How an MIT Physicist Found God

About ten years ago, a brilliant paper was published on one of science’s greatest mysteries — the origin of life: how inanimate matter becomes a living cell. After all, every living organism ultimately arises from nonliving material — from food, minerals, and chemicals. How can these lifeless substances combine to create life?

The researcher behind this groundbreaking theory was Dr. Jeremy England, a physicist at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). His idea, known as “Dissipative Adaptation,” offered a complex and elegant model for how matter might self-organize into life. Veteran scientists who had wrestled with this question for decades were fascinated. Among them was Richard Dawkins, the world-famous atheist and evolutionary biologist, who triumphantly declared that England’s theory gave new scientific backing to atheism and evolution.

What Dawkins didn’t realize was that Jeremy England is an observant Jew who wears a kippah.

Discovering the Creator Through Science

In interviews, Dr. England explained that in all his research on the origin of life, he sees the hand of the Creator. His scientific work focuses on describing the physical and chemical mechanisms that make life possible — but the very existence of these mechanisms, he insists, is evidence of divine design.

Even more remarkable is his personal journey. England wasn’t raised in a religious home. Apart from lighting Chanukah candles, he knew little about Judaism. Ironically, it was his experience of anti-Semitism in elite academic circles that first stirred his desire to explore his Jewish roots: “If they hate us with such irrational hatred,” he thought, “perhaps there’s something here worth understanding.”

He traveled to Israel, met Torah scholars, studied in yeshiva, and discovered a world of spiritual depth. In an interview he said: “Studying Torah gave me an intellectual challenge unlike anything I had ever encountered, both in sharpness and in scope.”

Those are the words of a brilliant scientist from one of the world’s top universities.

Faith and Science: No Contradiction

When asked whether his scientific work contradicts his faith, England replied: “I see no problem in being a scientist while being committed to God and Torah. I would even go further — if someone feels a conflict between the two, it means they don’t understand either science, or Torah, or both.”

These words echo what many have long believed — but it’s inspiring to hear them from a world-class physicist, who shows that true science and true faith are not enemies, but partners in seeking truth.

The Power of Language and Creation

England described how his thinking shifted while studying in Jerusalem: “As I was considering what I would do at MIT, I realized that what had drawn me to physics and biology were questions rooted in the philosophy of language — which appear right at the beginning of Bereishit: ‘And God said, Let there be light.’ Creation begins through speech, through the power of words. To understand the world, you must first choose a language.”

He connected this to the story of the Tower of Babel: “When God gives humanity many languages, He’s teaching that there isn’t only one way to understand the world. You can find a similar idea in Wittgenstein — clearly influenced by his Jewish roots, when he wrote, ‘The limits of my language are the limits of my world.’”

For England, biology and physics are two different languages: “It surprises me when biophysicists get confused about this. They expect physics to tell them what life is — as if you could read a novel in French and suddenly expect it to switch into ancient Greek.”

Returning Home

England said that when he first came to Israel and began learning Hebrew, “I felt a deep sense of coming home — of discovering who my people are.”

Driven by an intense curiosity to understand the world, he realized he also needed to understand Torah, which had always been at the core of Jewish existence: “I soon saw how deeply Jewish my worldview already was — in ways I hadn’t noticed before, and I discovered an intellectual depth in Jewish tradition that I hadn’t found in science, math, philosophy, or literature. It made me want to learn more.

What I love about Torah is its honesty. Unlike those who try to hide the randomness in their choices, the Torah presents itself as a covenant. I decided to commit to our side of the covenant and see if God would keep His side. Thankfully, I feel He has, and He has amazed me with His wonders. His influence in my life is unmistakable, even if it’s not something I’d try to ‘prove’ to anyone else. Today, I try to focus my efforts on understanding His will and seeking His help in doing so.”

Hearing God in the World

England concluded with a reflection from the Tehillim: “‘There is no speech and there are no words — yet their voice is heard.’ The world is filled with things we haven’t yet measured. When we measured the electron’s charge, we were uncovering part of God’s work.”

On divine providence, he added: “You’ll find both individual and collective providence only if you look for it. What was the miracle of Purim? That the greatest empire on earth tried to destroy a small, scattered, powerless people — and failed. The entire Book of Esther is a chain of deliberate human actions, except for one thing: the lot. Haman’s lot fell on the month of Nissan, giving the Jews nearly a year to prepare. It could have fallen earlier. So when we speak of providence, we must look for it, because life itself is not an experiment.”

In the Words of Jeremy England: “True science does not eliminate God — it reveals His genius.”