[i]Is belief in God and the Bible incompatible with science?

• Claims that science and religion are incompatible, or that the Bible is full of superstition, stem from misunderstandings about the nature of both science and faith.
• From a Christian perspective, there is no inherent conflict between science and faith; rather, true science points toward God, and the Bible illuminates scientific truths rather than contradicting them.
• Christianity is fundamentally built on the Bible, which serves as the primary source of Christian faith, not as a separate or contradictory entity.
• The Bible is God’s revelation to His people, and Christ is the Word made flesh.
• John 1:14 (NIV): “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
• There is no contradiction between Christ’s teachings and the Bible, as all Christian doctrines derive from Scripture and the interpretations of the Church Fathers.
• Misunderstandings arise when the Bible is read outside its Christian context, interpreted subjectively, or when symbolic or Old Testament passages are misapplied.
• The Bible is not a mere informational text but a living guide, understood through the Holy Spirit, prayer, the Church Fathers’ interpretations, and sacramental life.
• Christianity and the Bible cannot contradict each other, as they originate from the same divine source, with true Christianity interpreting Scripture under the Holy Spirit’s guidance and apostolic authority.

[ii]God is the creator of nature and science studies nature

• The Bible opens with a foundational declaration of God’s creative act.
• Genesis 1:1 (NIV): “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
• As the Creator of all physical reality atoms, stars, cells, and natural laws God is the source of everything science investigates.
• Studying nature through science is, in essence, exploring God’s handiwork, revealing the order, precision, and beauty of His creation.
• Far from opposing God’s existence, science unveils the complexity and harmony of the universe, pointing to a purposeful intelligent design.
• Many eminent scientists throughout history were devout believers, seeing God’s signature in nature:
• Isaac Newton, discoverer of gravitational laws, wrote extensively on theology, viewing his scientific work as exploring God’s creation.
• Louis Pasteur, founder of bacteriology, held strong Christian faith, seeing no conflict between science and belief.
• Johannes Kepler, astronomer, described his work as “thinking God’s thoughts after Him.”
• James Clerk Maxwell, a pioneer in electromagnetism, was a committed Christian.
• [iii]Francis Collins, leader of the Human Genome Project, is a Christian who sees science as revealing God’s design.
• Major European universities, such as Oxford and Paris, were founded under Christian auspices, demonstrating that faith historically fostered intellectual inquiry and scientific advancement.

Science answers the “how” and the Bible answers the “why”

• Science excels at explaining mechanisms: how planets orbit, cells divide, or light travels, providing empirical insights into natural processes.
• However, science cannot address existential questions: Why does the universe exist? What is life’s purpose? Why do natural laws exist? Is there meaning to my existence?
• These questions of meaning and purpose lie within the realm of faith, which complements rather than contradicts science.
• Humans require both reason (science) and heart/soul (faith) to fully engage with reality.
• Matthew 22:37 (NIV): “Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’”
• This verse illustrates that faith and reason are harmonious, with God creating the mind for truth-seeking and reflection, integrating both science and spirituality.

 The Bible does not contradict science

• The Bible is not a scientific textbook but uses symbolic and literary language accessible across cultures and eras, conveying theological truths rather than technical details.
• When addressing cosmic or natural truths, the Bible aligns with scientific understanding, encouraging wisdom and knowledge.
• 1 Kings 4:33 (NIV): “He spoke about plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also spoke about animals and birds, reptiles and fish.”
• Solomon’s God-given wisdom included natural knowledge, reflecting respect for empirical study.

The Bible promotes critical examination.

• 1 Thessalonians 5:21 (NIV): “But test them all; hold on to what is good.”
• 2 Timothy 3:16 (NIV): “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”
• John 5:39 (NIV): “You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me.”
• Matthew 24:35 (NIV): “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”
• These verses affirm Scripture’s divine inspiration and enduring truth, encouraging believers to engage with it thoughtfully, not blindly.

Science is limited, but faith reveals the deeper things

• Science is constrained to measurable phenomena, unable to quantify non-material realities like love, conscience, soul, or morality, yet it does not deny their existence.
• Similarly, science cannot prove or disprove God, who transcends matter and time, existing beyond empirical boundaries.
• Faith complements science by addressing questions of identity, purpose, and destiny, offering divine revelation where science is silent.
• The Bible provides answers to mysteries like the origin of life, the existence of universal laws, and the nature of good and evil, grounding them in God’s purpose.

The Bible encourages reflection and examination

• The Bible does not demand intellectual suppression but invites critical thought and reflection.
• 1 Thessalonians 5:21 (NIV): “But test them all; hold on to what is good.”
• Matthew 22:37 (NIV): “Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’”
• God created the mind for use in seeking truth, as evidenced by Christianity’s historical support for education, producing scientists, philosophers, and theologians.
• Authentic Christianity, rooted in the Gospel, counters superstition and atheism, fostering scientific inquiry by liberating the mind to explore God’s creation.

[iv]Examples of scientific facts in the Bible (Old Testament)

• First: Job 26:7 (NIV): “He spreads out the northern skies over empty space; he suspends the earth over nothing.”
• This describes the earth’s suspension in space, consistent with gravitational principles, a fact not widely recognized until modern astronomy.
• Second: Ecclesiastes 1:7 (NIV): “All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again.”
• This accurately depicts the hydrological cycle (evaporation, condensation, precipitation, runoff), a process later formalized by science.
• Third: Leviticus 17:11 (NIV): “For the life of a creature is in the blood.”
• This aligns with modern biology, recognizing blood’s role in carrying oxygen and nutrients essential for life.
• Fourth: Job 28:25 (NIV): “When he established the force of the wind and measured out the waters.”
• This suggests the wind’s measurable properties, akin to atmospheric pressure, a scientific concept.
• Fifth: Jeremiah 33:22 (NIV): “I will make the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me as countless as the stars of the sky.”
• This reflects the vast number of stars, confirmed by modern astronomy’s estimate of trillions.
• Sixth: Isaiah 40:22 (NIV): “He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth.”
• The term “circle” suggests a spherical earth, contrasting with ancient flat-earth beliefs.
• Seventh: Leviticus 13–14 outlines quarantine practices for infectious diseases, principles not widely adopted until the Middle Ages.
• Eighth: Ecclesiastes 1:6 (NIV): “The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course.”
• This describes atmospheric circulation patterns, consistent with modern meteorology.

 Examples of scientific facts in the New Testament

• First: John 3:8 (NIV): “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going.”
• This reflects the invisible, dynamic nature of air movement, now studied through meteorological science.
• Second: 1 Corinthians 15:41 (NIV): “The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.”
• This acknowledges stellar diversity in size, color, and temperature, confirmed by astrophysics.
• Third: Hebrews 11:3 (NIV): “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.”
• This aligns with the concept of fine-tuning, where the universe’s precise constants suggest a purposeful design, a topic of modern cosmology.
• Fourth: 1 Corinthians 15:39 (NIV): “Not all flesh is the same: People have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another.”
• This reflects biological taxonomy, categorizing organisms by distinct characteristics.
• Fifth: John 12:24 (NIV): “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”
• This describes seed germination and reproduction, akin to cellular processes in botany.
• Sixth: Matthew 1:18 (NIV): “This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.”
• This references pregnancy’s early, invisible stages, consistent with embryology.
• Seventh: Hebrews 1:3 (NIV): “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.”
• This suggests forces like gravity sustaining the universe, a concept central to physics.

Major Scientific Objections and Responses

First: Creation in six days

• The Hebrew word yom in Genesis can refer to an indefinite period, not necessarily a 24-hour day. This allows for interpretations of creation spanning vast timescales. At the same time, God is fully able to create everything in a single yom (day), or even in one second of our time, making it appear as though it is millions of years old.
• The Bible focuses on who created (God), not how or when, accommodating divine creation without temporal constraints, compatible with scientific models like the Big Bang.

Second: Human evolution

• Genesis 2:7 (NIV): “Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.”
• This affirms humanity’s creation in God’s image, emphasizing divine intent. Scientifically, gaps in evolutionary theory, noted by figures like Stephen Jay Gould, highlight uncertainties in transitional forms, leaving room for theological perspectives.

Third: The Flood

• Flood narratives appear in various ancient cultures (e.g., Babylonian, Chinese), and geological evidence suggests disastrous floods, supporting the plausibility of a historical basis.
• As a miraculous event, the global flood transcends scientific measurement but aligns with divine intervention.

Fourth: Joshua’s sun

• Joshua 10:13 (NIV): “The sun stopped in the sky and delayed going down about a full day.”
• Described from an observer’s perspective, akin to saying “the sun rises,” this reflects phenomenological language, not a scientific claim, with the miracle being supernatural.

Fifth: Dirt and life

• Genesis’ depiction of humans from “dust” aligns with science, as human chemical elements (carbon, calcium) derive from earth’s materials, animated by God’s breath of life.

Sixth: Dinosaurs

• The word Dinosaurs coined in English in 1842 by palaeontologist Sir Richard Owen
• References to creatures like “Behemoth” (Job 40:15, NIV: “Look at Behemoth, which I made along with you”) or “dragon” (Isaiah) may allude to extinct species, and the Bible’s silence on specific names does not negate their existence.

Seventh: Medicine and faith

The Bible endorses medical care.

• Sirach 38:1 : “Honor the physician with the honour due him, according to your need of him, for the Lord created him.”
• 1 Timothy 5:23 (NIV): “Stop drinking only water and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.”
• Luke 5:31 (NIV): “Jesus answered them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.’”

Eighth: Superstitions

• Miracles like parting the Red Sea or raising the dead are divine acts, not superstitions, as they reflect God’s purposeful intervention beyond natural laws.

 Conclusion

• Belief in God and the Bible does not oppose science but provides its foundation, giving purpose and meaning to scientific inquiry.
• The Bible does not contradict science but transcends it, addressing both material and spiritual truths.
• As the source of all truth, God’s revelation in Scripture aligns with discoveries in His creation, ensuring harmony between faith and reason.
• Psalm 19:1 (NIV): “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.”
• This encapsulates the unity of science and faith, where creation’s study glorifies its Creator.

[i] https://www.smp.org/dynamicmedia/files/0fc7c6c69098d63ef4669b1380861829/Science-vs-Religion.pdf?srsltid=AfmBOoo8-QL9TOAUQMWazbPkAST1zwRjeFG93zA1bZvVCwSt_wrqiZ93

[ii] Signposts to God: How Modern Physics and Astronomy Point the Way to Belief by Peter Bussey

[iii] The Language of Science and Faith: Straight Answers to Genuine Questions by Francis S. Collins and Karl W. Giberson

[iv] https://livingwaters.com/scientific-facts-in-the-bible/