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A problem today is the alleged conflict between Faith and Science, and this leads to decisions that are extremely consequential. From issues like evolution, climate change, human sexuality, the "Big Bang," &c., how one resolves this "conflict" can have personal, social, national, and even global implications!
I say "alleged" because, as a Christian myself, I do not believe there is such a conflict, or that this is an "Either/Or" choice people of Faith must make. On the contrary, I believe it is a "Both/And" proposition, as in: "You don't have to check your brain at the door to belong." To illustrate:
For centuries, it was believed the Earth was the center of our cosmic system, and Ptolemy and Genesis seemed to confirm such a paradigm.
With the advent of modern science, Copernicus and Galileo proposed we do NOT live in a geocentric system, but in a heliocentric one.
This was a paradigm shift of GIGANTIC proportions! The problem for people of Faith was it contradicted a LITERAL reading of Genesis. If the Bible is true, this newfangled theory of Copernicus can't be: It's either one or the other. Too bad.
Why "too bad?" Because, one doesn't have to chose between Faith or Science: One can choose BOTH! Did this new paradigm mean the Scriptures are "False" and should be pitched? NO! One needn't "throw out the baby with the bathwater." However, one must discern what the bathwater is, dump it, but keep the baby. How can one do that?
The answer is to reinterpret more properly (ALWAYS the key!) the Scriptures, to understand what they reveal and what they do not.
Tragically, the word "Myth" in the modern lexicon has come to mean something which is not true. That is incorrect, but to avoid misunderstanding, I affirm the Genesis stories ARE true, but they are not scientifically or historically true.
While the Bible may have some science and history in it, it is neither a science nor a history book. The Truth is multi-faceted and multi-dimensional, and one abuses the Scriptures if one treats them like science or hstory.
History and science, as understood today, have a particular sphere of influence, while religion has a different, but no less important, sphere of influence of its own. The Big Picture can only be seen when all are brought together. A parable may help:
It's the one where five blind men are in a room with an elephant in front of them. When asked to reach out and describe what is in the room, the one holding the trunk says it's like a hose, the one with the tail like a rope, the one with the ear like a leaf, the one with the tusk like a spear, the one with the leg like a tree trunk.
Now two important questions and answers: Question 1) Which man is telling "the truth?" -- Answer 1) They ALL are; Question 2) Which man is giving the "WHOLE Truth?" -- Answer 2) NONE of them are. To discern the FULL reality, all answers -- and more -- must be put together.
In like manner, one needs science, history, and other disciplines -- along with FAITH -- to understand the Whole Truth. Any piece left out diminishes the whole and is thus incomplete.
Faith without science is lacking, as is science without faith. For those who think faith isn't needed, we'll have to disagree for now, but as Pascal said: "The Heart has its reasons of which Reason knows not."
Moreover, one must know what type of literature one is reading in the Bible. For example:
The daily newspaper has different types of literature. If I read on the sports page the Packers "killed" the Bears, I know the team from Green Bay didn't arrive with machine guns and mow down the members of Chicago's team; rather I understand the Packers defeated the Bears badly.
However, if I read on page 1 John Doe "killed" Mary Smith, I know, in fact, Mary is dead. We adjust our semantic understanding to know "the Truth." One must do the same with the Bible.
Therefore, I can be a faithful Christian (or other faith adherent) and also believe in evolution; I don't have to believe the Earth is 6,000 years old, nor should I want Creationism taught as science.
However, I may want to comment about the morality of something (e.g. human cloning), because just because one CAN do something doesn't mean one SHOULD, but even people of faith can disagree about the "shoulds" and "should nots" of Life, and being well-informed SCIENTIFICALLY should always be a part of the formation of conscience.
So, BOTH faith AND science help us understand the Whole Truth, NOT just either one or the other!
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Jeff Danner resides in Marietta and holds an M.A. in Theology, along with other degrees in Philosophy, French/Spanish and Education. – A.M.D.G. A major source for this article is Karen Armstrong's The Case for GOD.