Faith And Science

Science was not exactly my favorite class in high school. Maybe it was the difficulty of a subject that didn’t lend itself to my impatient youthful temperament, the challenge of understanding textbooks that used words beyond my comprehension level at the time, or the fervent opposition to the subject that I had inherited from my religious upbringing.

Needless to say, my mind would dutifully drift off during these classes, and instead I considered my strategy for my upcoming tennis match that afternoon or envisioned how I could get a date with that cute girl in the front row. I believed science was merely something that my young mind should not be exposed to.

The desire to know the truth had already been hijacked by fear. Science, and especially evolution, represented what was considered against God. So it was easier to turn a deaf ear to whatever compelling case could be made for evolution than to lose my faith.

What I failed to understand was that faith and science were not either-or propositions. They are merely different lenses by which to look at reality. Faith is mystical, spiritual, and considers the deeper meaning of life. Science studies how the world works through observation and experimentation.

Continued tomorrow…

Adapted from Section 3 of Awakening To I Am Love by David Youngren