Does science conflict with the Bible?

In a sentence ... it doesn't need to, and it shouldn't!

Many past and present scientists have been and are Christian believers, and find no need to forget their science when reading their Bible, or vice versa. One scientist put his work this way, 'O God, I am thinking your thoughts after you.' In fact, modern science began in earnest with people who believed in a God who made everything in an orderly way that could be studied. Scientists still need to believe that the world is really there, and can be understood by observation and experiment. Faith in One Creator God gives a sound basis for that belief.

Sometimes there is conflict between science and religion. That can be because some scientists reject religious belief themselves, and interpret their science without any reference to God because that fits their personal belief. Some regard all religious belief with contempt. On the other hand Christians have sometimes regarded science with suspicion, because they thought it contradicted the way they understood the Bible. As a result, when the Church had the power to do so, it sometimes discouraged scientific work.

Recognising three things can help us to avoid unnecessary conflict in this area.

  1. Our present ideas may not be final truth. That means that sometimes current scientific theories may have to be modified later (Einstein's view of the universe changes Newton's). It also means that the way Christians interpret the Bible today isn't the last word.
  2. Science and the Bible cover different areas of information. Science is about understanding how the universe operates. 'What makes things happen', 'How does one thing cause another?', 'What is the pattern things follow?', are the questions it asks and answers. The Bible is about God, what he's like, how we can know him. Its interest in the universe is in terms of 'Why is there anything there at all?' 'What was God's aim in bringing the universe into being?'
  3. When they do overlap, they are giving different sorts of answers. Both kinds are useful and true. If you look at a flashing neon sign, you can explain it in terms of the electrical things that are happening inside the tube. Or you can read it and see what it's advertising. Both are true ways of saying what it's about. So we can talk about the 'Laws of Nature', and also read in the bible that Christ is 'sustaining the universe by his powerful word'.(The Bible, Hebrews chapter 1 verse 3) We can talk about the 'Big Bang', but we can also read in The Bible, Psalm 33 verse 6 that God 'created the heavens by his command, the sun, moon, and stars by his spoken word'. Both are true, one has to do with 'how?' (science), the other with 'who?' (the Bible).
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