Chaos and Creation In The Back Yard

Science and religion, we are told, should not and/or can not mix. We are told that science is based on hard facts and evidence which can be seen and observed, and that religion deals with the mythical, the improvable, and personal conviction. However, Christianity shows how without one, the other simply cannot exist!

One of the difficulties the Church has had with science through much of its existence is how to advance science while advancing its worship of God at the same time. How do we tell if a scientific pursuit is self-serving or glorifying? If it is a Pandora’s Box or an expression of worship? How far is too far? Is there even a “too far” in the first place?

In order to answer these questions, we must necessarily understand what science is. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” This simple truth is where science begins and ends. All matter in the universe has its origin in God and is ultimately controlled by Him. Once this is understood, it seems logical to conclude that science, as the study of created matter and the universe composed of it, is meant to better our understanding of God the Creator, to find new ways to glorify God, and to advance ourselves in His name.

It is our understanding of the origin or “nature” of things that shapes our science. The Christian understanding of the nature of things points to God and a higher calling for mankind, but what happens when God is removed from the understanding of the nature of things? Lucretius, a Roman poet and philosopher who lived only decades before Christ, described the universe in his work, On the Nature of Things, as simply a  collection of atoms and void that came from Chaos. If an understanding of an origin of Perfection calls us towards perfection, what does this mean for an understanding of an origin of Chaos? Before this question is answered, one must understand a basic truth about science.

Now when it comes down to it, science and technology are really amoral; that is to say that they are not good and they are not evil, because they have no animos, or soul. Therefore, it is somewhat silly to call a scientific pursuit or discovery or piece of technology or even science and technology in itself evil. Far too often, many Christians reject the “evils” of science or television or mechanisation, when these things are not even conscious of what is going on in and around them! A television can be used to view pornography or to reach a lost soul who would not hear the Gospel otherwise. A car can transport someone being kidnapped for evil purposes or can take someone to church. Science can be used to exploit the world around us for selfish gain or to glorify God.

Take a look around our modern society, and it becomes quite apparent that science/technology and chaos go hand-in-hand all too often. Television strays from its roots, and becomes a portal for smut and all manner of things which rot the mind. The internet is used not as a revolutionary tool of education and learning, but as a jumbled torrent of  “sight, sound, and fury signifying nothing.” Perhaps, however, the changes in our culture are not the result of the development of science and technology. Perhaps the changes in science and technology are the result of a change in our culture’s understanding of the nature of things.

Christianity should realise that science and technology does only that which we as a culture and as individuals tell it to do. Can it get out of hand? Certainly. However it will only get out of hand when we attempt to go beyond the limitations of science. These limitations are actually quite simple and can mostly be drawn from scripture’s guidelines of morality. If something ‘right’ is done for the wrong reason or with selfish intent, it is wrong. If something wrong is done with intent to justify it with the end result, it is wrong. If it blasphemes the Creator or his creation, it is wrong. These simple limitations are the basic ways of determining good or bad both in science and as we walk through life.

Science and religions can indeed work together and compliment each other. They certainly do not have to oppose or contradict each other. The reason so many Christians fear science and technology is because of they are afraid science, if advanced far enough, may prove their faith wrong. They do not realise that this itself undermines their faith and shows its weakness. In truth, science and religion are merely two languages uniquely telling the same epic story.