Science and Religion: A Christians Response to Biology Essay -- Bible

Science and Religion: A Christian's Response to Biology Introduction In the beginning, God created...the earth and the heavens, or an evolving mass of matter, later to become the heavens and the earth? The conflict between science and religion is a hot topic in many intellectual circles today. One of the more controversial topics is creation versus evolution. How did the world get to where it is right now? How was creation initiated? Is there a Creator or was life created spontaneously? These are some of the questions that boggle minds and set people searching for answers. There is even a conflict within the church: Did God create the heavens and the earth as they are, or did God allow the universe to develop according to natural laws? This conflict between science and religion continues to hold up in our supposed intellectual society. In order to tame this conflict and be true to their faith and science, Christian biologists have an obligation to reflect their Christianity in the realm of biology as well as their biological intellect in the realm of Christianity. History of Science and Religion The history of opposition between science and religion has been steady for about half of a century. As early as the 1500's, science and religion have been antagonistic forces working against each other. Science was originally founded by Christians to prove that humans lived in a orderly universe (Helweg, 1997). This would help to prove that the universe was created by a orderly God who could be known. Once this was done, science was considered by the church to be useless. When people began to further investigate the realm of science, the church considered them to be heretics; working for the devil. According to Easterbrook (1... ...Science). Science and God: A Warming Trend? Science, 277, 890-893. Helweg, O. J. (1997, March). Scientific Facts: Comparatible with Christian Faith? USA Today, 125, 84. Hughes, I. (1996, March). We are only Human... New Scientist, 60. Jones, T. (1996, August). God and Scientists Reconciled. New Scientist, 46. Ross, H. (1997a). Genesis One, Dinosaurs, and Cavemen. [Online]. Available: http://www.reasons.org/resources/papers/dinocavemen.html. [Oct. 1997]. Ross, H. (1997b). Neandertal Takes a One-Eighty. [Online]. Available: http://www.reasons.org/resources/FAF/97q3faf/neandertal.html. [Oct. 1997]. Ross, H. (1997c). The Shell Game of Evolution and Creation. [Online]. Available: http://www.reasons.org/resources/papers/shellgame.html. [Oct. 1997]. Wright, R. T. (1989). Biology Through the Eyes of Faith. San Francisco: HarperCollins Publishers.