Easter reminds scientist of God's glory

by John Earnshaw

I'm a scientist. It is Easter, that annual event when Christians like me ponder our deepest thoughts about our God by reliving events that seem so remote from science.

My career in physics, mostly at Trent University, has spanned nearly four decades. During that time I have seen the invention of transistors, computers, and nuclear power, trips to the moon, and the discoveries of DNA, quarks and black holes. In addition, there has come into place a model of our universe based on physics concepts supported by observational astronomy. This model includes an event over ten billion years ago called "the Big Bang", followed by observable expansion. I've studied these exciting topics extensively and taught many of them to hundreds of students. I have great confidence in the current status of our knowledge of them. As a physicist I'm also part of the ongoing search for more knowledge and for more inventions to make the world better.

Why then do I pause this week to reflect on something that others might say is so foreign to science, possibly contradicted most by the very subject that has dominated my professional life? Can a scientist have faith? Where does God fit into the universe that we scientists are studying? These questions have challenged thinkers for many centuries.

Faith is something we all can appreciate, yet it is not easy to define. It is a state of mind that combines our past learning and our innermost feelings. We challenge it regularly, yet it is also rooted firmly in each of us. Belief in supernatural beings or forces has occurred in every civilization. Religion explains the unknown and justifies our highest qualities.

To some, God fills in the gaps in our knowledge, accounting for things not yet discovered. By the end of the 19th century, there were advocates who predicted the end of any need for God; they foresaw the day when science would explain everything. It was a noble theory, but one that has been challenged in the 20th century.

From the first publications of Einstein in 1905 up to the present, startling new scientific theories have been created, tested, and accepted. Relativity challenged views of space and time; quantum physics showed that an object can't be repeatedly subdivided into increasingly smaller objects; the uncertainty principle showed that position or timing can never be precisely defined; quantum probability showed that mass and energy were interchangeable states, and general relativity showed that gravity warps space-time leading to the observed fact that light does not travel in straight lines always. And these marvelous, scientifically proven discoveries have exposed more mysteries for future scientists. None of this has shaken my faith.

I should comment on the meaning of "scientifically proven". Science has never claimed to cover all aspects of knowledge; it is limited to areas where a clear methodology can be used. Science involves hypothesis, prediction, testing, observing, and making sense. These essential five steps are repeated again and again before something is accepted as "proven". Indeed, if later some new situation arises which might cast doubt on existing knowledge, the process is repeated again, subject to the new conditions. The rules are clear. The ability to predict within a known level of uncertainty is the strength of science.

I believe in a different view of God as omnipotent and omniscient, with powers beyond anything conceivable, and knowledge of all aspects of his universe. To me, this view is not threatened or disproved by the amazing discoveries of the past century; indeed, those discoveries have only served to demonstrate the vastness of God's spheres of influence and of our finite role here on earth. As we search for new black holes or quasars, God shares with us what he already created and knows.

I can't fully understand how God mysteriously has lead me to believe that he loves me, he forgives me for my shortcomings, he cares for me and he needs me to do a part of his work on planet earth. He has given me the freedom to do what I want (including being a physicist), yet he expects honour from me. He does not require that I accept the knowledge of the past unquestioningly, or that I stop searching for more awareness of the universe. It seems ironic, but the more I learn, the more certain I am of God's power, love and closeness to me. The mystery of Easter reminds me of this.


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