Dan Chasing Time: Racing Between Education and Catastrophe

I saw two quotes by Herbert George (H. G.) Wells today. He lived from 09/21/1866 - 08/13/1946. He was an English author. According to Wikipedia, he is known best known for his work in science fiction. However, he was also a prolific writer in many other genres, including contemporary novels, history, politics and social commentary, even writing text books.

This one caught my eye first and made me laugh.

The uglier a man's legs are, the better he plays golf - it's almost a law.

His next quote is more serious and provides an interesting perspective.

Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe.

How are we doing?

It's scary to me when I see people picking and choosing their favorite scientific truths and ascribing political bias on scientists who's research doesn't profit them. Scientists are less political than many imagine.

For one thing, everything they publish faces peer review from smart people in their field. You don't go around shooting off your mouth unless you are prepared to produce data to back up your statements; data that your colleagues will try to reproduce in their own experiments, and if they can't, you're evidence isn't worth a hill of beans and you leave a lot of people scratching their heads wondering why you're publishing crap.

Yes, you can interpret some things different ways - for awhile - until more and better experiments clarify the uncertainties of earlier experiments. This is why scientific controversy is not settled in the political arena; it's settled by more and better peer reviewed science.

I know there are religious individuals who don't respect this process. Perhaps, they are responding to the arrogance of early scientists which may have been more arrogant than today. Perhaps they hold that faith and thought can't coexist. I disagree. Thoughtless indoctrination and and being reactionary can really hold you back. Many physicists believe in God. Science, doesn't disprove God or tell you how to worship him.

Here is a Bible verse that supports scientific endeavor.

Proverbs 20:12 - The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the LORD hath made even both of them.

God made our eyes and ears so we would use them. Science is the discipline of using our senses to understand sense perceived truth. Seeking knowledge is a good character trait.

Proverbs 15:14 - The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge: but the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness.

I ran across this quote attributed to Galileo Galilei:

I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason and intellect has intended us to forget their use.

I have to say I agree.

I heard someone tell me God put fossils on earth to test our faith concerning the biblical age of the earth. I wouldn't bring this up except the guy who told me this was a respectable research associate at a prestigious institution.

James 1:13 says, Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

God's creation is not filled with traps to test our faith. It is simply his creation. Instead of worrying about how God is trying to trick us, lets glorify God for the awesomeness of his creation as we learn more about it.

I believe Christ is for scientists too and the Church needs to respect what they do in their profession. I would like to see more people in every profession come to believe in Christ. There is no quicker way to turn someone off from Christ and the Church than by offending them through irrational craziness. Sometimes you can't help it. I heard one man say when revival comes, the fringe of lunacy widens as the needy, broken, and unstable come to Christ and know of nothing more than him.

I also believe the Church needs to respect the work scientists do so she can embrace knowledge essential for our survival and bring moral dialog to the responsible use of the power that science brings us.

One area of dialog might be in the area of in vitro fertilization. Why do we ignore the fate of unused embryos created for potential in vitro fertilization implants? Even staunch pro life individuals who believe life starts at conception, and oppose abortion at any stage, are all too happy to ignore this inconvenient truth when trying to have children. We know there will be extra unused embryos and their deaths are inevitable unless we freeze them forever, and how unlikely is that? Lets bring clear thinking to action by coming up with rational and consistent public policy. I know I digressed here a little but it's interesting how people view willful ignorance as an option.

Our senses are limited though. Only God can satisfy our spiritual hunger and God exists beyond the domain of our senses.