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Christianity/Church
Myth
Superstition
Science
Truth
knowledge
1. Whenever there is a scientific
discovery truth wins – ignorance of
Christianity loses
2. Science impeded or held back for
centuries by superstition of Christianity
and the Church
Darwin - Evolutionary science
Galileo – Cosmological science
On the Origin of Species by
means of natural selection
Or the
preservation of favoured
races in the struggle for life
Published 1859
Bible – taught myths that we
were created in 7 days
Darwin - Evolutionary science
Living beings came about
many millions of years
through evolution
Origen 3rd century theologian
“What person of intelligence, I ask, will consider as a reasonable
statement that the first and the second and the third day, in which
there are said to be both morning and evening, existed without
sun and moon and stars, while the first day was even without
heaven?...I do not think anyone will doubt that these are figurative
expressions which indicate certain mysteries through a semblance
of history?”
Augustine
Bishop of north Africa in early 5th century
400-450 AD
He wrote that he did not have a literal reading of the
opening chapters of Genesis
Thomas Aqunias
13th century theologian
“did not feel there was a tension between science and
the opening of Genesis”
Origen
3rd century
1st century
Augustine
5th century
Aquinas
13th century
15th century
On the Origin of Species by
means of natural selection
Or the
preservation of favoured
races in the struggle for life
Published 1859
William Henry Dallinger,
Wesleyan Pastor 1861-1880 and later president of Wesley College,
Member of Royal Society
1887 – “unreserved acceptance of evolution”
Sir George Stokes, Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University
1849 – 1903 (position held by Isaac Newton and Stephen Hawking)
“Even an extreme adoption of evolution is not inconsistent with theism”
Christian biologist Asa Gray
Largely responsible for Evolution accepted by National Academy of
Sciences in the United States in 1880
Great Princeton Theologican BB Warfield (1851-1921)
“I am free to say, for myself, that I do not think that there is any general statement
in the Bible or any part of the account of creation, either as given in Gen I or II or
elsewhere alluded to, that need be opposed to evolution”
Bible – taught myths that we
were created in 7 days
Darwin - Evolutionary science
Living beings came about
many millions of years
through evolution
Church – Tortured and
persecuted Galileo in
inquisition to stop
science
Galileo – Cosmological
science discovered that
the earth rotates around
the sun
Ptolemy AD 100 – c. 170
Greek astronomer
In 1543, Copernicus wrote an astronomy
book dedicated to the pope
Galileo (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642), was an Italian
astronomer
Theologian Cardinal Robert Bellarmine said:
“While experience tells us plainly that the earth is standing
still” nevertheless “if there were real proof that the sun is in
the center of the universe…and that the sun does not go
around the earth but the earth around the sun, then we should
have to proceed with great circumspection in explaining
passages of scripture which appear to teach the contrary, and
rather admit that we did not understand them than declare an
opinion to be false which is proved to be true. But this is not a
thing to be done in haste, and as for myself, I shall not believe
that there are such proofs until they are shown to me”
1632
Dialogue concerning the 2 chief world systems
Church – Tortured and
persecuted Galileo in
inquisition to stop
science
Galileo – Cosmological
science discovered that
the earth rotates around
the sun
Matthew 19:23–24 (NIV84)
23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the
truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the
24
kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is
easier for a camel to go through the eye of a
needle than for a rich man to enter the
kingdom of God.”
1 Chronicles 16:30 (NIV84)
30 Tremble before him, all the earth! The world is firmly
established; it cannot be moved.
Psalm 93:1 (NIV84)
1 The LORD reigns, he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed
in majesty and is armed with strength.
The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.
Psalm 96:10 (NIV84)
10 Say among the nations, “The LORD reigns.”
The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity.
Galileo famously said
“the Bible teaches us how to go to
heaven, not how the heavens go”
Francis Bacon (1561 – 1626) considered the father of the modern
scientific method
Science held back for centuries by Christianity and the Church?
Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Brahe, Descartes,
Boyle, Newton, Leibniz, Gassendi, Pascal,
Mersenne, Cuvier, Harvey, Dalton, Faraday,
Herschel, Joule, Lyell, Lavoisier, Priestly, Kelvin,
Ohm, Ampere, Steno, Pasteur, Maxwell, Planck,
Mendel
Wrote commentaries
Priests,
Monk
Belgian monk called Gregor Mendel who was working on genetics
on pea plants that people discovered how evolutionary genetic
traits were inherited.
Georges Lemaitre, 1894 – 1966 Belgian astronomer who first proposed the big
bang theory was a priest all his life
Francis Bacon thought of the scientist as ‘the servant or
interpreter of nature.’ In discovering those laws of nature, he
must acknowledge God created those laws, and indeed a
better understanding of the universe brought about a better
understanding of the glory of God.
Kepler wrote “for a long time, I wanted to become a
theologian. Now, however, behold how through my effort God
is being celebrated through astronomy.
Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Herbst (1743 – 1807) German pastor who
collected and named thousands of crabs from around the world
Carl Linnaeus (1707 – 1778),was a Swedish botanist, physician,
and zoologist, laid the foundations of biological naming. A large
number of the well-known plants and animals around us were named
by Linnaeus, including humans (Homo sapiens), the flower crab
(Portunus pelagicus).
O Jehova
Quam ampla sunt Tua Opera!
Quam sapienter Ea fecisti!
Quam plena est Terra possessione Tua!
— Psalm 104: 24
24 How many are your works, O LORD!
In wisdom you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
Magnus est Deus noster,
Et magna est potentia Ejus,
Et potentiae Ejus non est numerus.
Great is our God,
And great is His power;
And His power is infinite.
Francis Collins is an American physician-geneticist noted for his discoveries of
disease genes and his leadership of the Human Genome Project. He is director of
the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland.
Luke 1:1–4 (NIV84)
1 Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things
that have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as they were handed
down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses
and servants of the word. 3 Therefore, since I myself have
carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it
seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you,
most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the
certainty of the things you have been taught.
John 20:30–31 (NIV84)
30 Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the
presence of his disciples, which are not
31
recorded in this book. But these are written
that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ,
the Son of God, and that by believing you may
have life in his name.
1 Corinthians 15:1–8 (NIV84)
15 Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to
you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By
this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to
you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that
Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was
buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he
appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time,
most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then
he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he
appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
Reflection Question: Are science and
God enemies in the search for truth?
Application Question: How does science
help me in my worship and praise of
God?