Worldview – 24 March 2009

It is natural for us to try and understand the world around us – who we are, where we come from, how things function and our part in them. This is probably what drove Charles Darwin to travel half way around the world in a sailing ship, despite suffering terrible seasickness, to study the animals of the Galapagos.

Science does definitely contribute to our worldview. It is great at answering questions of how things work, from planetary motion to how microscopic organelles function inside an animal cell. There seems to have been an increase in recent years of some scientists promoting the idea that belief in God is not compatible with science, that our worldview should only have a scientific basis.  Richard Dawkins has been very vocal in his atheism in his book “The God Delusion”.  If such an eminent scientist has looked at the origins of life, and finds nothing pointing to God, isn’t that threatening to our belief? When people drive around with fish symbols with Darwin written in them, it is the natural thing for us to want to defend our belief in a Creator.

Well I think a worldview based entirely on science is utterly unsatisfactory.  We are people with emotions, we interact with each other in complex ways, we search for purpose, and we want to know why we are here.  Faith brings answers to these questions where science cannot.

I heard an excellent talk at New Wine last year by Martin Cavender entitled “Is Dawkins Right?” He said “Science and theology sit alongside each other.  What Richard Dawkins is proclaiming is the how of things, and what theology is proclaiming is the why of things.  How do we know things and make sense of them?  How do you access reality and explain it?  I think you have two languages. You have a language of faith and a language of science, and our job is to engage in both.”

I am concerned though when Christians defend their Faith with statements like “The devil put fossils there to persuade us that the world isn’t 6000 years old.” I don’t think that shows a proper engagement with science, and doesn’t help scientists consider God seriously.

I think scientific discoveries are amazing. It is fascinating to learn something of the secrets of the world around us: the energy in an atomic nucleus, the complexity of an animal cell, mapping the human genome.  It is also great how such discoveries can be used to eradicate disease, bring sustainable energy into people’s homes, or knowledge via the Internet.  I do think it is sad when scientists don’t give God the glory as these secrets of His creation are revealed.

Although science is great at telling us how things work, it isn’t great at telling us our place in relation to the Creator.  As we honour Him as Creator, we can marvel at His works, rather than becoming “enchanted with how clever we are”.  It is only in God we can find true place and purpose.