Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Science Keeps Overstepping (and journalists help)
I have written before about how scientists keep overreaching. Newsweek reports the latest incarnation of this phenomena, which I have also discussed before. The Large Hadron Collider is nearing completion. It is a device designed to detect something called a Higgs boson, which if confirmed could yield results that would lead to the development of something called "The Grand Unified Theory." Because of this, large-egoed physicists and the religion baiting press has taken to call the Higgs boson "The God Particle."
Let us suppose that these people get precisely the result they expect, will they have now attained God-Like status? Hardly. They will be able to explain how the four fundamental forces of the universe relate to each other - that is it. Go ahead, try and turn that knowledge into people, I dare you. The path from the initial moments of creation when all the forces existed as one to where we are today is fraught with huge gaps in our knowledge. These guys will be so far from omniscient, let alone omnipotent, as to not be worthy of the term "god" with a little "g."
Newsweek interviewed Steven Weinberg. Now Weinberg is a genius physicist, I won't deny it, but come on:
But more importantly, from my standpoint, if one checks the narrative of virtually any religion, but especially Christianity, it is not "motivated" to explain the functioning of the planet, the universe, or nature. Certainly the narrative of the Bible is about redemption.
I know too many scientists like this - they seek to destroy religion, they truly do, but they do so not based on philosophy, but based on an unwillingness to confront their own need for redemption.
And when you think about it, how different is that than when we warp our churches into "service providers." Are we not as destructive to the redemptive message of scripture with out efforts to keep the church functioning as these scientists are with their desire to explain creation? And isn't it all because we are unwilling to face the real message of our faith - our own need for redemption, our own desire to hide from God.
When I read about scientists like this, I don't want to argue with them, because they are not really arguing with me. But how do I get to the REAL issue?
I confront it in myself. I allow myself to be redeemed, I confess my need for redemption. The path to truth lies now in mastery but in humility. Understanding comes not with power, but with fear.
We live in a hurting world, and we so often look to the wrong places to salve the hurt. We need to start on our knees.
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Let us suppose that these people get precisely the result they expect, will they have now attained God-Like status? Hardly. They will be able to explain how the four fundamental forces of the universe relate to each other - that is it. Go ahead, try and turn that knowledge into people, I dare you. The path from the initial moments of creation when all the forces existed as one to where we are today is fraught with huge gaps in our knowledge. These guys will be so far from omniscient, let alone omnipotent, as to not be worthy of the term "god" with a little "g."
Newsweek interviewed Steven Weinberg. Now Weinberg is a genius physicist, I won't deny it, but come on:
As we come closer to developing an ultimate theory of the universe, how will this impact religion?Do you note the philosophical confusion in that statement. At naturalistic explanation for even the Big Bang does not constitute a naturalistic universe, or more importantly a SUPER-natural deity.
As science explains more and more, there is less and less need for religious explanations. Originally, in the history of human beings, everything was mysterious. Fire, rain, birth, death, all seemed to require the action of some kind of divine being. As time has passed, we have explained more and more in a purely naturalistic way. This doesn't contradict religion, but it does takes away one of the original motivations for religion.
But more importantly, from my standpoint, if one checks the narrative of virtually any religion, but especially Christianity, it is not "motivated" to explain the functioning of the planet, the universe, or nature. Certainly the narrative of the Bible is about redemption.
I know too many scientists like this - they seek to destroy religion, they truly do, but they do so not based on philosophy, but based on an unwillingness to confront their own need for redemption.
And when you think about it, how different is that than when we warp our churches into "service providers." Are we not as destructive to the redemptive message of scripture with out efforts to keep the church functioning as these scientists are with their desire to explain creation? And isn't it all because we are unwilling to face the real message of our faith - our own need for redemption, our own desire to hide from God.
When I read about scientists like this, I don't want to argue with them, because they are not really arguing with me. But how do I get to the REAL issue?
I confront it in myself. I allow myself to be redeemed, I confess my need for redemption. The path to truth lies now in mastery but in humility. Understanding comes not with power, but with fear.
We live in a hurting world, and we so often look to the wrong places to salve the hurt. We need to start on our knees.
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