Things I wish President Obama Knew
(The American Revolution Redux)
This is the first in a series of articles examining science, religion, and their place in the American milieu.
The Rise of Science
Juan’s eyes were squeezed shut and his head was bowed just as he remembered his mommy and daddy had taught him. There was a lot at stake here, after all. The teacher had just asked his entire class to pray for ice cream. Now this was something worth praying for! He repeatedly asked for every flavor he could think of, but he would be happy even just to taste a simple scoop of vanilla. After what seemed to be forever, he began to sneak a peek at his fellow classmates. Where was the ice cream? Slowly everyone began to raise their heads and stare at the teacher questioningly.
After an interminable period of agonizing silence, the teacher finally spoke, “So, children, did God answer your request for ice cream?”
“No!” they all shouted.
The teacher appeared sad and said, “Well, let’s try again. Only this time, let’s pray to our great leader, Fidel, for ice cream.”
Juan bowed his head again and prayed fervently. Just moments after he bowed his head, the classroom door burst open and teachers brought in buckets of ice cream, enough for everyone in the class. Once again, Fidel had taken care of his people while God, if he existed, sat idly by. Even a kindergartener could figure out this lesson.
The simplicity of the scientific method belies its power to radically transform a society: questions leading to more and better questions, a question factory. The natural sciences have gained a role in transforming society far beyond even religion’s reach—continuously testing everything, pushing back boundaries, deflating myths and replacing them with newfound understanding. It seems, to many, that there is nothing that will not eventually yield to explanation by the lords of science.
The cold rationalization of science may remove many mysteries that have lingered over the ages, but for every mystery revealed, dozens of new mysteries emerge. Quantum mechanics explain the ultraviolet catastrophe, but give us the unnerving duality of the electron simultaneously existing as both a wave and a particle in exchange. Einstein tells us that the maximum speed of all things is capped by the speed of light through a vacuum, and yet, experiments show particles at great distances seem to have instantaneous communication.
When the current theories explaining the world come in conflict with the latest experiments, it is the theories that need to be refined. In the world of science the experiment is king. How can traditional religions, with their reliance on stodgy, immutable principles keep up in a world where everything we know could change overnight if someone could just design the correct experiment? Or, worse yet, a world where sitting under a tree and being hit on the head with an apple could turn everything we thought we knew for centuries upside down?
For all of the good things that have come from the proper application of science to life’s condition, there are times when agenda-driven people have corrupted the scientific process towards their own ends. Little Juan can’t figure out that the teacher is purposefully manipulating the ice cream experiment, but any competent adult would easily see right through this scenario. In fact, if they were strong believers, they might even come to the conclusion that God used Fidel to get them the ice cream! Of course, these days, there are many who think the idea of a competent adult who is a strong believer is an oxymoron.
We all know the statistics. In Europe, less than 11% attend church regularly. Just as the Greek and Roman gods fell to the Judeo-Christian’s one true God, this same God seems to be losing the public relations battle with the new gods of science. It was inevitable that the same process that was revolutionizing the world of the physical sciences would be applied in other fields where its application and interpretation is much more difficult.
Some questions are obvious. Are there any internal inconsistencies in the recorded history of the Christian Bible? In fact, there is a large volume, known as the Encyclopedia of Biblical Difficulties, dedicated to this study. The second, slightly less obvious question is: Are there any inconsistencies with the written records, or oral traditions, of the surrounding contemporary cultures during biblical times? Again, men of faith have been studying this for centuries, and yet, Christianity grew during this period and began spreading across the entire globe. The same two questions can be applied to any other religion, organized or otherwise. Some will survive this test; some will falter under the steady gaze of examination.
So what has led to the rapid decline in all religious faiths over the past 60 years? For many, it is the belief that Science will eventually explain the origin of man, and that that explanation will not depend on a creator. If so many other of life’s myths have been busted, why not one more?
John H. Hall, Ph.D.
This is the first in a series of articles examining science, religion, and their place in the American milieu.
The Rise of Science
Juan’s eyes were squeezed shut and his head was bowed just as he remembered his mommy and daddy had taught him. There was a lot at stake here, after all. The teacher had just asked his entire class to pray for ice cream. Now this was something worth praying for! He repeatedly asked for every flavor he could think of, but he would be happy even just to taste a simple scoop of vanilla. After what seemed to be forever, he began to sneak a peek at his fellow classmates. Where was the ice cream? Slowly everyone began to raise their heads and stare at the teacher questioningly.
After an interminable period of agonizing silence, the teacher finally spoke, “So, children, did God answer your request for ice cream?”
“No!” they all shouted.
The teacher appeared sad and said, “Well, let’s try again. Only this time, let’s pray to our great leader, Fidel, for ice cream.”
Juan bowed his head again and prayed fervently. Just moments after he bowed his head, the classroom door burst open and teachers brought in buckets of ice cream, enough for everyone in the class. Once again, Fidel had taken care of his people while God, if he existed, sat idly by. Even a kindergartener could figure out this lesson.
The simplicity of the scientific method belies its power to radically transform a society: questions leading to more and better questions, a question factory. The natural sciences have gained a role in transforming society far beyond even religion’s reach—continuously testing everything, pushing back boundaries, deflating myths and replacing them with newfound understanding. It seems, to many, that there is nothing that will not eventually yield to explanation by the lords of science.
The cold rationalization of science may remove many mysteries that have lingered over the ages, but for every mystery revealed, dozens of new mysteries emerge. Quantum mechanics explain the ultraviolet catastrophe, but give us the unnerving duality of the electron simultaneously existing as both a wave and a particle in exchange. Einstein tells us that the maximum speed of all things is capped by the speed of light through a vacuum, and yet, experiments show particles at great distances seem to have instantaneous communication.
When the current theories explaining the world come in conflict with the latest experiments, it is the theories that need to be refined. In the world of science the experiment is king. How can traditional religions, with their reliance on stodgy, immutable principles keep up in a world where everything we know could change overnight if someone could just design the correct experiment? Or, worse yet, a world where sitting under a tree and being hit on the head with an apple could turn everything we thought we knew for centuries upside down?
For all of the good things that have come from the proper application of science to life’s condition, there are times when agenda-driven people have corrupted the scientific process towards their own ends. Little Juan can’t figure out that the teacher is purposefully manipulating the ice cream experiment, but any competent adult would easily see right through this scenario. In fact, if they were strong believers, they might even come to the conclusion that God used Fidel to get them the ice cream! Of course, these days, there are many who think the idea of a competent adult who is a strong believer is an oxymoron.
We all know the statistics. In Europe, less than 11% attend church regularly. Just as the Greek and Roman gods fell to the Judeo-Christian’s one true God, this same God seems to be losing the public relations battle with the new gods of science. It was inevitable that the same process that was revolutionizing the world of the physical sciences would be applied in other fields where its application and interpretation is much more difficult.
Some questions are obvious. Are there any internal inconsistencies in the recorded history of the Christian Bible? In fact, there is a large volume, known as the Encyclopedia of Biblical Difficulties, dedicated to this study. The second, slightly less obvious question is: Are there any inconsistencies with the written records, or oral traditions, of the surrounding contemporary cultures during biblical times? Again, men of faith have been studying this for centuries, and yet, Christianity grew during this period and began spreading across the entire globe. The same two questions can be applied to any other religion, organized or otherwise. Some will survive this test; some will falter under the steady gaze of examination.
So what has led to the rapid decline in all religious faiths over the past 60 years? For many, it is the belief that Science will eventually explain the origin of man, and that that explanation will not depend on a creator. If so many other of life’s myths have been busted, why not one more?
John H. Hall, Ph.D.