on my own beliefs and experiences.

Merry Christmas

Answer 3

Not all scientists study evolution. Science is a vast field, and most people who go into it specialize in a specific area of science. Some don't even learn the theories behind evolution beyond high school biology. If you are a Christian, the biggest hurdle to becoming a scientist is developing an inquisitive mind because Christianity discourages any creative thinking or reasoning by demanding you to just have faith.

Answer 4

Absolutely, yes. A devoted Christian may have disagreements with other scientists, on, say, evolution for example. But non-Christian scientists, I hear, do that already. The qualifications for a scientist are an interest in science, learning, and discovery, and an ability to work long and hard (that's not an exhaustive list but in the ballpark), qualities Christians are not disqualified from having.
Do some research, and you will find that not all scientists believe in evolution. Notice that phrase, by the way, "believe in evolution"--sounds like a religion to be, not science. Sounds to me like the proponents of evolution look to it as a substitute for Christianity, maybe a way of hiding from Christianity. Evolution is a theory, certainly yet to be proven and not worthy to be called science.
By the way, I got to know a brilliant scientist, one of the top men in the USA on computer memory development, and he's a Christian.

Answer 5

In many ways it depends on what they are studying. Some fields of science do not require knowledge of earth history, biology, or behavioral science.

For a scientist to accept the creationist argument they would have to be dealing with a very specific problem that did not require any know edge of the physical universe.

More to your point maybe - contrary to conservative christian lies, there is no scientific debate or qualitative disagreements between scientists about the general scientific theory of biological evolution.

There is no effort to block creationists from entering the scientific arena, it is just that they do not have any scientific evidence to contribute. they have no 'honest' arguments supporting their position. So, not only is there no such thing as a good creation scientist - there is no such even as a creation scientist because there the no such thing as creation science.

Answer 6

I don't think a devoted Christian would become a scientist in the first place as there are conflicting facts and beliefs.

However, one that believes in a faith could become a scientist, but would have to make the choice between faith and fact at some stage.

Answer 7

A devoted Christian will seek God's will for his calling. If God calls him to be a scientist he will be a very good one because he will have God's giftings and anointing to do it. Who knows, he may even show out the errors of evolution.
Spirituality and science are in two very different realms and there need not be any conflict between the two.

Answer 8

Many of the best and brightest people in the science community are christians. Depending on the field you go into will determine the number of christians that are working in the field. As a example in physic field in the field of mechanics of the gravitational fields you will find many christians. This field has direct evidence that matches the events on Genesis. In micro-mechanics you will find a increasing number of christians because they have proved that only a designer could have designed what they have found.
Please also remember that most of the best minds that have ever been on the earth were christian or jewish scientist. I recall a guy who had a idea for a lightbulb he was a jewish fellow. Just another great man of God using his talents.

Answer 9

I first i thought it has happened but how and when the conflict fails is the point of contention.
If the two are kept separate fine until the obvious conflict arises and then which side wins and which side loses ? Looks as if you have found the rub.
Some go as far as to say first there was creation and then evolution as planned by the unbelievable supreme deity. But it occurs to me that such a supreme force would not have fouled things up so much so I contend that such a person as a scientific Christian is only fooling them self.
peace out

Answer 10

yup of course they can. i know many christian scientists. and im a christian studying a science subject at uni.

there doesnt need to be any sort of 'competition' between evolution and christianty. they can go hand-in-hand, as far as i can see.

and anyway, scientists cant explain what happened before the 'big bang', or what caused it. they can explain in explicit detail what happened after, but not before. hence the idea of a God fits in to the whole scientific picture.

good question :)