Science and Religion

[Dream]

It always amazes me how so many people start doubting the existence of God when they learn a lot of science.

The more science I learn, the more sure I am that there is a God. Everything is set up so perfectly. There are so many things that we just take for granted that are actually so perfectly crafted.

Take the sun for example. Have you ever really thought about it? Most people just take for granted that the sun rises in the morning and sets at night. Most people just take for granted the heat that the sun gives off. But how much do you really know about the sun? It's designed so flawlessly. Let me just give you an excerpt from a website, you don't have to read it all:

Solar energy is created deep within the core of the Sun. It is here that the temperature (15,000,000° C; 27,000,000° F) and pressure (340 billion times Earth's air pressure at sea level) is so intense that nuclear reactions take place. This reaction causes four protons or hydrogen nuclei to fuse together to form one alpha particle or helium nucleus. The alpha particle is about .7 percent less massive than the four protons. The difference in mass is expelled as energy and is carried to the surface of the Sun, through a process known as convection, where it is released as light and heat. Energy generated in the Sun's core takes a million years to reach its surface. Every second 700 million tons of hydrogen are converted into helium ashes. In the process 5 million tons of pure energy is released; therefore, as time goes on the Sun is becoming lighter.

The chromosphere is above the photosphere. Solar energy passes through this region on its way out from the center of the Sun. Faculae and flares arise in the chromosphere. Faculae are bright luminous hydrogen clouds which form above regions where sunspots are about to form. Flares are bright filaments of hot gas emerging from sunspot regions. Sunspots are dark depressions on the photosphere with a typical temperature of 4,000°C (7,000°F).

The corona is the outer part of the Sun's atmosphere. It is in this region that prominences appears. Prominences are immense clouds of glowing gas that erupt from the upper chromosphere. The outer region of the corona stretches far into space and consists of particles traveling slowly away from the Sun. The corona can only be seen during total solar eclipses.

You don't have to understand this all to realize how complex everything is. It's all so perfect. All the forces conviently work together to give off just the right amount of heat and light for us. If the variables were offset by just a little bit, everything would be completly different. If the mass of the core was greater, the force of gravity would be so great that the sun would collapse in on itself.

But that doesn't happen. (at least won't happen for another 5 billion years) It's just designed too well.

God knew how to make everything just right.

How can something like this be created just by chance? This is just one example. There are literally billions of other things in this universe that are just so perfectly designed. Everything balances out so nicely.

Humankind has had thousands of years working together to build and design all sorts of things. Out of all the billions and billions of people that walked the face of the earth, the best human creation is only near perfect. Everything breaks down except for the universe itself. The most complex human creation is only 1/100000000000000000000 times as complex as the tree in your backyard or the immune system in your body that you never see.

And yet a good number of people still believe that everything is created by chance. I recommend that they take a few science courses.

 

[Roald]

Speaking of eclipses: they work because the sun and the earth appear to be the exact same size. Isn't strange that their sizes and distances work out so perfectly?

 

[ShannonMcCatholic]

It always amazes me how so many people start doubting the existence of God when they learn a lot of science.

The more science I learn, the more sure I am that there is a God. Everything is set up so perfectly. There are so many things that we just take for granted that are actually so perfectly crafted.

I soooo agree! When I look at the world around me I cannot help but think of the grandeur and perfectness of God!

 

[Dream]

Speaking of eclipses: they work because the sun and the earth appear to be the exact same size. Isn't strange that their sizes and distances work out so perfectly?

Exactlly, everything is designed so perfectly.

By the way, it was during a lunar eclipse that Aristarchus measured the size of the moon and the distance of the earth to the moon in 230 BC. Absolutely fascinating stuff.

 

[stray bullet]

Speaking of eclipses: they work because the sun and the earth appear to be the exact same size. Isn't strange that their sizes and distances work out so perfectly?

Er, not always. The Moon has a 5 degree deviance in its orbit, so it isn't always perfect.

 

[Dream]

Er, not always. The Moon has a 5 degree deviance in its orbit, so it isn't always perfect.

Are you trying to ruin my thread?

 

[stray bullet]

Are you trying to ruin my thread?

Naw, just trying to keep everyone safe. Our orbits are not perfect, nor all eclipses.

We shouldn't look to the stars to find God... we should look within us.

 

[Dream]

Naw, just trying to keep everyone safe. Our orbits are not perfect, nor all eclipses.

We shouldn't look to the stars to find God... we should look within us.

Agreed, our orbits are not a perfect circle and eclipses are not perfectly aligned. This was proven many years ago, nobody is doubting that.

But then again, aren't our orbits perfect? We are just the right distance from the sun. If we were closer, it would be too hot on earth to support life. If we were farther, it would be too cold on earth to support life. The Earth rotates at just the right time period to make a manageable night and day. The Earth's axis is tilted just right so we are given 4 distinct seasons to keep variety in our life.

I'm not advocating that we look to the stars to find God; all I'm saying is that God's creation is designed so perfectly that the study of science should not doubt, but only reinforce the idea that God truly exists.

 

[Bushido216]

It always amazes me how so many people start doubting the existence of God when they learn a lot of science.

The more science I learn, the more sure I am that there is a God. Everything is set up so perfectly. There are so many things that we just take for granted that are actually so perfectly crafted.

Take the sun for example. Have you ever really thought about it? Most people just take for granted that the sun rises in the morning and sets at night. Most people just take for granted the heat that the sun gives off. But how much do you really know about the sun? It's designed so flawlessly. Let me just give you an excerpt from a website, you don't have to read it all:

You don't have to understand this all to realize how complex everything is. It's all so perfect. All the forces conviently work together to give off just the right amount of heat and light for us. If the variables were offset by just a little bit, everything would be completly different. If the mass of the core was greater, the force of gravity would be so great that the sun would collapse in on itself.

But that doesn't happen. (at least won't happen for another 5 billion years) It's just designed too well.

God knew how to make everything just right.

How can something like this be created just by chance? This is just one example. There are literally billions of other things in this universe that are just so perfectly designed. Everything balances out so nicely.

Humankind has had thousands of years working together to build and design all sorts of things. Out of all the billions and billions of people that walked the face of the earth, the best human creation is only near perfect. Everything breaks down except for the universe itself. The most complex human creation is only 1/100000000000000000000 times as complex as the tree in your backyard or the immune system in your body that you never see.

And yet a good number of people still believe that everything is created by chance. I recommend that they take a few science courses.

You're talking about the anthropic principle. It was an arm-chair experiment done by a few scientists where basically they said "well, if the universe was set up differently, we wouldn't be here". That's the weak form. It basically states that we are here because the conditions were right.

The strong anthropic principle is what you are referring to, and it basically says that conditions are right because we are here. Except there is no reason, scientifically, to believe this.

 

[InnerPhyre]

Lots of Christians are afraid of scientific investigation. I don't understand this. The truth has nothing to fear from questioning. God's design is amazing.

 

[Carrye]

I never understood it either. All of my scientific investigation pointed me toward God, not away from Him.

God does not contradict Himself, and so there is nothing to worry about. There is but one Truth expressed in countless ways.

 

[Bushido216]

I never understood it either. All of my scientific investigation pointed me toward God, not away from Him.

God does not contradict Himself, and so there is nothing to worry about. There is but one Truth expressed in countless ways.

An old-earth and naturalistic processes describing our physical beings?

 

[Irenaeus]

Lifesaver's signature had a good post regarding science -

A little bit of science takes away man from God; a lot brings him back. (I paraphrase)

 

[Carrye]

An old-earth and naturalistic processes describing our physical beings?

There are lots of theories about how humans came to be on this earth, but not all of them can be correct. That doesn't mean God contradicts Himself.

 

[Dream]

Lifesaver's signature had a good post regarding science -

A little bit of science takes away man from God; a lot brings him back. (I paraphrase)

Yea, I find that to be very true. Thanks for sharing that.

 

[nyj]

Science reveals to us what God already knows.

 

[Bushido216]

There are lots of theories about how humans came to be on this earth, but not all of them can be correct. That doesn't mean God contradicts Himself.

No, just those people who say that either Genesis is literal or else the whole Bible can't be trusted.

People do say that, mainly YEC's, and it is the ammo that atheists use against Christianity.

 

[Carrye]

No, just those people who say that either Genesis is literal or else the whole Bible can't be trusted.

Which is a false dichotomy. This isn't an all or nothing proposition. There are lots of ways to be scripturally dishonest, and this is just one of them, IMO.

 

[Bushido216]

Yes. But tell that to the majority of American Christians who are conservative and Creationist.

You wonder why it's so hard to convert people when you're attempting to convince them that God made all the bunnies on the 4th day.

 

[Carrye]

Yes. But tell that to the majority of American Christians who are conservative and Creationist.

You wonder why it's so hard to convert people when you're attempting to convince them that God made all the bunnies on the 4th day.

But their disagreement doesn't mean that they're right. This may not be an argument that we'll ever win, but all you can do is present people with the information, and let them be. Some don't want to be convinced. Some would rather hide behind their Bible. Some think that failing a literal account of Genesis, as you pointed out, invalidates the rest of the Bible. The fact is that it does not.

People can take that or leave it, but if they really thought it through and had open hearts, they'd see there's no contradiction.