Man of Science and God

Some have probably given up on me and thought this blog was forever abandoned. I assure you that this is not the case. Once again, I have saved up for a particularly important post.

First, as of today I am finished with classes for my college career to this point. Although I do not see myself returning for a Master's degree or a Ph. D., I won't say that I am finished with college forever. I am glad that it is over for the time being. Now, only a week of finals and final papers stand between me and my ultimate academic goal of graduating summa cum laude (with highest honor).

The real subject I want to discuss involves a dilemma which has recently come into play in my life and will certainly haunt me as long as I live. It began to be significant when I started college and a major relationship with Whitney. I have heard numerous people deny that it is a problem at all, or they simply engage in selective hearing. That is not an answer to the problem for me.

As an engineering student, I have listened to my fair share of science and theories. I have been taught how to think critically and analyze problems based on the facts given. Most of this will have no bearing on my faith, or anyone else's for that matter. However, theories of the origin of species, natural selection, and evolution, for example, can be quite upsetting and even damaging to one's beliefs.

I have taken an English class this quarter in which we have read Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species, The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, and Sigmund Freud's Civilization and Its Discontents. Here, I must stick to my experiences with the work of Darwin, but I could certainly spend a blog post or two on these other titles that I have mentioned. Keep in mind that these three literary works are some of the most influential and revolutionary in our world's history. Of course, I can name a book, which I prefer, that has had an effect far greater than the three combined.

Without going into any unnecessary detail, I will tell you that some of Darwin's ideas, as you may already know, conflict with those of Christians such as the Creation. Remember, I am just using Darwin and evolution as an example. Science has many branches. Now, I could choose to forget everything I have learned on such controversial subjects and continue living life as it was before it was complicated by this thing called science. I could also take another path which would eventually lead to abandoning my faith and religious beliefs altogether. This is the dilemma which I mentioned previously. It is a constant battle between the way I live and the way I will make a living. Rest assured. I have no intention of forsaking my beliefs.

It is not acceptable for me to give up science in order to make this struggle easier no more than it is admissible for me to deny the existence of God. I have been gifted with skills that have fostered my engineering education and an insatiable desire for learning, both of which I intend to use to the fullest extent. The benefit of society and the environment are both ultimate goals of my career and of the engineering profession.

So, how does someone, in such a position, manage these forces? How does someone use everyday for their occupation the same tools of science which have given rise to the opposition of their beliefs? Some have found a compromise between science and God, which I believe is the best route to take. I think Darwin said it best in his conclusion:

"I see no good reason why the views given in this volume should shock the religious feelings of any one." He also quotes from a celebrated author who wrote to him that "he has gradually learnt to see that it is just as noble a conception of the Deity to believe that He created a few original forms capable of self-development into other and needful forms, as to believe that He required a fresh act of creation to supply the voids caused by the action of His laws."

Although science, in one form or another, may challenge your beliefs, you must simply stand strong. Do not let your faith be shaken by anything. Apart from this simple conclusion, I can say nothing else. It is a situation that I must constantly evaluate.