Doesn't modern science invalidate the Bible?
Q: "Don't scientific discoveries conflict with the Bible, even invalidate
a lot of what is in the Bible?"
our A: Perhaps a surprise to many, but not to all people, science
often corroborates what is already recorded in the Bible. Let's consider a few examples...
Science and the Bible: Species reproducing the same species
The Bible says that God created
everything according to its kind (Genesis 1). Well, that's what science shows us.
We can't find fossils that show a transition from species to species because
there aren't any (for more on this, see We've Learned a Lot in 100+ Years). Science shows adaptation within species
(micro-evolution), but not evolutionary transition from one species to another
(macro-evolution). This agrees with the Bible.
Science and the Bible: Human reproduction
Some people find it absurd that the entire human
race might have come from just two people (Adam and Eve). However, science is
about what we can observe, test. Human reproduction is observable, testable.
A man and a woman can produce a third person, and so on, over time, until you
get a larger population. Science corroborates this. Any other kind of human
population generation has not been observed/tested by science.
Science and the Bible: Germs
People didn't understand the biological nature of germs
until relatively recently (the last few hundred years). Yet in the Old
Testament cleanliness laws and food laws, you have an obvious understanding
of germs. But those instructions from God came thousands of years before
man even understood how germs were transmitted, or even what they were.
Science and the Bible: Shape of the earth and order of the universe
The Bible talked about
the "circle of the earth" long before Galileo did, when men thought the
earth was flat. And before man understood astronomy, the Bible said that
God had fixed the stars in the sky, keeping them in their place. Today we
would say that it's gravity that does that, but again, God beat us to the
punch. God is the one who put the forces in place, who gave order to the
universe. And we, by His timing, have come to observe that order and
understand the forces. It was this assumption (a God-ordered universe)
that was the scientific starting point for many great scientists
(Sir Isaac Newton for example).
The forces and the order are observable, but what has brought them about?
Today scientists are looking for a grand unified field theory -- glue that
brings quantum theory and astrophysics under one force/theory. Consider that
God Himself is the unified field they're looking for. It is God Himself who
decides that things will work differently on an astronomical level than
on a microscopic level. Size is relative and irrelevant. Things should
work the same on both the astronomic and the microscopic levels, but
they don't. Hence there are baffled scientists trying to make sense of
things, because God is not their starting point. Even if a force is
discovered that explains things (like gravity), you're still left with
the question of how the force got there.
Science and the Bible: Conclusion
The point is, if the Bible shows an understanding of medicine and science
that pre-dates man's understanding of medicine and science, then we can
only conclude that there is a Mind out there who is way ahead of us. Rather
than try to explain Him away at every turn, the more insightful conclusion
might be to acknowledge His great design and creativity. If He's there and
He's real, we can't dethrone Him. He's in charge and nothing can change that.
Scientific discoveries are merely observing, understanding and using systems
that He has already designed. Theories attempting to discredit God's
existence (like evolution from species to new species, as an attempt
to explain life apart from God) are merely rabbit trails which lead to
unanswered questions like, "why then don't fossil records show transitionary
species?" Why not acknowledge our Creator? What God has told us in the
Bible about Himself, our world and our purpose, is a great starting place
to understanding this life.
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