|
|
|
The Unobservable Christian Faith and Scientific Inquiry in the Intelligent Design Debate Weston Powell Over the past few years the intelligent design debate has moved away from a scientific, or even intellectual debate. Evolutionists cry that religion is perverting the sanctity of science, and Christians, the primary supporters of intelligent design, cry that the atheists are persecuting them for their beliefs. Christians claim that some supporters of evolution teach students that God has no place in world history, and no place in the creation of man. However, Christianity and evolution theory are not mutually exclusive; nor is evolution the ultimate truth. As a Christian, intellectual observer of the debate, I am disheartened by the dogmatism that pervades both sides of the issue without allowing for discussion or innovation. While faith in Christianity does not prohibit belief in the theory of evolution, belief in evolution does not prohibit faith in Christianity. I went to public school in the wonderfully liberal town of Davis, California. Most of my classmates knew that the Bible existed, but would have had a hard time identifying who Jesus is. While I had Christian teachers, even science teachers who were Christian, I learned the theory of long-term evolution as the explanation for life on planet earth. (Evolution in the form of adaptation has been observed; long-term evolution theory says that evolution guided the creation of all organisms from the first organic molecule. In this article I refer to long-term evolution theory simply as evolution). I went to Sunday school and learned that God created all the animals and me. My understanding of evolution did not hinder the development of my faith, nor did my faith hinder my intellectual progress. Instead my scientific understanding forced me to question my faith, to test its reliability, and to learn more about Christianity. The intersection of faith and science, or in the realm of scientific inquiry the unobservable and the observable, should result in a deeper exploration of both. A theory is never proven, nor is faith. Instead, critical thinking is necessary for both to be made more certain. Too often Christians begin to treat intelligent design as truth, and give it more worth than it deserves. Intelligent design is still a theory, as evolution is a theory, and cannot be proved, nor disproved. No falsifiable experiment (an experiment that could possibly prove false a statement) exists that can disprove the existence of an intelligent designer. Similarly, no falsifiable experiment exists to disprove that evolution accounts for all the life on earth. Intelligent design theory is not proof that God exists, but some Christians adhere to intelligent design as a rational way to explain that God exists. The Bible does not claim that there is a scientific experiment for the existence of God, nor is intelligent design theory part of God’s revelation to humans. Instead, some Christians treat intelligent design in the same way they do beliefs about Jesus Christ himself, as a central point of faith and necessary for Christian faith. Intelligent design is not central to faith, and evolution is not incompatible with Christian faith. God is still sovereign in a world that he created and established to be governed by natural selection. Christians should approach the intelligent design debate ready to evaluate the theories, design experiments to test the validity of the theory, examine the evidence with an open mind, and think critically about the issues. In the end they should be prepared to explain their faith, and explain their stance in a debate. Too often evolutionists treat evolution theory as a proven fact, or as an irrefutable theory. Most scientists would agree that evolution theory is not complete, but that the current theory has not been refuted. However, when scientists refuse to question a theory they are hindering intellectual curiosity and exploration. In seeking new experiments, and developing new ways to observe the world, scientists deepen understanding. Great scientists go beyond new experiment in order to question theory, and thereby create new theory and ways of thinking. Scientists should acknowledge the limits of information provided by experiments. The scientific method arose because 2,400 years ago Aristotle questioned his teacher’s theory and created a means to understand the world from the basis of observation; likewise we should always question accepted theory and explanation in order to stir curiosity and thereby scientific exploration. The debate over intelligent design is part of an ongoing rational struggle between the observable and the unobservable, the testable and untestable. Today the debate centers on the creation of life and the planet earth. Next year perhaps the debate will shift to the origin of thought, or whether thoughts and minds are the product of only chemical processes, or if a thought is more than a connection between nerves. 2,500 years ago Plato wrote his dialogue about our observable world simply being shadows of the world of Forms. In turn his student Aristotle created the foundation for the scientific method when he argued that only what is observed exists, that there is no world of Forms. Their debate over how to understand the world resonates with the current intelligent design debate. Is there more than what can be observed, or is what can be observed all that exists? A Christian should respond to the debate by exploring how scientific observation and faith intersect. The intellectual exercise of scientific inquiry and questioning theories enhances our critical thinking ability, and grounds us in the observable. A Christian should not let faith depart to the realm of the fanciful, but instead should allow critical thinking to strengthen and deepen faith. Similarly, evolutionists should not let theory become truth, but instead should allow critical thinking to create theory and new knowledge. The specific debate over intelligent design is simply the focus of a larger issue for Christians: how critical thinking can deepen both scientific inquiry and religious faith. Weston Powell is a senior in the Classics Department from Davis, California. He is the President of Princeton Evangelical Fellowship (the views herein are his own). |
|
Or comment via email. |
|
|