Do any other scietific-based minds have problems with "faith"?

[JD_shalom]

Do you believe you were born for a purpose? If so, then what proof do you have? It's a simple matter of believing that God had a purpose for putting you or me here...faith.

Faith is not always to be proven. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things NOT SEEN. It's simply to believe in God and take Him at His Word. We, having human minds, may always want answers of want something to be explained as clear as black is from white. But not everything can be explained (even scientists will admit this, yet they believe something based on other principles) and not everything can broken down for us to understand. What may seem foolish to us may seem very wise to God and vice versa. After all, He did say his ways are higher than ours, and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts!

Faith...just believe, and hold God to His word. It works for me!

James

 

[CPman2004]

I would suggest a book.

Being A Christian In Science by Walter R. Hearn.

He does a good job at defining what science is, and giving pratical information about what to expect and how do deal with faith issues. He doesn't go into the classic debates such as creation vs. evolution and what not, but just simply what life in the scientific community is like for a Christian.

So far it has really helped me out

Here is a review of the book http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/xn-in-sc.html

 

[Locrian]

Interesting article/review, thanks for linking it.

 

[JD_shalom]

Great pic CP Man!

 

[craigba]

I've had these same blocks sometimes and might suggest a perspective. I'm a chemistry student and when conducting experiments on solutions with regeants I've found myself not so much seeking proof that a certain chemical exists in solution, instead I find myself adding regeants to solution to see if a specific chemical exists in solution.

The proof is that the chemical exisits or not in solution, what I do is only test the solution...the chemical is there or not or some other chemical is there.

Hope this didn't confuse more than help.


Craig "Sciguy"

 

[John Allman]

I'm an engineer.
I have a very mathematical/science based mind.
So, I always require proof to believe something.
My career is based on performing detailed mathematical calculations to come up with answers.

So, it's sometimes difficult for me to have "faith" in religion and God.

Do other people have similar struggles?
What do you do about it?

Ask the Lord for proof that satisfies you. I did.

 

[John Allman]

"God did it" isn't much of an answer, it's just a placeholder for the real answer.

That's a rather subjective judgment. What it happens to be true?

 

[Locrian]

If it is true, then things will either be one of two ways. Either the "God did it" hypothesis will predict a range of observables we can measure so as to test it, or it will predict nothing. Many Christians do subscribe to the second case - because God is all powerful, his actions are in no way constrained, and produce no measurable observables that depend on his actions so as to make the hypothesis testable. In that second case, "God did it" is scientifically useless - even if it would happen to be true.

 

[meselfs]

I'm a mechanical engineer stoodent and I find no lack of proof for my faith.

Anyone watched this film called "tin men"? In one scene some less then righteous men are have a conversation when one of them says something like:
"You know, while at a resturant, I was thinking: Vegetables simply come out from the ground. So, there must be a God."

And vegetables are only the beggining.

 

[JesusQuest]

I used to be an atheist, so I needed very precise statistics to find out there was a god, only a very small portion was left to faith at that time, now I know you need more. I usually don't agree on faith unless there's a reason, not proof though. Even evolution isn't proven but that is one thing I don't believe in.

 

[whatiswatanabe]

I'm an engineer.
I have a very mathematical/science based mind.
So, I always require proof to believe something.
My career is based on performing detailed mathematical calculations to come up with answers.

So, it's sometimes difficult for me to have "faith" in religion and God.

Do other people have similar struggles?
What do you do about it?

Its not a struggle. When Science meets religion, religion leaves. I don't feel I have to believe anything that is inconsistant with reality.

 

[Sam Gamgee]

Its not a struggle. When Science meets religion, religion leaves. I don't feel I have to believe anything that is inconsistant with reality.

Can't they co-exist somehow???

I'm not sure, frankly, but I'd like to think that they can.

 

[JordanF]

I have an extremely technical-based mind. Usually I require some sort of evidence to believe something -- even if it's a claim from a well respected source. Some say that there cannot logically be a God, but that's very untrue. If you can't expect integrated circuits to assemble together by chance, how can you expect life to assemble without any intelligent creator? Everything just fits together perfectly doesn't it?

Do other people have similar struggles?
What do you do about it?

You need to find logical evidence that we were created by an intelligent being. This can be particularly seen through mathematics, in the study of the divine proportion. Even the very basic laws of physics are a testimony to intelligent creation by God.

As for the coexistence of religion and science, faith in Christ should be more than just religion. My faith is kept going by my appreciation for beauty (more phi) and God's vast creation. In this case, my "religion" is the same as science.

 

[Yamialpha]

Its not a struggle. When Science meets religion, religion leaves. I don't feel I have to believe anything that is inconsistant with reality.

Do you believe in the NOMA principle?

 

[_Paladin_]

Can't they co-exist somehow???

I'm not sure, frankly, but I'd like to think that they can.

Of course they can... what in the world could you find contradictory about them?

 

[Sam Gamgee]

Of course they can... what in the world could you find contradictory about them?

I have a really hard time believing in the whole Noah's ark thing.
I understnand that science has shown that it's entirely possible that the earth was flooded in the past (they found fossils on the top of mountains that are normally found on ocean beds).

But...

How did this man build a ship large enough to hold a male and a female of each animal on the boat?
How did he feed all these animals during the flood?

If you assume that 20% of the animals didn't make it becuase either the male or the female died, or disease on the ship, or infertility, that's millions MORE animals than we could ever fathom on this one ship.

And how did he navigate this ship? You have to assume that in a epic rain storm he'd have to have some way to steer this ship away from the heavier rains to protect his cargo...

Scientifically, the entire noah's ark story makes absolutely no logical sense.

 

[Yamialpha]

I have a really hard time believing in the whole Noah's ark thing.
I understnand that science has shown that it's entirely possible that the earth was flooded in the past (they found fossils on the top of mountains that are normally found on ocean beds).

But...

How did this man build a ship large enough to hold a male and a female of each animal on the boat?
How did he feed all these animals during the flood?

If you assume that 20% of the animals didn't make it becuase either the male or the female died, or disease on the ship, or infertility, that's millions MORE animals than we could ever fathom on this one ship.

And how did he navigate this ship? You have to assume that in a epic rain storm he'd have to have some way to steer this ship away from the heavier rains to protect his cargo...

Scientifically, the entire noah's ark story makes absolutely no logical sense.

Yes well we know how the Bible is a book of interpretations. Also keep in mind that as a Christian, you accept the miracle of salvation. A God who is capable of creating a man that can perform miracles, come back from the dead, ascend to Heaven, and save the people of the Earth is capable of creating a man who can create a massive ark.

 

[charityagape]

I'm an atheist, so you can guess how I would answer your question.

In the spirit of tolerance, however, I have to say that science does not (yet) have all the answers. How the universe started and why does it seem so tuned to allow life, these are still mysterious questions, that I would say no one yet can answer.

Religions claim to answer these questions, but I find their answers unsatisfying. "God did it" isn't much of an answer, it's just a placeholder for the real answer. I would say that any real God would want us to work as hard as we can to uncover and understand the real answers - it would mean finding Him.

So if you are struggling with your faith, I'd say relax. There is still room for belief - you can describe the answer to the mysteries of life as "God" and attribute absolute power and morality to that entity, and science cannot yet touch you. Perhaps someday, we'll understand enough about the world and ourselves to truly know.

That is the most gracious post I've seen given on this forum.

 

[Protos]

"And the dream that was forgotten, never happened."

 

[Sam Gamgee]

Yes well we know how the Bible is a book of interpretations. Also keep in mind that as a Christian, you accept the miracle of salvation. A God who is capable of creating a man that can perform miracles, come back from the dead, ascend to Heaven, and save the people of the Earth is capable of creating a man who can create a massive ark.

That's my struggle... I can't believe a man can create a massive ark.