Does Science Contradict Faith?
Is belief in a divine creator due to a lack of knowledge, or is it rooted in scientific understanding and discovery?
- דניאל בלס
- פורסם כ"ג סיון התשע"ו
#VALUE!
Yoav Shalom: "Hello. A secular friend (who has not yet returned to the faith) claimed that belief in Hashem is meant to answer questions that science has not yet solved. As science progresses, it will find answers to these questions. What can I say to him?"
Belief in Hashem does not stem from a lack of scientific knowledge, but rather the opposite - it comes from knowledge and scientific discovery, from scientific recognition of the world, and the amazing complexity within it.
Here are some examples:
1. In the past, people did not know how complex a mosquito or a living cell is. Today we know that the mosquito is a very complex machine (it has a stomach, heart, brain, lungs, and a sophisticated injection system). It has been discovered that the living cell is more complex than the entire city of New York. The scientific knowledge that has been revealed only strengthens the awareness of an intelligent designer.
2. In the past, it was thought that materials consisted only of particles. But today we know that all matter is actually made of molecular bonds, and molecules are made of atoms, with each atom being a tiny system of particles. Truly an "universe within a universe," where everything is connected. The understanding of the complexity of matter undoubtedly strengthens the awareness of a Creator of the world.
3. In the past, people were unaware of the great laws of the universe. Today we know that the laws of nature operate according to very complex mathematical equations and in impressive harmony, allowing the existence of mass and space. Again, the proofs of the existence of Hashem are only strengthened by the knowledge that has been revealed.
4. In the past, most nations thought that the functioning of the body depended on a limited number of juices and fluids in the stomach and liver. Today we know that the human brain is the most complex machine in the universe, surpassing any computer in its sophistication. The knowledge discovered only reinforces the understanding that there is a designer for the human body.
5. It was known that the rainbow is caused by light rays. However, today we know that white light breaks into seven different colors (spectrum), and the human eye recognizes different wavelengths and the brain interprets them as colors. The sky is blue because oxygen and nitrogen molecules in the atmosphere scatter the shorter wavelengths of light (which manifest as the color blue; longer wavelengths would appear red and orange). A better understanding of light only strengthens the awareness of a legislator in the universe.
6. It has been discovered that the entire universe had a beginning. All matter-energy space-time, and all the natural laws of the universe, appeared all at once at the beginning of time. This is scientific proof that attests to the existence of a Creator of the universe.
As you can see, the more science advances and the better one understands the scientific laws of reality, the more acute the conclusion about the intelligent legislator of reality becomes, that there is Hashem.
Therefore, one of the main ways to recognize the Creator and love Him is to know the scientific explanations of reality, and from them to attain deep recognition of the Creator. Thus wrote the Rambam in the Laws of the Foundation of the Torah:
(Chapter 1, 1): "The foundation of foundations and the pillar of wisdoms is to know that there is a First Existence. He brings into existence everything that exists; and everything from the heavens and earth and what is between them exists only from the truth of His existence..."
(Chapter 2, 1): "And what is the way to love and fear Him: When a person contemplates His deeds and His great, wonderful creatures and sees in them His wisdom that has no value or end - immediately he loves, praises, glorifies, and desires with a great desire to know the great Name..."
(Chapter 4, 19): "When a person contemplates these things, and recognizes all the creatures from the angels, the heavens, man, and the like, and sees His wisdom, blessed be He, in all the creations and all the creatures, - he adds love for the Omnipresent, and his soul thirsts and his flesh longs to love the Omnipresent blessed be He."
Even in the past, people did not believe in Hashem only because of a lack of scientific understanding of the world. A historical examination of the writings of the enlightened, physicians, astronomers, and believing philosophers of antiquity reveals scientific research on the world, attempting to understand a fraction of Hashem's wisdom. In ancient cultures such as Egypt, Greece, Rome, and Babylon, the wise of the nations attempted to explain how the laws of nature operate. Even the most religious scholars of the nations observed and researched natural phenomena and documented them in their writings. Phenomena like tides, solar eclipses, the water cycle, the movement of stars, and more - received natural explanations within the world. Scientific knowledge never contradicted religion, but on the contrary, they were a reason to infer the existence of Hashem because of the great wisdom revealed in them. And as scientific knowledge progresses, the conclusion that there is a Creator of the world sharpens and strengthens.
From time immemorial, science has only dealt with the "how" question (how things work), but it does not deal with the "why" question (why things work the way they do). It seems that this question doesn't occupy most scientists, who are content with understanding and explaining actions within reality. Out of habit, and sometimes out of a conscious choice not to deal with the most profound questions - about the creation of the world and the meaning of life, people tend to accept reality as it is without asking questions. This is a mistake most people make. It is precisely those who ask and research who reach the conclusion that there is Hashem.
Einstein once said in a famous interview: "I am not an atheist. We are like a little child entering a huge library filled with books in many different languages. The child knows that someone must have written those books, but he doesn't know how. The child does not understand the language in which the books are written. The child senses a mysterious order in the books, yet does not know what it is. To me, this seems a parallel to the human intellectual attitude towards Hashem. We see the universe marvelously arranged and obeying certain laws but only dimly understand these laws..." (Source: The World As I See It by Albert Einstein).
However, the truth is that you do not need to be "Einstein" or possess mystical visions to understand that there is a Creator of the world. Even a child is capable of looking honestly at the world around us and arriving at the inevitable conclusion that there is a Creator of the world. The existence of the Creator is not at all dependent on the question of whether the Creator made the world over millions of years or whether the Creator created living things through a process of evolution - because in any case, it is clear that there is a Creator who crafted the universe and man with wisdom and precise intent. The sophistication and complexity of creation are visible and proven, thus the knowledge that there is a Creator of the world is mandatory in any circumstance, and as knowledge increases, so does the revealed light of faith.
* * *
Hello and blessings Yoav, and thank you for your question.Belief in Hashem does not stem from a lack of scientific knowledge, but rather the opposite - it comes from knowledge and scientific discovery, from scientific recognition of the world, and the amazing complexity within it.
Here are some examples:
1. In the past, people did not know how complex a mosquito or a living cell is. Today we know that the mosquito is a very complex machine (it has a stomach, heart, brain, lungs, and a sophisticated injection system). It has been discovered that the living cell is more complex than the entire city of New York. The scientific knowledge that has been revealed only strengthens the awareness of an intelligent designer.
2. In the past, it was thought that materials consisted only of particles. But today we know that all matter is actually made of molecular bonds, and molecules are made of atoms, with each atom being a tiny system of particles. Truly an "universe within a universe," where everything is connected. The understanding of the complexity of matter undoubtedly strengthens the awareness of a Creator of the world.
3. In the past, people were unaware of the great laws of the universe. Today we know that the laws of nature operate according to very complex mathematical equations and in impressive harmony, allowing the existence of mass and space. Again, the proofs of the existence of Hashem are only strengthened by the knowledge that has been revealed.
4. In the past, most nations thought that the functioning of the body depended on a limited number of juices and fluids in the stomach and liver. Today we know that the human brain is the most complex machine in the universe, surpassing any computer in its sophistication. The knowledge discovered only reinforces the understanding that there is a designer for the human body.
5. It was known that the rainbow is caused by light rays. However, today we know that white light breaks into seven different colors (spectrum), and the human eye recognizes different wavelengths and the brain interprets them as colors. The sky is blue because oxygen and nitrogen molecules in the atmosphere scatter the shorter wavelengths of light (which manifest as the color blue; longer wavelengths would appear red and orange). A better understanding of light only strengthens the awareness of a legislator in the universe.
6. It has been discovered that the entire universe had a beginning. All matter-energy space-time, and all the natural laws of the universe, appeared all at once at the beginning of time. This is scientific proof that attests to the existence of a Creator of the universe.
As you can see, the more science advances and the better one understands the scientific laws of reality, the more acute the conclusion about the intelligent legislator of reality becomes, that there is Hashem.
Therefore, one of the main ways to recognize the Creator and love Him is to know the scientific explanations of reality, and from them to attain deep recognition of the Creator. Thus wrote the Rambam in the Laws of the Foundation of the Torah:
(Chapter 1, 1): "The foundation of foundations and the pillar of wisdoms is to know that there is a First Existence. He brings into existence everything that exists; and everything from the heavens and earth and what is between them exists only from the truth of His existence..."
(Chapter 2, 1): "And what is the way to love and fear Him: When a person contemplates His deeds and His great, wonderful creatures and sees in them His wisdom that has no value or end - immediately he loves, praises, glorifies, and desires with a great desire to know the great Name..."
(Chapter 4, 19): "When a person contemplates these things, and recognizes all the creatures from the angels, the heavens, man, and the like, and sees His wisdom, blessed be He, in all the creations and all the creatures, - he adds love for the Omnipresent, and his soul thirsts and his flesh longs to love the Omnipresent blessed be He."
Even in the past, people did not believe in Hashem only because of a lack of scientific understanding of the world. A historical examination of the writings of the enlightened, physicians, astronomers, and believing philosophers of antiquity reveals scientific research on the world, attempting to understand a fraction of Hashem's wisdom. In ancient cultures such as Egypt, Greece, Rome, and Babylon, the wise of the nations attempted to explain how the laws of nature operate. Even the most religious scholars of the nations observed and researched natural phenomena and documented them in their writings. Phenomena like tides, solar eclipses, the water cycle, the movement of stars, and more - received natural explanations within the world. Scientific knowledge never contradicted religion, but on the contrary, they were a reason to infer the existence of Hashem because of the great wisdom revealed in them. And as scientific knowledge progresses, the conclusion that there is a Creator of the world sharpens and strengthens.
From time immemorial, science has only dealt with the "how" question (how things work), but it does not deal with the "why" question (why things work the way they do). It seems that this question doesn't occupy most scientists, who are content with understanding and explaining actions within reality. Out of habit, and sometimes out of a conscious choice not to deal with the most profound questions - about the creation of the world and the meaning of life, people tend to accept reality as it is without asking questions. This is a mistake most people make. It is precisely those who ask and research who reach the conclusion that there is Hashem.
Einstein once said in a famous interview: "I am not an atheist. We are like a little child entering a huge library filled with books in many different languages. The child knows that someone must have written those books, but he doesn't know how. The child does not understand the language in which the books are written. The child senses a mysterious order in the books, yet does not know what it is. To me, this seems a parallel to the human intellectual attitude towards Hashem. We see the universe marvelously arranged and obeying certain laws but only dimly understand these laws..." (Source: The World As I See It by Albert Einstein).
However, the truth is that you do not need to be "Einstein" or possess mystical visions to understand that there is a Creator of the world. Even a child is capable of looking honestly at the world around us and arriving at the inevitable conclusion that there is a Creator of the world. The existence of the Creator is not at all dependent on the question of whether the Creator made the world over millions of years or whether the Creator created living things through a process of evolution - because in any case, it is clear that there is a Creator who crafted the universe and man with wisdom and precise intent. The sophistication and complexity of creation are visible and proven, thus the knowledge that there is a Creator of the world is mandatory in any circumstance, and as knowledge increases, so does the revealed light of faith.
