God and science – can they coexist?

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light ‘day’, and the darkness he called ‘night’. And there was evening, and there was morning – the first day.”

(Genesis 1:1-5 - New International Version)

Before you begin reading this, please note that it only scratches the surface of this topic.

Sir Isaac Newton is perhaps one of the most famous scientists of all time and a key figure in the scientific revolution of the 16^th and 17^th centuries, which led to the formation of ‘modern’ science. He is almost worshipped by modern scientists and mathematicians as a founding father of their field.

Did you know that he was a Christian? At the time of his death, Newton had written more than a million words of notes on the Bible. Here’s a couple of things that he wrote:

"I have a fundamental belief in the Bible as the Word of God, written by men who were inspired. I study the Bible daily."

“Atheism is so senseless. When I look at the solar system, I see the earth at the right distance from the sun to receive the proper amounts of heat and light. This did not happen by chance."

In fact, in what is most widely regarded as one of the most important scientific books of all time, Newton’s ‘Principia Mathematica’, the dedication Newton wrote includes the following:

“This most beautiful system of the sun, planets, and comets, could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful Being....This Being governs all things, not as the soul of the world, but as Lord over all.”

If one of the founding fathers of science attributed the creation of the universe to God, then who are we to argue?

Recent breakthroughs – what do they mean?

Scientists have had some incredible breakthroughs in recent years – the hadron collider at CERN in Switzerland has enabled the previously theoretical ‘Higgs boson’ particle to be observed for the first time. It has been nicknamed the ‘God Particle’ as some believe it will lead to an explanation of the workings of the universe. In modern physics it is generally considered to be one of the most important breakthroughs of the age.

Only this month it has been announced that there is more evidence for the validity of the ‘Big Bang theory’ – the idea that the universe was created, in one moment, in a gigantic explosion of energy.

In my mind, neither of these discoveries/theories contradicts Genesis. As Christians we are not so narrow minded as to ignore the fact that everything in the universe is made from infinitesimally small particles. You only need to look through a microscope to recognise that. Nor, in my mind, is it inconceivable that the Big Bang theory is in line with faith in God. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” – that one moment the universe did not exist and then…BANG…it did!

My questions for those who use science to deny the existence of God are these:

If nothing existed before the Big Bang – what exploded, where did it come from and who set it off?

Seven Days?

“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: with the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.”

(2 Peter 3:8 - New International Version)

The Genesis account of the seven days of creation (including a well-deserved day of rest) is a bone of contention for many. I think the problem is that we humans often try to shape God into our image rather than the other way around. The argument against creation is the concept of a literal 7 x 24 hours. Yet The Bible already tells us that our concept of time and God’s don’t match up. God is not constrained by our clocks and I think we'd more than a little arrogant to think that He is. 

How do we know that, at the start of creation, a 'day' was 24 hours? The universe is continually moving, so it is not beyond the realms of possibility that a 'day' was once way more than it is now. How long were the 'evening' and the 'morning'? Remember, a 24 hour day is a human construct, not a Godly one, to measure the rotation of a planet about its axis.

“How great is God – beyond our understanding! The number of his years is past finding out.”

(Job 36:26 - New International Version )

Science tells us that the universe is billions of years old and perhaps that is true. It is based, after all, on many theories which are often misconstrued as facts. My view is that God is fully aware of how long He took to create the universe – now science is catching up.

What…God and science can coexist?

There are many scientists who are Christians, and are able to reconcile faith and their secular studies. Einstein never declared himself a believer in Christ, yet here is something he said:

"Though religion may be that which determines the goal, it has, nevertheless, learned from science, in the broadest sense, what means will contribute to the attainment of the goals it has set up. But science can only be created by those who are thoroughly imbued with the aspiration toward truth and understanding. This source of feeling, however, springs from the sphere of religion. To this there also belongs the faith in the possibility that the regulations valid for the world of existence are rational, that is, comprehensible to reason."

An example of this would be that science tells us God used the Big Bang to create the universe.

Science can be used to explain HOW creation happened. In other words, Christians and science both look for meaning and both can find meaning. The two disciplines are intertwined. Our desire for scientific knowledge comes from our feelings, from our desire to know more about the universe, and our feelings come from our creation in the image of God. When we are amazed at the beauty of the universe and all of its wonders, we are glorifying God and all that He has made. Christians and science are trying to understand the universe, but from different, yet not mutually exclusive, perspectives.

Christianity and science both require faith, as aren't scientific theories just that…an act of faith in the interpretation of what has been experienced, observed or contemplated?

Finally, I don't have all of the answers, but I know that God does. I'm certainly no scientist, but I do believe that God created the universe and that one day, when we're ready, he'll show us how.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

(Isaiah 55:8-9 - New International Version)