Catholicism and Science

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: I have long advocated on this blog that Catholics should remain current on the cutting edge of scientific discovery. Why? Well, because I have discovered in my own personal life that a good understanding of the latest scientific theories, discoveries and laws not only helps me understand the universe better, but it also helps me understand the Catholic faith better. More importantly, it puts modern science into perspective.

You see, much of the science that atheists rely on to 'prove' their theories of godlessness is actually very old science. In fact, the science typically taught to high school students is actually over one-hundred years old. Unless you study science in college, and by that I mean such things as astrophysics or quantum mechanics, chances are, you probably don't have much more than a high school understanding of scientific theories. That understanding is certainly enough to get you through modern life, but it's not enough to really and truly understand the world around us. It is this lack of understanding that atheists rely on, to attack our religious faith.

Keeping in mind that the science atheist rely on is the same science taught to high school students is important, because that science is old and outdated. In fact, it's obsolete. Real scientists today consist of many different faiths and religions, and yes, some of them are atheists, but the latest theories and information they discover today are so fascinating, so compelling, that questioning another man's faith almost seems superfluous. Everyone's understanding of the universe is challenged -- even the atheist's. What we discover is that the universe is so incredibly 'different' than what we previously thought, and commonly experience, that it's really no man's placed to call into question the existence of God.

Every time I learn something new about the universe, my faith in God (and his Christ) is strengthened not questioned. Realising that none of this new understanding would be possible, without the existence of the scientific method, which was in actuality CREATED by the Catholic Church, again only reinforces my faith. The arguments of modern-day atheists often cause me to laugh, or at least chuckle a little, not just because of my faith, but because of my reason which is fuelled by the latest scientific discovery.

Some columnists have recently put forward the theory that modern Evangelicalism (at least as we know it) is dying, that its days are numbered, simply because it has embraced the Puritan idea that reason (science in particular) is the enemy of faith. Because of this, science is destined to crush the Evangelical model of Christian faith. In time, as our scientific understanding of the universe improves, those who embrace the Puritanical notion that faith and science are incompatible will eventually have to shelve either their faith or else their reason. Those who cling to faith will eventually be consigned to backwoods communities, living as the Amish, and shunning the modern scientific world (that is, until they need medical attention). While those who cling to reason will have to shelve their faith, embracing atheism or at the very least some form of agnosticism. Such a dichotomy is ridiculous and completely unnecessary. The Puritans were wrong about a great number of things, including their belief that faith and reason where incompatible. Is it any wonder their sect no longer exists? As for the Evangelicals, they had better learn to drop this notion and adapt quickly, or be consigned to the ash heap of failed ideas in the not-too-distant future. I've met some Catholics who cling to this Puritanical idea too. That is a huge mistake for them, at least on an individual or group level. The only redeeming thing about that is the Church itself does not embrace this view, which means the Church will soon leave them behind, along with those who still cling to the geocentric theory and a flat earth.

Catholics would do well to keep up on the latest scientific trends, and in doing so, I predict your faith will be enriched because of it. I don't say this because there is anything spiritually edifying in science -- there isn't -- but rather because Catholics who do this will begin to understand the fluid nature of scientific theories, particularly how they change and why. It isn't because scientists don't know anything. Actually they know quite a bit. They are, after all, very smart people. Rather, it's because they are like children still learning, and guess what? They will be the first to tell you that! While they understand much of how the universe works, they will tell you that for every answer they achieve, even more questions are proposed, making way for more discovery. The universe is much like this endless puzzle, and the more they put it together, the more they realise the puzzle is much larger than they ever previously expected. For example, imagine working on a puzzle, but you do not know how big it really is. There is no box to tell you. You simply reach into a hole in the floor and pull out a couple dozen pieces. You take some time to put that together, only to realise you just have a portion of a much bigger picture. So then you reach into the hole and pull out a few more dozen pieces. All the while your understanding of the picture is increasing, but as your understanding increases, you realize the picture is still much bigger. What started out as a hundred piece puzzle, has now turned into a thousand piece, and no sooner you put together a thousand pieces, you discover ten-thousand more pieces. This is how scientific discover is. Does it mean the scientists understand nothing? No quite the opposite actually. They understand much more than the common man, but when it comes to getting the big picture, they still have a very long way to go.

I want you to keep in mind that the scientific theories we use to send rockets into space and put men on the moon are based on theories developed over three-hundred years ago. Stop and think about this for a moment. The man who invented the science NASA now uses to send objects into orbit was Sir Isaac Newton. When he formulated these theories, the United States hadn't even been created yet. Men rode on horses' backs, sailed on the high seas with nothing more than the wind to propel them, and the sword, not the gun, was still the most reliable weapon ever devised. Yet from the theories this man developed (old and obsolete theories by today's standards) NASA has been able to send men to the moon, put a space station into orbit, and make multiple trips of unmanned vehicles to other worlds in our solar system. Granted, it took a few centuries for the engineering technology to reach a point where all this could happen, but we have Sir Isaac Newton to thank for all of it. The mathematical theorists of the 20th century have only begun to shape the world around us. Assuming we survive the secrets they've unlocked, and I suspect we probably will, there is no telling what kind of technology awaits us as a result of their contributions.

For years, understanding the latest scientific theories has been the job of geeks and nerds, for people who make it their career to understand these things. Of course, we should be nice to them, for in the course of just my lifetime, the geeks have inherited the earth (pun intended). Our whole modern life is owed to men such as these. Thankfully, some of these geeks have taken it upon themselves to explain their most recent discoveries in terms the rest of us can understand. They've produced documentaries that 'dumb it down' so to speak, for the rest of us to easily understand. In truth, I think this may be their greatest accomplishment, for in doing so, they open the eyes of the masses.

Modern atheists, militant secularists and moral relativists, depend on a public understanding of science that is old and antiquated -- essentially obsolete. By keeping people locked in the late 1800s scientific understanding of the universe, these people have been able to successfully crush the faith of millions. Today's elementary and high schools rarely ever teach anything beyond this level of scientific understanding. Yet by today's standards, these are just the basics. They are essentially no more than the ABC's of how the universe works.

Catholics who keep abreast on the latest science has to offer, even by just watching the layman's 'dumbed-down' version via documentaries, will quickly find themselves amused by the atheist's attempt to explain away God. The Catholic Church encourages the study of science, and in fact, the Catholic Church invented the study of science. So long as we always remember that science is not the study of truth, but rather the study of evidence, we will never get confused. The scientific method was never designed to teach us truth, it was designed to give us evidence. Truth is the stuff of philosophers not scientists, and any good scientist will tell you that. A scientific theory is nothing more than a certain explanation for the nature of things, until a better one comes along. The Catholic Church does not fear modern science, in fact, she invented it. Catholics should not fear it either, but rather embrace it, understanding that while evidence may come from science, truth comes from the Church, and it was the truth of the Church that gave us the process of discovering evidence, which is the scientific method.

Still we have the ignorant, who like to point to such historical examples as the Galileo affair to blemish the Church. I have answered those people soundly at this link HERE.

Today, I would like to encourage my readers to take an hour out of their busy schedule and watch this video HERE. It is a video documentary on the latest scientific understanding of the nature of the universe.  Then come back and leave your comments below...