It shocks me that this is still an issue that persists. As a person of faith I see no reason that one can not both believe in God and also believe in science. I accept Darwin's Theory of Evolution the evidence is overwhelming. I was shocked when I read in Collins article that only 24% of regular church goers believe in evolution. This saddens me a little because as humans I think we are called to use the great gift of reason that we have been given. My faith tells me that the processes of nature are much more beautiful when we learn about them through science. If we simply say God commanded and boom it happened, God is turned into nothing but a simple magician. I don't wish to reduce God to nothing more than another David Blaine or Chris Angel. I find the idea that God may have used natural processes to be more reasonable.
People who have faith need not to be afraid of the teachings of science, it gives us greater understanding of the world we live in. I would ask someone who says that science is a danger to faith the question, "how strong is a faith that can be swayed so easily?" I would advocate for people of faith who are also thinking people. As Christians we have moved beyond the idea that the earth is the center of the universe, can we not also take a second look at the rest of the ancient cosmetology. We must recognize that the Bible is NOT a science book and should not be used as one.
Faith and science can become a social issue as well. I think what we know about the human genome is not only fascinating but has the possibility of saving many, many lives. Stem cell research can give hope to people with many conditions that otherwise have no hope.
Now that I have spoken a great deal about why faith should not fear science I want to talk a little about a speech I heard the other day from a scientist who was arguing against faith because it caused people to simply accept the things that they can not understand. I would like to refute this point by saying that it is because of my faith that I want to learn as much I can about the world around me. I think that God has given me a brain to explore the world around me. So I believe that faith can spur interest in science and not just detract from it. I think it is ok to recognize the mystery that exists in the universe while still trying to learn more about it.
Faith and Science are not mutually exclusive because they ask different questions. Science answers how and faith attempts to answer why. I believe one can be and I try to be a person of both faith and science.
