Chatting about… Can’t we all just get along? Science and the Savior.

In a previous post I went through my thoughts on why Christians should not be so flippant about Climate Change/ Damage to the earth. Long story short, “the Earth is the Lord’s”. We’re subletting so don’t trash the house. If God wants to throw it into a pit in the universe, that’s his call. Not ours.

But I often wonder about the scientific community as well. There seems to be a genuine hatred for the concept of humans not being the top of the mental food chain. Of course there’s nothing out there that can design better than us! That’s goofy to me.

My freshman year of undergrad, the professor spent an entire hour telling us how stupid Creationism is. Since I come from a family of ministers with doctorates in theology, a mother who graduated Ivy League and am pretty smart myself, I knew that to be untrue. The smartest people I knew were folks with a deep abiding faith in God. I wasn’t that motivated. I bailed and failed. (Had to take it over with the same guy too.)

Just now I was listening to a gentleman explain how stupid intelligent design is on YouTube. The crux of his argument is that the universe is hostile for any and all life except for us. Okay, there’s no way I believe that and here is why. Our understanding of life, breathing, mating, all of these things are limited to what we know WE need to be supported. Or that which is needed for life on EARTH to be supported. But what if “life” has a meaning expanded beyond what we can even measure with our limited brains?

I am open to the possibility of intelligent creatures out there who are over and beyond our mental and physical capacities. This is why I’m open to the idea of God.

Having said that I ABSOLUTELY CANNOT ABIDE (and I mean to shout) with the idea of theocracy or state-sponsored religion. As such, I don’t think “Intelligent Design” should be taught in any measure in schools which are not private. Ever. Religion as taught outside of the home and church in America has given us everything from home-grown terrorists to the Klan. People with different faiths need to be able to know about mine through their own desires and the kindness of people who witness to them in love. Not via a mandate.

Mandated faith in America said it was okay to daily beat, rape, and subjugate people based upon their race. Mandated faith in America said it was okay to conduct genocide of the Native Americans, often at the hands of missionaries who claimed to represent Christ. Mandated faith gave us the burnings of women at the hands of hysterical and mean-girl teens. I don’t want my faith to come from the Government. I want it from the Source.  And I want the God who has given all of us free will to be represented as an informed choice.

I think it speaks volumes for Christ that when presented with all of the scientific wonders of the universe, I stand firm in belief in God’s wonder even more. No, I don’t believe the universe was created in seven of our 24 hour days. (What is God’s concept of time? And if there was no sun, how was a day 24 hours when the sun was created…if it’s measured by the sun?)

No, I don ‘t believe Adam was walking around with dinosaurs. The Bible says that in terms of life on Earth, first came the sea creatures. Doesn’t science say this as well? Then the birds. Then creatures of the land. Then mankind. Isn’t this what science says as well? I really don’t see the problem here. Not knowing what God considers a day, it makes perfect sense that dinosaurs are on earth loooooooooooooooooong before mankind ever stepped foot on it.

 For Christians, there has to be an ability to stand in faith and stand in evidence. It is why Jesus used parables. He wasn’t speaking in concepts that the average person had never heard of. He made his case in both the natural and spiritual world. Those that chose to believe him did so of their own accord.

Christians shouldn’t embrace anti-intellectualism. To do so is an insult to the very brain that our Creator gave us. Stand firm in the Word, and learn things about science. And prepare to be even more amazed.

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15