Science and Faith

The question:

Is truth revealed by science or by faith?...O.S.

The reply:

I suppose the short answer to your question, O.S., is "yes" !! But, seriously...

Human quest for truth
Humans have been seeking "truth" since the beginning of time - indeed this quest is central to defining us as humans. Our faculties and capacities for curiosity and speculation, spoken and written language, reasoning and believing, all set us apart from every other species on the planet and are indicators of what is important to us.

Indeed, although most of us don't spend our whole lives as philosophers, every human must at times wrestle with the unavoidable questions of life, like: Who am I? Where did I come from? Where will I go after I die? Why am I here? What is true?

As the great Christian thinker Augustine said: "Ask not what it is, and I know; ask what it is, and I know not." Behind the search for truth is an admission that we don't know the answer, but that we do seek to understand. Augustine further wrote of this yearning: "You made us for yourself, Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you."

Quest for truth through science
"All human beings desire to know", wrote Aristotle. The Greek philosophers were the forerunners of today's scientists, people who strive for the truth by hypothesis and observation. The scientific method is essentially a whole series of iterations between hypothesis - theorizing an answer to a question - and observation - testing the theory by experimentation and careful observation.

The whole purpose of science is to reveal the truth, and it is extremely helpful in doing so. It does, however, have limitations. On an elementary level, science is limited by the circularity of its reasoning, by the series of hypotheses and observations on which today's questions are being posed and tested. An unfortunate tendency of many scientists is to regard their findings as so certain that they are called "laws" rather than hypotheses that are supported by observation.

Indeed, some fields of science have developed so far as to consider their "laws" as the truth, standing alone and unable to benefit from any outside observations. Post-modern philosophy, evolutionary biology and uniformitarian geology are three examples that come to mind. Interestingly, these fields are dominated by humanists, people who believe that everything can be explained without reference to God or faith. This is the place where science is the most vulnerable, and why so many Christians are ready to reject the learnings of science. Science - human reason - seeks for truth, but the ultimate truth cannot be found by reason alone.

The two wings of faith and reason
The Pope, in his recent encyclical, Faith and Reason, built on the teachings of Augustine and Thomas Aquinas, when he said: "Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to contemplation of the truth." Reason needs faith to answer the fundamental questions of life, and faith needs reason to clarify and apprehend those answers.

Both faith and science are ultimately revelations from God. Theologians are fond of referring to these as "special revelation" and "general revelation". Special revelation includes the direct Word of God revealed through angels (spiritual beings) and prophets (human beings) and recorded in the holy scriptures - the Bible. General revelation includes virtually everything else that we observe around us - from astronomy to sub-atomic particles, from ecosystems to DNA.

Since God created everything - the Word and the world - they all must be consistent. Just as each verse and chapter of the Bible is consistent with every other verse and chapter, so the truth that we find in the scriptures must be consistent with the truth that we discover in science.

Two, yes, but equal, no
As Paul explains in the first chapter of Romans, faith and reason both reveal God's truth, but they are not equal:

[16] For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. [17] For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith." [18] For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, [19] because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. [20] For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, [21] because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Science, at its best, can illuminate the truth, and help us to answer the question "how?" But it can never - nor has it ever been intended to - answer the question "why?" Only special revelation can do that, only God's Word. And the ultimate special revelation is God's son, Jesus Christ:

[5] Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?" [6] Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. [7] "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."

Dr. Science

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