Thoughts while Traveling
3.22.2005
Jesus vs. the Dinosaurs- No Holds Barred!
Instead of sleeping through today's chapel, which has become my custom, I was wide awake- or, I should say, I was kept wide awake by today's speaker. His name is Michael Guillen and for years he has worked with ABC News as a science correspondent. Having just retired from science journalism, he released a book last September that I just heard about today and plan on buying as soon as I can.
"Can a Smart Person Believe In God?"
I've wanted to share everything he talked about since we got out of chapel but I'm still processing it all. Here were some high points:
According to a recent Harris poll, that which Americans hold in highest esteem is/are science and scientists at 60-something percent. Religion and religious leaders were a far second at 30-something percent. However, the same pollsters' findings on who is your greatest hero- Jesus Christ, with an overwhelming majority. Conclusion: the problem lies not in the message, but the messengers.
He encouraged us as Christians not to fight science tooth and nail as if the very existence of our faith depended on it. God found him through science. "The heavens declare the Glory of God."
The whole thing reminded me of a conversation I had with someone who felt that a person couldn't believe in both Jesus and the existence of dinosaurs. While this thread of logic is sketchy at best, the deal is- people think this way. It is indicative of a larger attitude that scriptural teaching and scientific exploration are mutually exclusive. One is out to get the other and both sides view the other as infantile. As Christians, we are viewed as dolts clinging to archaic relics and bedtime stories. And why? Probably because when we the church are presented with an idea or situation that is new, the primary action has always been to shun it as unclean- not to delve into it with the Grace and Wisdom of God to see what's really going on.
And scientists are often viewed as atheistic bullies trying to pop our shiny balloons. (I say pop away- cause if it pops, then it was empty, and it wasn't God)
The church resents them for looking at the world while bent on leaving our Father out of the equation. And that is more or less what they are doing. Do you know why they leave God out of the equation? Guillen, as a scientist, says, and I quote, "arrogance."
Funny, isn't that what we're all guilty of when we decide to look at our world and leave God out?
Methinks it is.
"Can a Smart Person Believe In God?"
I've wanted to share everything he talked about since we got out of chapel but I'm still processing it all. Here were some high points:
According to a recent Harris poll, that which Americans hold in highest esteem is/are science and scientists at 60-something percent. Religion and religious leaders were a far second at 30-something percent. However, the same pollsters' findings on who is your greatest hero- Jesus Christ, with an overwhelming majority. Conclusion: the problem lies not in the message, but the messengers.
He encouraged us as Christians not to fight science tooth and nail as if the very existence of our faith depended on it. God found him through science. "The heavens declare the Glory of God."
The whole thing reminded me of a conversation I had with someone who felt that a person couldn't believe in both Jesus and the existence of dinosaurs. While this thread of logic is sketchy at best, the deal is- people think this way. It is indicative of a larger attitude that scriptural teaching and scientific exploration are mutually exclusive. One is out to get the other and both sides view the other as infantile. As Christians, we are viewed as dolts clinging to archaic relics and bedtime stories. And why? Probably because when we the church are presented with an idea or situation that is new, the primary action has always been to shun it as unclean- not to delve into it with the Grace and Wisdom of God to see what's really going on.
And scientists are often viewed as atheistic bullies trying to pop our shiny balloons. (I say pop away- cause if it pops, then it was empty, and it wasn't God)
The church resents them for looking at the world while bent on leaving our Father out of the equation. And that is more or less what they are doing. Do you know why they leave God out of the equation? Guillen, as a scientist, says, and I quote, "arrogance."
Funny, isn't that what we're all guilty of when we decide to look at our world and leave God out?
Methinks it is.
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love the new look of the blog
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