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Christianity and Science - Coggle Diagram

- - - - Siren Kierkegaard, was an early known existentialist-who saw faith as a matter of personal commitment, not related to scientific facts.
        
        German philosopher Paul Tillich has suggested that Christian thinkers such as Paul Tillich has suggested that Christian beliefs and symbols need to be understood in relation to existential questions concerning the meaning and purpose of life, if they are to be relevant to poeple’s life.
        
        This means that Christianity is concerned with existential questions rather than with scientific questions. This means that there is no conflict between religion and science.
- - - - Moreover under certian conditions light can appear as a wave or a particle-known as wave-particle-duality. This means that as atoms are made up of many different parts-matter is far from simple, and is composed of complex arrangements of nuclear forces, binding together particles, which themselves cannot always be distinguished an independent entities.
        
        Religious response
        
        Quantum physics shows that we have a degree of free willl
        
        Most Christians belive that in order to be morally responsible we must have some degree of libertarian free-will, from this Christians suggest that there is a niche for free will in the brain’s quantum process.
        
        The many worlds interpretation of quantum physics
        
        this theory argues that there are many possible states of a measured system, and that there is no way of telling which one exists, and which one does not. This means that there is a multi-verse and not just one universe. This stems from the “Wave-Particle-Duality”-
        
        God works in the world by influencing events at the quantum level
        
        Quantum Theory has been argued to take humans even further away from the idea of God. Danish Physicist Niels Boyer argued that uncertainty was built into nature, which means that wherever happens in the wolrd has a degree of certianity or even randomness. From, this English physicist and theologian John Polkinghorne argued god brings about order form disorder, and works at a Quantum level.
  - - - On this basis, the distance of a galaxy from Earth can be calculated by working out how fast it is moving away from Earth can be calculated by working out how fast it is moving away from, the speed of expansion it is possible to calculate the age of the universe.
        
        According to this theory the Universe started from a burst of expansion 13.8 billion years ago, in which space and time as we not it was created.
        
        Christian Respone
        
        The impact of Big-bang-Theory on Christianity has been mixed. For most Christians, the big-bang theory suggests that the universe had a beginning, which is how God created the universe.
        
        This view is endorsed by the Catholic Church, with the theory of an expanding universe being proposed by a Belgian physicist, and Roman Catholic priest Georges Lemaitre
  - - - Christian response
        
        The Challenge of neuroscience to religious belief is that neuro-science can claim to show all human Expereince, including religious ones, may be explained in terms of brain activity. This means that they are, in the broad sense, Natrual.
        
        by showing the workings of the living brain, has effectively closed off the largest of existing gaps in our scientific knowledge. And if Neuroscience succeeds in showing that the self is nothing but an illusion caused by the Brain’s activity, then this implies that there is no self who is morally responsible to God, no self who can have a personal relationship with God, and no self who can survive death.
        
        However from a religious perspective the self is a combination of mental and physical in one substance, and it is not possible to reduce the human mind to a simple physical description
  - - - The ideas Darwin presented for Natrual selection were
        
        Those who survive to adulthood are able to bread-so they pass on those characteristics to the next generation
        
        Through this mechanism over successive generations, characteristics which improve the chance of survival will be found in more individuals within the species
        
        Within any species there are some members whose particular characteristics help them to survive better then others
        
        over time-the characteristics of a species are gradually modified in favour of those that help the species to surive in its particular environment
        
        This idea of Natrual Selection which derived form Darwin’s observation of people breeding species with others to maximise certian traits, challenged the notion of purpose in creation
        
        Species wil flourish or decline depending upon how they adapt to their environment-not through the will of God.
        
        Christian Resposne
        
        Many Christian would argued that Natrual selection is a mechanism by which God works
        
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        Church of England’s response
        
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        variations of Creationism
        
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- - - - For many Christians in accordance with Natrual Moral law-they will seek to preserve innocent human life, and therefore using Medicne can held them achieve this goal, and should be allowed in the faith.
        
        Moreover the approach of Ultilitariansim which seeks to maximise pleasures and to minimise pain,could use either euthanasia, or using every form of technology to prolong life.
  - - - Modern medicine has the potential to cure many illnesses as well as prolonging life.
        
        However many argue that there is no case that should allow someone to die-such as is shown in Euthansia.
        
        Many argue that the money used for expensive treatment for one patient, should be used for simplier treatment that would benefit many more patients.
        
        American professor Joseph Fletcher argued that Christianity need to embrace new technologies where they can improve people’s lives and that this can mean abandoning rule-based ethics such as Natrual Moral Law, which he saw as a stumbling block to the ongoing development of Christian ethical thinking.
    - - The arguments for genetic modifications are presented again by Flectcher who argued that genetic modifications should be considered when it would improve human life.
        
        Without adapting our ethical thinking, Christian’s and atheists alike will have no answer to where science will take us
- - - - Examples
        
        It was commonly believed that God moved the planets in their orbits, whereas it is now known the planetary behaviour is governed by gravity
        
        God was believed to create animal species as we now see them, whereas science shows that all species have evolved from simplier organisms
        
        In Ancient times, phenomena such as lightning, hail and thunder were thought to be the result of supernatural beings/gods expressing their displeasure with humanity, whereas it is now known that these are common meteorological phenomena
    - - “Two explorers fined a clearing in the Jungle, in which they find a mixture of flowers and weeds. One explorer sees the clearing as a garden and therefore argues that there is a gardener who comes to tend to the garden.
        
        However the other disagrees, they wait, but no gardener appears, so they set up various checks to see if there is an invisible gardener. Although they find no evidence of a gardener, the first explorer still believes there is one
        
        But the second argues that there is no difference between a gardener who cannot be detected and no gardener at all.”
        
        The point of the parable is to show that belief in God is completely unscientific because despite all the scientific,empirical tests set up to discover the existence of the gardener. No test reveal him. The First explorer, who stand for a religious believer still maintains his belief in the existence of the gardener. Every time a test fails to reveal the gardeners existence, the believer simply makes an excuse. This shows the excuses of believers makes as arguments for the existence offered god.
        
        Religious responses to the God of the Gaps
        
        Paul Tillich argues that God should be described as “Being-itself-this means if god is a being amount others then there is is indeed less and less room for him/. However as God is not a thing in the wolrd, but instead the means by which the whole world exists-means any Gap, could nor be the God of classical
        theism
        
        John polkinghorne argues that God only intervenes at a Quantum level -that is undetectable for humans. Therefore there is no Gap-to fill.
        
        The Idea of the Gaps-often hints at the limitation of God-as an earthly being
- - - - For Polkinghorne the arena for the interactions between Religion and Science is Natrual Theology, and the search for the Knowledge of god, by the exercise of reason and the inspection of the world. When we inspect the world by science we are able to understand it to an amazing extent, Our understanding of general and special relativity
        
        Moreover Polkinghorne argues that there is one universe which is to be understood through Science, And the universe’s intelligible nature is overwhelming evidence of the existence of God. As well as God’s intention to create the universe that we experience.
        
        Polkinghorne dismisses the idea of multiverse-theory-as for him-God fine-tuned the cosmological constraints to only produce this universe. Moreover God is often un-detectable as he influences events at a quantum level.
- - - - Different Christian responses to genetic engineering
        
        The Catholic Church
        
        The Catholic Church has been moving cautiously with regard to genetic engineering]
        -With regard to GM-crops,the Church gives qualified approval,mainly because GM crops are one way which the poor can be fed
        
        With regards to GM animals some voice within the Catholic Churhc argue that in terms of Natrual moral law, altering the genetic code for the animals does not allow them to fufile their final end, which was given to them by God. Which means the divine design of the animals should not be interrupted.
        
        With regards to Therauptic genetic emngineering-which helps to repair genes. The Catholic Church generally gives approval as their is the potential to cure conditions such as Dementia.
        
        however the Catholic Church is hesitant with regards to germline therapy which replaces germ cells with healthy ones. This is frowned upon because of the potential harmful effect on the children. Moreover the idea of Transhumans, which produce humans that are genetically superior, is rejected as it means humans would no longer be in God’s image.
        
        The Protestants
        
        Protestants vary on this issue-with some rejecting Genetic modifications, and others arguing that should embrace the opportunity to improve humanity where risks are Justified.
        
        According to Fletcher there is no reason why humans should not rule out medical procedures because they are un-biblical. For Fletcher humans are by nature selectors, and designers, so there is no reason why human;s should not be redesigned to to improve the species.
        
        Views of the Seventh-Day-Adventist Church
        
        this protestan denomination argues that Christians are given greater power by God and with power comes responsibility, since humans are accountable to God for what they do.
        
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