Proving God: are science and faith in collision?
One of the biggest objections to religious faith today comes from scientists who argue that the universe has no need of God. But is that actually true?
A good percentage of scientists disagree that science and faith are incompatible. Many of them are religious believers themselves and experience no clash between the work they do in science and the prayers they pray in church.
In this series of short articles, Proving God, we introduce the issues surrounding science and faith, including areas which are passionately argued over by atheists, philosophers and religious thinkers.
The articles are in a sequence, so you might find it best to read them in order. But you’ll also find plenty to think about (and argue over!) by dipping into them at random.
What’s the issue? – Today’s new atheist writers try to use the findings of science to ‘disprove’ religion, but others (including some top scientists) say that faith and science don’t need to be in conflict.
What is science? – Knowing what science is and what are its limitations is vitally important in looking at how science and faith interact with each other.
How does science work? – Scientists do their work by making educated guesses and then testing them to see whether they match up to how things actually are in nature.
What is faith? – Faith is not just a religious thing. People use faith all the time, whether it’s trusting the chair they’re about to sit in won’t collapse, or whether it’s a scientist who believes the universe is rational.
How do we believe? – New atheists often accuse religious believers of having ‘blind faith’. But most believers, when asked, will give reasons for why they have faith, including experience, reason and even experiment.
What is proof? – How often are we 100 per cent convinced of something before we make a decision about it? We normally act by interpreting the best information we can find.
Evidence for God – Over the centuries, Christian thinkers have framed a number of arguments for God’s existence. Scientists talk in terms of ‘best explanations’. How do Christians infer that God exists?
Proving God is written by Nigel Bovey and was first published in The War Cry. It is used here with permission
Photo by grey-scaled
