The God Particles: Part Two - New Evangelizers

The God Particles: Part One can be found here.

Fact & Belief

“Objective knowledge provides us with powerful instruments for the achievements of certain ends, but the ultimate goal itself and the longing to reach it must come from another source.”

“For the scientific method can teach us nothing else beyond how facts are related to, and conditioned by, each other. The aspiration toward such objective knowledge belongs to the highest of which man is capable… Yet it is equally clear that knowledge of what is does not open the door directly to what should be. One can have the clearest and most complete knowledge of what is, and yet not be able to deduct from that what should be the goal of our human aspirations.”

“The ancients knew something which we seem to have forgotten. All means prove but a blunt instrument, if they have not behind them a living spirit.”

-Albert Einstein, from an address at Princeton Theological Seminary, 1939

Ever since the first observant soul struck two pieces of flint to spark a small pile of dry grass and twigs into a fire or used a tree limb lever to move a stone into the foundation of a shelter, there has always been someone standing near telling them to cease before they trigger the wrath of the gods.

But why?

Why must the systematic pursuit to explain our world through facts and data (science) clash with belief (religion) when they should be interwoven?

In his quotes, even Albert Einstein, perhaps the premier scientist of our time, recognizes the inherent value of both science and religion. It is a pleasant surprise to find top-flight scientists who understand the importance of both science and religion. The ego of these genius minds often gets in the way and blinds their intellectual pursuits from ethical and moral boundaries.

Through his thoughts on science and religion, it is clear Einstein was troubled by the danger of how science and technology, in particular the nuclear science and technology he helped define, would be used in the troubling political and social landscape of World War II.

Science falls flat and can become dangerous without the moral drive. The pursuit of discovery and knowledge should rise from faith and belief, not without them. As Einstein aptly said, “The aspiration toward such objective knowledge belongs to the highest of which man is capable.” In other words, the pursuit of knowledge needs to be bounded by adherence to a moral and ethical standard. And where is the best place to find the moral and ethical standards of a society? In their religion, that’s where.

On the other hand, religion without discovery stagnates and falters. Without the thirst to use the magnificent brains God gave us, faith and religion fail to grow and we spend our existence in fear of our surroundings. We are scared to understand our world and we fail to dream of what can be. We fail to hope. We sit chained, at the edge of our flat planet in the very center of the universe, neither learning from the past nor peering over the edge at what lies ahead.

We need religion and science. We need the desire and the drive to discover the intricate, delicate and awesome world we live in. We need the faith and belief to pursue the quest for knowledge that improves the human condition.

Religion also grounds science and keeps the push for discovery within the boundaries of moral and ethical limits. Science contributes to religion by helping us understand the beauty of God’s universe which, hopefully, can lead to a deeper faith and a better humanity. The choice is ours.
The cool thing about science and religion is both are alive and vibrant. Both are powerful forces which can either make us better human beings or destroy us.

With the blessing of Pentecost still fresh in our minds, this excerpt from Saint Cyril seemed to fit the relationship between the pursuit of objective knowledge and faith.

The Spirit comes to enlighten the mind first of the one who receives him, and then, through him, the minds of others as well. As light strikes the eyes of  a man who comes out of darkness into the sunshine and enables him to see clearly things he could not discern before, so light floods the soul of the man counted worthy of receiving the Holy Spirit and enables him to see things beyond the range of human vision, things hitherto undreamed of.                     

 -St. Cyril of Jerusalem, The Living Water of the Holy Spirit (Liturgy of the Hours)

The faith and discovery enlightenment we receive through the Holy Spirit is a tremendous gift from God. We, as Christians, should be inspired by the Spirit to use our faith and our intellect to contribute something positive to our collective human condition.

Keep an open mind.

Keep an inquisitive mind.

Most importantly, keep a faithful mind.

Copyright 2014, Mike Hays

Mike Hays

Mike Hays is a husband, a father of three, a lifelong Kansan and works as a molecular microbiologist. Besides writing, he has been a high school strength and conditioning coach, a football coach and a baseball coach. His debut middle grade historical fiction novel, THE YOUNGER DAYS, is a 2012 recipient of The Catholic Writer's Guild Seal of Approval Award. You can find it at the publisher's website or on Amazon.