Tuesday, May 30, 2006

God v. Science, or is it Science v. God?

When did being knowledgable and being religious part ways?  It seems I can't turn around these days without someone making the assumtion that because one is a Christian they obviously don't like science, don't read books, don't like knowing things and will rely on the Bible to satisfy any questions they may have.  When did this happen?  Has it always been this way and I just never noticed?  I see it in forums all the time, I even see it from some of my friends who are not Christian, they assume that the only basis for any input I have to a conversation comes from the Bible, and therefor am generally unknowledgable.

I bet that recent sentiment has a lot to do with the whole Intelligent Design/Creatist groups out there trying to get their creation views taught in schools as science while they keep shouting about how evolution and it's partners are not scientific fact.  I always cringe a little inside when one of these people take the stage.  Realisticly they... well... they don't seem to know much other than their belief system seems to hinge on a literal translation of Genesis.  I don't understand those people.  Genesis is a story of creation as understood by people who lived far after the fact, it is not literal.  Although I do believe that the general ideas seem to match up roughly with what we do know scientifically about the creation of the universe, the earth, and life.

So perhaps some of the confusion lies there people taking a literal view of Genesis.  It seems though that in a larger context people seem unable to reconcile God and science, perhaps they are trying to fit God into science and he doesn't seem to fit.  I look at it the other way around, fit science into God and things seem to fit nicely.  Science can tell us the mechanics of the universe, but that is all, and I see no reason for that to shake a persons faith in God.  I have heard of no theory yet that does not fit into a God view of the universe.  Just because you figure out how a car works, what it's made of, when it was made, doesn't tell you who created it or why.

Here are some imporant scientists who were also Christians.



Roger BaconRoger-bacon-statue.jpgHe was an English philosopher who emphasized
empiricism and has been presented as one of the earliest advocates of the modern
scientific method.



Jean BuridanVatican_Seal.gifHe was a Catholic priest who sowed the seeds of religious scepticism in Europe. He developed the theory of impetus, that was the first step toward the modern concept of inertia.



Robert GrossetesteGrosseteste-color.pngA Catholic bishop. A.C. Crombie calls him "the real founder of the
tradition of scientific thought in mediaeval Oxford, and in some ways, of the modern English intellectual tradition"
.



Nicholas of CusaNicholas_of_Cusa.jpgCatholic cardinal and theologian who made contributions to the field of
mathematics by developing the concepts of the infinitesimal and of relative motion. His philosophical speculations also
anticipated Copernicusheliocentric
world-view.



Michael StifelLogarithms.pngLed to the development of Logarithms, hence the picture. He was also among
Martin Luther's earlier followers and wrote on Biblical prophecies.



Robert BoyleRobert_Boyle.jpgScientist and theologian who argued that the study of science could improve glorification of God.



Antoine ArnauldAntoine_Arnauld.jpgJansenist theologian who wrote New Elements of Geometry and was compared to
Euclid.



Isaac NewtonGodfreyKneller-IsaacNewton-1689.jpgHe wrote Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel and the Apocalypse of St.
John
(Nontrinitarianism)



Blaise PascalBlaise_pascal.jpgConvert to Jansenism known for Pascal's law(physics), Pascal's theorem(math), and Pascal's Wager(theology)



Charles BabbageCharlesBabbage.jpgThe Difference Engine and the Ninth Bridgewater Treatise.

-- Three of my favorites there; Newton, Pascal and Babbage.



Teilhard de ChardinDe-chardin.jpgA member of the Society of Jesus, a Paleontologist linked to the finding of Peking Man, and a philosopher
linked to the Omega Point idea.



Asa GrayAsaGray.jpgHis Gray's Manual remains a pivotal work in botany. His Darwiniana has sections titled "Natural selection not
inconsistent with Natural theology", "Evolution and theology", and "Evolutionary teleology." The preface indicates his adherence
to the Nicene Creed in concerning these religious issues.



Lord KelvinLord_Kelvin_photograph.jpgHe gave a famous address to the Christian Evidence Society. In science he
won the Copley Medal, the Royal Medal, and was
important in Thermodynamics.



Charles TownesNobelPrizeMedal.jpgIn 1964 he won the Nobel Prize in Physics and
in 1966 he wrote The Convergence of Science and Religion.




Friday, May 26, 2006

Electronic Boutique

Electronic Boutique has let me down.  I have been egearly awaiting the release of Heroes of Might and Magic V, otherwise known as HOMM V.  It was supposed to come out on the 23rd.  I called EB and asked if they had it, they said no, it would not come out until the 26th now.  I was dissapointed but this kind of thing happens so I took it in stride.  I checked Future shops website on Thursday they said one store in the city had it, I was puzzled as my old faithful EB said it wasn't coming out until the 26th.  I called EB to see if it had arrived early... no luck... worse than that they now said it was not coming out until the 29th!!!!  What is going on?  Were they just trying to torture me?  Still, I trusted them, they have always been there for me in the past, I was not about to abandon them.  Well today I found myself near a Futureshop and thought I would just go in and take a look, expecting to find nothing.. well, they had some nice new copies of HOMM V on an end-cap.  Long story short, Electronics Boutique has let me down.  They failed in their mission to bring me games in a timely manner.  Perhaps next week they will make for their transgression by bringing in the new Hitman 47 game on time.  And for the record I am still not down with this whole EB Games name change... to me they will be forever Electronic Boutique.  Gamestop recently bought them out, hopefully they won't change names again to Gamestop... stupid name that... Gamestop.

Tuesday, May 09, 2006

Red Dwarf VIII

Woo hoo!  My Red Dwarf collection is complete!  I know, your green with envy.

Monday, May 08, 2006

Mission Impossible III

Just saw MI:III, it was pretty awesome.  J.J. Abrams is the best thing movies and T.V. has going right now.  Easily it was the best MI movie and it was an excellent action movie in it's own right.  Do yourself a favour and go see it.

Sucky?

What's that?  My blog sucks?  Ya.... I know it.

Monday, May 01, 2006

Vision


Go give this a listen, it's about vision.

Then watch this.