I know this isn’t my normal thrilling summary of scientific inaccuracies but I’ve seen rather vicious fighting on 9gag posts recently and thought the debate should be settled (at least for any rational minded person), and I’m posting it here because I’m sure my viewership is of greater intelligence than the average 9gag troll.
I study a physical-science type degree. I’m also a Jesus-Freak (a Christian but I don’t want to be compared to some of the Bible-bashing conservatives who give us a bad rep). I don’t have a problem with gay people. I don’t have a problem with people of different faiths (there has to be a grain of truth in any religion that looks at the beauty of the world and declares someone somewhere divine). I try not to drink or party too wildly (occasionally it happens though, as it does for any student).
I believe God spoke the universe into being…13 odd billion years ago. Today scientists are not sure what caused the Big Bang. They know it happened, but cannot tell us why. I believe God spoke it. Until it can be replicated in a lab under chaotic, random conditions I will continue to believe that.
I believe God spoke life into existence…3.8 billion years ago. Until a scientist can create life from scratch in lab conditions repeatedly, using only the elements of the periodic table I will continue to believe this. I know smart scientist types have created their own virus from scratch, coding the DNA themselves, but they had to use a blank cell as the base, and using what I believe is God-given intelligence to manipulate the world around us is not wrong or unnatural.
I believe humans evolved over millennia parallel to apes from common ancestors…under divine guidance. I know Richard Dawkins has written numerous books to try and disprove this, but I’ve read Origin of Species, and until someone can sufficiently explain how we evolved with such an intricate body (with things such as our eyes) that still suffers greatly and disgustingly from the common cold (which seems counter-evolutionary…I know the cold would have evolved as well, but still) I will continue to believe that.
I believe a man called Jesus existed +- 2000 years ago…and that he was divine and the Son of God. Contemporary Roman and Jewish sources of the time state they had heard of a man called Jesus and that he was a great teacher. They state nothing about his divinity. That part of my belief comes from my personal experiences in life, along with the Bible and testimonies of people who have no reason to lie.
The problem with some anti-religion promoters is that they refuse to accept the testimonies of millions of people who have personally experienced God. While all those testimonial experiences can be explained rationally, I personally think that such hallucinations on such a grand scale are far too coincidental to be coincidence. There’s no way so many people can experience such similar mass psychosis separated by countries and decades or even centuries.
I believe fully in science and I believe fully in God, and I hold Newton’s 3 laws for macroscopic objects as close to my heart as the 10 commandments. Jesus also never, ever mentioned homosexuality in the Gospels, so this is why I believe persecution of the gay community is so wrong. Jesus came not to shackle but to free. So I just wish next time an anti-religious troll decides to call my beliefs bull they’d hold their tongue, because I hold mine.
Sorry for this serious post, I just had to get it off my chest. If any of the evolutionary stuff is incorrect please do hesitate to drop a comment, I’m always open to correction 🙂
Jeremy
The Postulating Engineer 
I’ve puzzled over it and have decided that there is no real need to believe that God created life as an act of special creation. I believe in God, and honestly I think that is just a gap in scientific knowledge that could conceivably, one day, be filled by science.
Another thought I had is that perhaps life is uncreated (begotten?), and is part of God. God is life and life is given of God Himself – Jesus said, ‘I am the resurrection and the life’. I don’t know what you make of that?
I honestly don’t know what I’d do if that gap was ever filled by science. I’m glad you don’t need that belief, it’s probably liberating 🙂 but the church used to flip out about people suggesting the earth went around the sun, so who knows where science will take us? That’s an interesting thought, and not one I could properly or honestly answer in this comment, but that’s certainly thought provoking…that we experience God when He calls us home. I actually quite like it 🙂
I was a Christian (or as I called myself, a “liberal Christian” to try to differentiate myself from the Bible-bashers) until… well, I’m not really sure when it happened, but I found myself in the agnostic-maybe-even-atheist camp, existentially confused and constantly given condescending “well we know what to pray for you about” as well as straight up aggressive “conversations” (aka “I’m going to tell you what I believe and YOU ARE GOING TO AGREE WITH ME!”) from my family. I’ve tried to resist it, but I’ve found myself resenting religion and enjoying snarking at it.
And I’d just like to point out that I’m really refreshed by your take on religion. It does not have to be all or nothing; you can love the unveiling of the mysteries of the universe even if you think that there are a few things that will never be entirely understood. Hell, the more we learn, the more questions we have! I hope more deists take on this sort of attitude, it’s much healthier and might help get rid of some of the negative stereotypes.
tl;dr: Thanks for your well-reasoned an articulate post 🙂
I’m sorry you weren’t given encouragement during that time, and I intensely dislike it when religion is forced upon people, so I can understand. I try and be as accepting as I can be, and open as possible. I’m not going to say that other people should believe exactly like I do but that’s what works for me 🙂 The mysteries of the universe are what get me up in the morning! 😛 Thanks for comment 🙂
Very well said Jeremy! A calm and collected argument, and very well written too. 🙂
I personally am a atheist for various complicated reasons. However I have nothing against people believing in religion, in fact, as long as it remains a healthy positive aspect of people’s lives rather than a negative one I would even encourage it! It only becomes negative I think when people use it as an excuse to do bad things. It really irritates me when people don’t respect others views! And trolls are just evil. 😛
Good for you speaking out, and you are well within your rights to have serious post. 😉
Thanks Becky 🙂 I won’t ask about your reasons for they are yours and yours alone. But if you were hurt I apologise on behalf of the universe as a whole 🙂 religion or faith should always and only be used for good! Using for negative things from extremists using explosives to people pointing and condemning because “the Bible says so” (in an Old Testament book that is not completely relevant today) is so wrong! People don’t seem to understand that they can respect other peoples’ views without subscribing to them themselves. Trolls should be purged with the Fire of Moderators 😛
I’m sure I’ll have one or two more serious posts in the future, not necessarily religious themed, but if something needs saying I’ll say it 😉
Thank you Jeremy. Your post was so enlightening. I used to think of myself as christian, but vaguely lost my way in the last couple years. Its so good to see another person who believes in science and religion. I don’t think one can exist without the other, but it gets so blurred with all the bible bashing extremists out there.
Keep up the great posts!
Thanks for the encouraging comment 🙂 I quite like Einstein’s quote on religion and science: “Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind”.
I have a very similar opinion to you about religion 🙂 I am studying biology, there is no doubt in my mind that evolution is what happen, but that doesn’t mean I outright think there is no God. Many religious people I have talked to have such a rigid definition of what you should believe, and when I say I believe in evolution, they automatically assume I am an evil being 😛 Then when I turn around and say that I do believe that there is a higher force (aka God) that is at work, they can’t understand it. Its nice to know I’m not the only science orientated person that also has positive religious views 🙂
I can imagine studying biology you are made much more aware of evolution 🙂 with engineering we just concentrate on the large-scale: formation of the universe, formation of earth, formation of the rock groupings on earth and there our interest diminishes 😛 Hahaha I can imagine some zealous people would look at you like you’ve just told them you’ve been practicing witch craft 😛 There are a few of us around, just don’t search the internet for the rest of us 🙂