One of the greatest objections to faith from scientifically minded people is that there is so little evidence for God. They want some kind of proof that God is real. They claim that attributing unexplainable things to miracles from God is intellectually irresponsible, or in other words, wishy-washy and stupid. There are a couple of fundamental problems with this line of thinking that should be highlighted.
Underlying the objection is a certain kind of belief that Tim Keller calls a “defeater belief.” A defeater belief is a belief that if held keeps you from believing something else. So, for example, a strong belief that reindeer cannot fly would be a defeater belief against the story of Santa Clause. What exactly is the defeater belief behind the objection here? I think it is simply that anything true must be scientifically provable and that the world will always operate inside the rules of science. But, is there any reason to believe this? Why should we believe that anything true should be scientifically provable? Do we believe that whether or not one person loves another person is scientifically provable? It seems absurd to most, but that is exactly what some naturalists propose! However, if it is the case that everything must be scientifically provable, then science itself must be able to be tested scientifically. Can we show scientifically that all truth is scientifically provable? It seems rather difficult. Actually, it looks like this defeater belief is really just a step of faith. People trust in science for many of the same reasons people trust in faith.
Interestingly, the world of scientific study is actually beginning to work against itself. It is a fascinating study to take a look at the implications of quantum mechanics. I recommend Lothar Schafer’s book In Search of Divine Reality. The basic idea of quantum mechanics is that at the atomic level everything is determined by processes that cannot be observed. Something immaterial occurs that determines the material outcome. Did you catch that? At the core of science is something unscientific! At the end of the day, a quantum leap occurs in an unobservable way. Some scientists, like Dr. Schafer, see this as evidence for some kind of divine influence that is determining and holding the entire universe together. I’m not kidding. I took the guy’s class. He is not a Christian, but he believes that some divine mind is “before all things and holding all things together.” Why don’t all scientists believe this? The simple answer is that they trust that science will eventually figure it out. They believe this not because the evidence supports it. They take it on faith that science will prove true. Ultimately, it is not evidence that determines what anyone believes, it is a choice of where to place their faith. I think if both sides would admit this, we could a lot closer to understanding other’s point of view.
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