Does science contradict or confirm the Bible? An interesting question! The answer often depends on what one accepts as “science”. The Bible does not contradict scientific facts; however, there have been contradictions between the Bible and scientific theories or hypotheses. Some would claim there is no difference in the statement just written; however, they would be mistaken. Scientific theories come and go; however, facts remain. One should keep this distinction in mind when examining the subject of the Bible and Science. Some atheists attempt to blur the lines between scientific facts and scientific theories; e.g., evolution is a scientific theory, but one must remain focused on facts when looking at a comparison between the Bible and science.
An excellent book showing the scientific accuracy of the Bible is Wayne Jackson’s The Bible and Science. This book examines several areas of science and shows that when the Bible touches on these areas of science it does so accurately. Fields of science the book examines include astronomy, oceanography, geology, biology, anthropology, and others.
Brother Jackson does an excellent work of pointing out that there are limitations of science, despite the claims of some modern fanatical evolutionary scientists. He also cites examples of where scientists have missed the mark on more than one occasion. He also discusses alleged inaccuracies of the Bible in relation to science. It should be noted that scientific theories are not the only sources of perceived conflict between Science and the Bible. Some have either mistranslated or misinterpreted the Bible resulting in perceived contradictions; however, further analysis of the Biblical text revealed no actual contradiction.
The Bible & Science also discusses well known scientists who believed the Bible and went on to make incredible discoveries. Men such as Johann Kepler, Blaise Paschal, Robert Boyle, Isaac Newton, Michael Faraday, Louis Pasteur, George Washington Carver, and Wernher von Braun. Quite an impressive group of scientists who did not see a conflict between science and the Bible, and the list could be expanded. We truly live in a time of impressive scientific discovery. The more scientists explore, the far more complex matters appear than they originally thought. One wonders if some of these scientists have not given consideration to the principle that a greater degree of complex design points to a greater, more complex mind which created these designs! Wernher von Braun is an example of a scientist who saw no conflict between modern scientific inquiry and the existence of God:
“It is difficult for me to understand a scientist who does not acknowledge the presence of a superior rationality behind the existence of the universe as it is to comprehend a theologian who would deny the advance of science. Far from being independent or opposing forces, science and religion are sisters…There is certainly no scientific reason why God cannot retain the same position in our modern world that He held before we began probing His creation with the telescope and cyclotron” (As quoted by Wayne Jackson, The Bible & Science, p. 126).
Perhaps it would be well to remind ourselves that the issue is not just the harmonization of the Bible with Science. The critical issue is the explanation of Bible writers who wrote thousands of years ago. These ancient writers not only wrote correctly about scientific matters but also avoided some of the superstitious nonsense long refuted by scientists years ago which one finds in other ancient writings. How were these writers of the Bible able to reveal scientific matters beyond their ability to prove? They were guided by the mind that created them all including the book that tell us so—God.
Originally printed in West Virginia Christian, Vol. 19, No. 8,
August 2012, p. 8. Reprinted by permission.
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2 comments:
An excellent book. Every christian should read it!
An excellent book. Every christian should read it!
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