On to a
controversial topic that isn't politics – religion! I very rarely
mention my faith in professional circles because it's not usually relevant.
Science and religion has been on my list of potential blog topics
since the creation of this blog a year ago. Reflecting on the
astronomy and faith talk I attended on Wednesday inspired me to
finally “come out of the closet,” to use Brother Guy's phrase.
I've been subject to prejudice and harassment about my faith by
classmates, professors, colleagues, and even strangers since college.
The amount of intolerance of honest and informed differences of
opinion and differences of belief are astounding in such an enlightened age. I've
grown a pretty thick skin.
Science and religion
have never been at odds with each other, in my opinion. I'll never
understand why we in modern times pit them against each other in a
false dichotomy. They address two different areas of our universe:
science the what/where/when/how, religion/theology/spirituality the
who/why. Religion flows flawlessly with science/reason.
Science/reason never disproves religion. It can't. They operate on
different plains.
“God created the
Universe. The Universe is worthy of study. Science is an act of
worship.” - Bother Guy Consolmagno
The beauty and the
wonder of the Universe is why I was inspired to study astrophysics.
And to become an astronaut, of course. But there are many paths to
being an astronaut. The stars called to me as young as elementary
school. I wanted to learn all about this awe-inspiring creation.
I was raised Christian and converted to
Catholicism when I was 25 and in graduate school. I treated my
conversion process as the scientist I am: systematically studying the
data and weighing the evidence before coming to a conclusion. Perhaps
because of my adult conversion and my upbringing, I'm far more
open-minded about spiritual journeys than many. Each person's path is
their own, one right for them, and it's not for me to judge or claim
mine is better than any other.
I was excited to
drive up to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach on Wednesday evening
for a talk with Br. Guy, a Jesuit with a PhD in planetary science
from MIT who now serves as the Director of the Vatican Observatory.
Joining him was the university chaplain Rev. David Keck and radio
show host Marc Bernier who I had worked with previously on local
spaceport issues. I knew Br. Guy from my early days at the University
of Central Florida where one of my graduate school planetary science
classmates was also a Jesuit brother, but it had been several years
since I had heard him give a talk.
Br. Guy started off discussing two fallacies that some use in the science versus
religion debate. The first, a false wall between reason and faith.
People are whole; we don't compartmentalize well. We don't turn off
our brains on Sundays. We don't ignore reason when thinking about
religion. We also don't put aside our faiths when we consider
science. The two work together well and don't need to be separated.
The second fallacy
he mentioned was about science and faith just being about facts.
Neither are. Science is a process of discovery where we constantly test
ideas, are proven wrong, and learn something new. Religion is a
process of understanding God, who we are, and the world we live in. For example,
Genesis isn't a history book. The creation story in Genesis isn't
meant to be taken as a collection of historical facts (according to
Catholic teaching; others may disagree). It's a moral book. There is
always more to discover about science. There is always more to
discover about theology.
I always smile when
people wonder if the Big Bang contradicts Catholic teaching on
creation. Those people don't know their science history. Georges
Lemaitre, a Catholic priest also with a PhD from MIT, developed the
theory of the Big Bang. At the time, people mocked it because they
thought it promoted the existence of God, not contradicted it!
What about creation
or evolution? “Yes,” Br. Guy responded. “Evolution is
description of how God creates.” Evidence of the acceptance of
evolution can be found in the writings of Saint Augustine of Hippo, a
bishop, who lived 354 – 430 AD!
Upon thinking of the
science and human society lecture I attended last week by a
“skeptic,” I was surprised when Br. Guy addressed other points of
view. “Religions need atheists, agnostics, and skeptics. They keep
us honest. We're all searching for the truth,” he said. “All
humans and only human look at the stars in wonder. Something within
us desires something in Heaven and the heavens.”
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| "Cosmology, Science, and Faith With Brother Consolmagno and Rev. David Keck" - March 2, 2016 |
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