Why Science and Evolution are important for Christians

Schuckdaddy · Alley Cat Joined: 23 May 2007 Posts: 188 Location: Oregon

Given that Christianity accepts that existence is composed of the Natural (physical forces, matter, etc.) and the Supernatural (spiritual reality, soul, God, etc.). When a Christian (or a theist) observes phenomena (an effect) there exist in their worldview two possible sources (causes) for that phenomena. Either that phenomena (lets say for example a tied shoe lace) was caused by either a natural cause (human hands) or a supernatural cause(an angel with a shoe fetish). It should be pretty evident given the ridiculous nature of my example that I'm arguing against invoking a supernatural cause to explain that phenomena. Now we can't say that the supernatural cause is impossible, but it doesn't seem likely given that we have all observed human hands tying shoe laces thousands of times, but I can't remember a single incident involving an angel.

In fact, I would argue that to invoke supernatural causes to phenomena can be a very slippery slope. Isn't that what superstition really is? Invoking the supernatural to explain things when someone is ignorant about the natural cause (some ancients believed that rats were spawned from garbage).

On the other side of things, to totally abandon the use of supernatural causes, is to forfeit as a cause for phenomena all miracles, spirits, the soul, and God himself. Pure naturalism cannot sufficiently explain a world that is composed of spiritual entities.

So then what to do as a believer in the duel nature of reality? I believe that science and naturalism provide us with an important source of information about the world we live in. Science cannot invoke the supernatural as an explanation for phenomena, because a supernatural cause is unobservable (you can see the effects but not the cause). Science then provides us with a valuable asset in our attempt to arrive at truth: a purely naturalistic view of the world. This is truly valuable because we know how science works, we then free to understand its limitations and its ability to show how a purely natural world should be understood.

Since we know that science cannot explain the supernatural, we can go to other sources of truth to provide us with information about the supernatural (the Bible, the witness of the Holy Spirit in our spirit, etc.).

When discussing science with those who do not share our duel view of reality(atheists, deists), we can appreciate where they are coming from because we understand the presuppositions that they are operating under. While we diverge that there are also supernatural causes, we can agree that invoking the supernatural to explain things we are ignorant of can be a very slippery slope.

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RevJP · Moderator Joined: 18 Apr 2003 Posts: 6886 Location: USA

Interesting post shuck...

I wonder though, do people focus too much on the cause (or mechanism) and ignore the impetus?

From the viewpoint of one of the faithful, I would look at something like the creation of the universe and contemplate that indeed the 'cause' or mechanism could very probably be something like the 'big bang', but that the impetus for that mechanism would be God speaking the universe into existence.

IOW, the natural world - physics, can explain how many things occur, but not why necessarily, and I would add that indeed I leave myself open to the idea that physics cannot explain everything that happens.
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Schuckdaddy · Alley Cat Joined: 23 May 2007 Posts: 188 Location: Oregon

JP I agree(rhyme), science is limited to answering what could be true given a purely natural world, but not why something is true. "Why" isn't a scientific question, it's a philosophical one.

P1234567890 · Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 5:06 pm Post subject:

RevJP · Moderator Joined: 18 Apr 2003 Posts: 6886 Location: USA

science without philosophy is a dangerous thing.
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P1234567890 · Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2008 6:09 pm Post subject: