Science in conflict with religion

Posted by on May 14, 2017 in Letters to the Editor, Science

 

Letter to editor of Canadian Journal Psychiatry                    

Philip G. Ney M.D. 2/6/09

 

In spite of his comprehensive and generally sympathetic review, Dr Koenig undoes it all with his bias.  “Despite spectacular advances in technology and science, 90% of the world population is involved in some form of religious or spiritual practice” (CJP 54:283)  To the thinking of this scientist, he should have written, “Because of the spectacular advances in technology and science, 90% of the world is God fearing.”  His assumption that science is antithetical to belief in God may betray his limited reading of astrophysics and cell biology.  There is such convincing evidence of this world’s fine-tuning to fit human habitation and the idea of a random unfolding is so lacking support that it now takes more faith to be an atheist than to be a theist.  For example, fluorine, necessary for human metabolism is only made when a white dwarf collects material from larger star in a binary system then loses the fluoridated material to interstellar space.  “This sequence means that the universe, our galaxy and the sun’s position in our galaxy must assume narrowly specified characteristics if Earth is to obtain the fluorine it needs for the support of life.” (1) 

The giants of science: Newton, Bernoulli, Faraday, Clausius and Einstein (2) were all sincere God respecting men.  Newton wrote more about God than he did about his science and math.  The hypothesis of accidental evolution, since Clausius wrote the Law of Entropy Non-conservation to show the universe was only cooling and Boltzmann proved mathematically it was also becoming more chaotic, was a pipe dream for antitheists.  “This (non-conservation) implied, of course, that the universe must have started out being very tense and well organized.  Something or Someone had built a superbly designed spring driven clock…” (3).

Since this (entropy) is the reasonably well proven case and since we define sanity in terms of being in touch with reality then theists, all other factors being equal, must be more sane and psychiatrists should treat them with greater respect and less condescension.

References:

  1. The Creator and the Cosmos. 3rd edition, Hugh Ross, Navpress. Colorado Springs, 2001.
  2. Einstein, The Life and Times. Ronald W. Clark, Avon Books, New York, 1984.
  3. Five Equations that Changed the World, Michael Guillen, Hyperion, New York,
  4. 1995.