I have always believed that science and faith work together. There are so many
things we used to think were magic, only later to discover they had a scientific
explanation. But did those things ever really lose their magic? Wasn’t it still made
by God? I believe that just because we come to understand something better, it
doesn’t make it any less magical, or Godly. On the contrary, it makes it all the
more fascinating. God made the world how it is, and knows how it works. It was
all working before we came to be. So isn’t science just gaining a better
understanding of the world around us? Hasn’t He given us this gift to be able to
understand? Scripture talks about everything in our lives, not just matters of the
church (Wolters, 2005). People should learn, build, and get along with one
another. In a sense God is everywhere and everywhere is God.
Psychology as a science helps us understand our brain, and body, and faith helps
us understand our mind and spirit. These things do not run independently of one
another though. Our understanding of ourselves as well as the world around us,
both seen and unseen, are all equally important. And God built and is a part of all
of them. In turn, our understanding of God helps us move through our everyday
life and our purpose. Similarly theology and philosophy are considered widely
different subjects (Wolters, 2005). God and science, religion and reason. However,
religion is full of reason, and science is about God’s design (Wolters, 2005). We
can be philosophical about Scripture, and theology is about human life and
perspective (Wolters, 2005).
People do not live two lives, one religious and one scientific. This is a dualistic
worldview that our lives are split, and different rules apply to each one (Wolters,
2005). The reality is our lives are integral, with faith and science intertwined. For
example, if I am stuck in a pit, and I pray, does God lift me from the pit Himself?
No, but He may bring to my attention some roots that were there I didn’t see, or
send some people to walk by that I would have to yell out to. He wants us to try,
to learn, to work and experience. This is where some people may say “Hey that
person was lucky!”, or “It was a coincidence”, when in fact we know in our heart
God was there to help us.
Around the world, different cultures have explanations for the natural and spiritual
worlds (Wolters, 2005). Also, humans are a part of nature, and God commands
both (Wolters, 2005). If God commands both the world as we know it and the
spiritual realm, then one cannot say that they exist independently from one
another but rather intricately existing simultaneously. It is often baffling that so
many stand on either the side of religion or science, but not both. There have
been so many times that scientific discoveries have helped support stories in the
Scripture, and so many times that spiritual events have helped our understanding
of science. It could be argued that humans need both in order to fulfill our Godly
duties.
Reference
Wolters, A. M. (2005). Creation regained: Biblical basics for a reformational
worldview.
