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Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies

Volume 10 Article 10

January 1997

Science and : The Positive Attitude

C. Gordon Winder

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Recommended Citation Winder, C. Gordon (1997) "Science and Christianity: The Positive Attitude," Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies: Vol. 10, Article 10. Available at: https://doi.org/10.7825/2164-6279.1156

The Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies is a publication of the Society for Hindu-Christian Studies. The digital version is made available by Digital Commons @ Butler . For questions about the Journal or the Society, please contact [email protected]. For more information about Digital Commons @ Butler University, please contact [email protected]. Winder: Science and Christianity: The Positive Attitude

Science and Christianity: The Positive Attitude

c. Gordon Winder Department of Earth Sciences University of Western Ontario

Historical Perspective and a series of essays entitled "The The Judeo-Christian Scriptures have been Fundamentals" published between considered by literalists as true in every 1911-1915 with such wishful-thinking titles aspect, including references to the sciences. as "The Passing of " by G. F. Scripture states that earth has four corners Wright, clergyman and self-taught geology suggesting that the earth is flat. The professor. The philosopher/clergyman rises in the morning suggesting that the sun wrote in his Science goes around the earth, and earth with and the Modern World (1926, p.126): "The humankind is at the centre of the . conflict between science and religion is what The six days in the Genesis account along comes to our minds when we think about with the genealogical chronologies were this subject". The seeming antagonism used by Irish James Ussher remains commonplace with present-day (1581-1652) to calculate that the earth's essayists, with such statements as "And .1. origin was in 4004 B. C. The Genesis organized religion is under assault - from account relates that the origin of humankind, science" (Presbyterian Record, Sept. 1996, ::.1' I' and all the plants and animals, is by p.38); and "in many respects, science and II

'.·.: creation, a "<;oming into existence out of religion have always seemed opposed" !; I nothing instantaneously". (American , Nov.-Dec. 1996, Over time, determined that the p.532). In all these examples, the "conflict" earth is a sphere; Copernicus and Galileo is between science and Christianity. determined the earth and the other of Science and religion, the two most our universe circle the sun; the first influential philosophies of all human geologists came to the conclusion that the knowledge, are compatible for most other earth is very old; and Charles Darwin in his . Albert Einstein, a Jew, said Origins (1859) concluded that all organisms "Science without religion is lame, and are a product of biological evolution, with religion without science is blind". Maurice inference for mankind. Tension between Bucaille, in his The , The Qur'an, and conservative and scientists Science (1987, p.121) wrote: "The heightened to the detriment of both association between the Qur'an and science Christianity and science; this has persisted to is a priori a surprise, especially since it is the present day. going to be one of harmony, and not of discord". About the Baha'i Faith, Brian Aull The Conflict Attitude wrote that a fundamental teaching of the The conflict attitude has been fostered by Baha'i Faith is that science and religion are books and articles with titles such as History harmonious and complementary (Journal of of the Conflict between Religion and Science Baha'i Studies, 1,2. p.1, 1988). Common by William Draper (1874); A History of the sense dictates that as the teaching of the Warfare of Science and Theology in major religions - Hinduism, Buddhism, by Andrew D. White (1896); Judaism, Islam, Baha'i, etc., - is compatible

Hindu-Christian Studies Bulletin 10 (1997) 36-40 Published by Digital Commons @ Butler University, 1997 1 Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies, Vol. 10 [1997], Art. 10 Science and Christianity 37

with science, the same must hold true for that this conflict must be based on Christianity. misunderstanding and a lack of perception. Conservative Christians reject Darwin's theory because the Genesis account specifies Modern Science in the Judeo-Christian that the origin of humankind was by Scriptures creation, not evolution. Definition of terms [Scripture verses from the New American and their consistent use is essential. Standard Bible (NASB), 1973] Conservative Christians define the terms Modern science is separated into major creation and evolution, and then use them divisions of , biology, , interchangeably. My definition for evolution geoscience, physics, all linked by is "change with continuity", a material mathematics. In addition there are the process, such as a lump of clay is made or applied sciences of engineering, dentistry, formed into a pot. Contemplation of our and medicine. Science knowledge forms a world and universe brings the realization continuous spectrum without any clear that virtually everything is changing, has breaks. Some border areas have developed changed, and will continue to change. into specialized fields such as astrophysics, Darwin's biological evolution describes the biochemistry, geophysics, geochemistry, change as manifest by organisms within our physical chemistry, etc. Investigations in world, present and past, where everything is interdisciplinary sectors have yielded major changing. Creation is "something coming discoveries. These in turn can be linked with into existence out of nothing" , a . other fields in the arts, humanities, metaphysical concept, and consistent with languages, philosophy, and, logically, Scriptural teaching. The origin of the religion, and its subdivisions. The universe, named the "" by the dominating influence of science on society, cosmologists, was a creation, and considered both beneficial and detrimental, can be aptly described by the opening statement of illustrated by mentioning some of the Genesis - "In the beginning, created discoveries and products - lasers, silicon ... ". The subsequent accumulation of the chips, DNA, PCBs, radioactive elements, solid materials into stars, planets, moons, rocket propulsion, computers, artificial meteorites, etc., was a process of evolution intelligence, cloning, teflon, vaccines, etc., by agglomeration. etc. Although the conflict is identified as That science should be compatible with "religion with science or vice versa" , not all Christianity can be inferred from the New science is in conflict with religion, only Testament. In 1 Cor. 12: 12-26, the adherents important theories in biology and of Christianity - the - are compared geoscience. Amongst professional scientists to a single body without division. This - from astronomers to zoologists - Darwin's "body" is then compared to the evolution is considered the most important made of eyes, ears, feet, etc., and every part theory of all science. But the contention is is essential. This same analogy can be identified as "science", and thereby has a applied to any "body" such as an detrimental influence on all science. One automobile, where, if any part is removed, trivial, but influential, is that in the the "body" becomes deficient and disabled. King James (KJ) version of the Bible, 1 Furthermore, the analogy can be applied to Tim. 6:20 mentions "science falsely the "body of human knowledge" and any so-called". When the King James version attempt to remove or discredit one part has was prepared in the early 1600s, the word an influence on the whole. To discredit the "science" meant. all knowledge, whereas scientific determination for the age of the today the word applies to the physical and earth has an influence on the whole body of natural sciences. But that occurrence of scientific knowledge. Common sense dictates "science" in the KJ has an influence on how

https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/jhcs/vol10/iss1/10 DOI: 10.7825/2164-6279.1156 2 Winder: Science and Christianity: The Positive Attitude 38 C. Gordon Winder

a conservative views science. In the NASB earthquake, great cracks can occur and and other versions, the word is translated as blocks of the land can move vertically. "knowledge" . 6. Structural geology - Zachariah 14:4b - Several authors have written about the "The Mount of Olives will be split in its numerous modern scientific theories and middle from east to west by a very large hypotheses that can be recognized in valley, so that half the mountain will move Scripture, even concepts which have been to the north and the other half to the south". discovered in the last half century. Such This describes the geological mechanism to statements can be deemed prophetic because form a graben, or depressed valley by the authors, writing over 2000 years ago, faulting. lacked any scientific knowledge, instruction, Some earth features suggested in and training. Scripture have been proven wrong by 1. Astronomy - Jeremiah 33:22 - "As the scientific determination. If Scripture suggests host of heaven cannot be counted. " one understanding, and modern science Observations made farther and farther into indicates another, then accept the space reveal more and more galaxies and determination of science as probably correct. stars. 1. Isaiah 11: 12d - "From the four comers 2. - Gen.31:10 - "the male goats of the earth". This suggests that the earth is which were mating, were striped, speckled, flat. Space probes have proven the earth is and mottled." The selective breeding of a sphere. plants and animals to enhance desirable Job 26: 10 - "He has inscribed a circle features for economic benefit is now a major on the surface of the waters at the boundary industry. The recent cloning of a sheep of light and darkness". A light shining raises the possibility of cloning humans, perpendicularly to a circle drawn on the which causes concern. circumference of a sphere produces a light 3. Gravimetry - Isaiah 40:6d - "And and dark side. The spherical earth has day weighed the mountains in a balance." A and night. gravimeter is an extremely sensitive balance 2. Psalm 104:22 - "When the sun rises". which can measure local variation in This and other verses are the basis for the gravitational attraction. Taking measure­ geocentric model of the universe. ments near a mountain can be used to Copernicus and Galileo established the calculate the weight of the mountain. heliocentric model. Galileo was tried for 4. Paleomagnetism - Psalm 136:6 - "To heresy by the Roman Church, Him who spread out the earth above the which recently admitted the error. waters". The discovery, in 1959, of the Two major scientific determinations earth's reversing magnetic field was essential have been the principal basis for the for understanding "sea-floor spreading" , the science/Christianity conflict - the age of the opening up of the Atlantic Ocean. earth, and Darwin's biological evolution. "Continental drift" for the Atlantic, New understandings are now available to formulated five decades previously, was rationalize these two. based on the similarities in the shoreline 1. The Age of the Earth shape on either side. Subsequent research In the early 1800s, when self-taught reveals that the earth's crust consists of geologists - James Hutton, the Reverend several plates all of which are moving Adam Sedgwick, Roderick Murchison, laterally. William Logan, James Hall, and others - 5. - Psalm 60:2 - "Thou hast began geological mapping in , made the land quake, Thou hast split it Wales, Canada, and the United States, and open." Numerous references to earthquakes were measuring rock successions thousands

I can be found in Scripture. During an of feet in thickness, the conclusion was I

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Published by Digital Commons @ Butler University, 1997 3 Journal of Hindu-Christian Studies, Vol. 10 [1997], Art. 10 Science and Christianity 39

reached that the earth must be old. The years ago. Darwin did not address the origin Noachian flood with a duration of 371 days of life. The conservative Christians reject was insufficient to explain logically these speciation because they argue Scripture great thicknesses. Distinctive index fossils, specifies that each species was created occurring in consistent sequences within and individually. But Genesis specifies that the between continents, established a framework beasts were made, not created. Furthermore, for determining relative ages of the rock speciation, Darwin's mechanism, can be successions. The old rocks were under the understood in Scripture. young rocks, and the succession of The phrase "after their kind" occurs ten distinctive index fossils was the key for the times in Genesis 1, e.g., Gen.1:25: "And relative ages. The absolute age of earth was God made the beasts of the earth after their first determined by radiometric methods in kind". Consider one beast designated. as the early 1900s. The present oldest known species D. All offspring through multiple rocks are just over four billion years. generations of the first made individual of Determinations made by astronomers on species D, are species D. Restate Gen. 1 :25: stars and rocks of the moon indicate that the "And God made the first made individual of earth is probably about 4.7 billion years old. species D after its kind". Will the ancestor There are two possible analyses of of the first made individual of species D, be Scripture that allow for a great age for the species D? No! Because I have specified this earth: 1) the gap theory, and 2) the day/age as the first made individual of species D. theory. The first is based on the assumption The ancestor of the first made individual of of a great length of unrecorded history species D must be a different species - say occurring between the first and second species A. Thus an individual of species A verses of Genesis 1. The day/age theory produced offspring, one of which was assumes that the days of Genesis are periods species D. That is the process of speciation, of great but unspecified length, and not 24 the basic principle of Darwin's biological hours, cf. 2 Peter 3:8, "that with the Lord evolution - in Scripture. one day is as a thousand years". That One other fact which I have never seen number could be 10,000 years, or a million mentioned in a multitude of articles, essays, years, or even a billion years! Assuming that books·, etc., on this contentious issue, is that the days of Genesis are a billion years can the Hebrew word for "kind", pronounced allow the interpretation that earth is old, the "meen", can be translated as "species". same conclusion as derived from the The Bible, and especially the Old scientific evidence. On this understanding, Testament, is a prophetic book about the arguments about the age of the earth religion, and also about some scientific from the scientific and Scripture evidence concepts, including t~o concepts long are rationalized. However, any attempt to considered as contentious - the age of the equate the sequence according to Genesis earth, and Darwin's biological evolution. and according to geoscience research should be avoided. Both merely indicate earth is The Ultimate Positive Attitude old. Over many years, in conversations and 2. Darwin's biological evolution correspondence about this issue with a The basic determination by Charles Darwin multitude of individuals - students, lay in his Origins of the Species (1859) was that persons, scientists, clergy, etc. - I have the spectrum of organisms of the present and perceived seven attitudes. This perception the past developed by the process of was first recorded in the November 1987 speciation, that is one species evolved into issue of Geolog, the Geological Association another species. All living organisms have of Canada newsletter. a single ancestor which lived billions of 1. Science without Christianity

https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/jhcs/vol10/iss1/10 DOI: 10.7825/2164-6279.1156 4 Winder: Science and Christianity: The Positive Attitude 40 C. Gordon Winder 1 ! I i 2. Christianity without science which is noteworthy considering the original 3. Science against Christianity question is about a contentious and 4. Christianity against science emotional issue. More remarkable is that 5. No science and no Christianity 78 % of the respondents sent the same word 6. Science and Christianity are not in as the audience at the NSS meeting - conflict compatible!! One individual first replied "no 7. Science and Christianity have a positive, conflict", and then changed to compatible relationship "antagonistic". But that was the only In February 1966, I explained these negative response. relationships in a paper at the annual My conclusion is that God's attitude is conference of the New Scholars Society, that Christianity and science must have a Toronto. During the informal question and positive, compatible, and harmonious discussion period, I asked the members of relationship, which presumably would be the the audience, individually, an original conclusion already held by the adherents of question: "What is God's attitude on the other religions - Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, relationship between science and Moslems, Baha'i, etc. A corollary must be Christianity?" Noteworthy is the fact that that every Christian must hold the same every individual gave the same answer. positive attitude. Considering the During December 1996 and January pervasiveness and longevity of the generally 1997, I sent bye-mail to hundreds of held negative relationship, what is the time Christians across North America the frame for the positive science/Christianity following question within an explanatory relationship to become the dominant letter. attitude? One small recommendation toward What is God's attitude on the that goal .is that Christians should cease relationship between Christianity and thinking about, and making reference to, " fl· t" " , science? are they antagonistic? or unrelat­ con IC , controversy', "warfare", etc., ed? or compatible? or some other word? and start thinking about the positive, (Please limit answers to one word.) compatible relationship between science and Almost 8 % of the recipients responded Christianity .

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