My Stance On Faith and Science

I was raised in a loving Christian home. My parents would routinely take my siblings and I to church on Sundays, and we would sit as still and silent as young children can. For a long time I never questioned the teachings of my Sunday school classes. I was able to accept all the stories in the bible as fact without truly wondering whether or not it was true; all the adults accepted it, so why shouldn't I?

Insatiable Curiosity 

 

It wasn't until I started learning about dinosaurs in grade school that I really started to wonder  how science class and religion overlap. One question that buzzed in my head was, "Why weren't the dinosaurs mentioned in the bible"? Surely such huge creatures would have made life in the Garden of Eden a nightmare? I can't remember getting a memorable or convincing answer to this, despite asking several Sunday school teachers and a pastor. Looking back now, I can pinpoint this unanswered childhood question as the beginning of my search for a compromise between faith and science.

Photo source: http://jesuschristpooperstar.wordpress.com

As I grew up and started to question things, I was under the impression that belief in a higher power and acceptance of scientific facts could not co-exist. I was torn between what I believed to be true and what I knew to be true. I tried listening to both Creationists and Atheists, and ended up with a headache. I've come to realize this is because the people who voice their opinions the loudest are often the "extremists" on both sides of a debate, with no apparent room for a middle ground. Over time though and with some extensive searching I have seen that you CAN have a foot in both camps.

Finding A Compromise

A history class in ancient Mediterranean civilizations taught me the similarities of the bible to other stories and myths of the Mesopotamians (http://www.icr.org/article/noah-flood-gilgamesh/), as well as possible evidence for the existence of Jesus Christ. As a student in the field of life sciences I have been constantly exposed to Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, and I can firmly say that I believe evolution is a fact of life. I have also come to view the bible, not as a factual account of the history of the world, but as a book of parables aimed at explaining the nature of man and life on Earth.

Photo Source: spacecollective.org

After coming to these different conclusions I didn't know what to call myself. For a long time I found no apparent niche or label for scientific Christians who believed in evolution, the big bang, and a higher being. I then heard the words "Intelligent Design", and started identifying myself as a person who believed in such. But next week I will address the idea of Intelligent Design, and explain why I no longer associate myself with this way of thinking.