Andrew Sullivan links to a Walrus Magazine profile of Vatican astronomer Guy Consolmagno, who argues that religion and science--specifically astronomy--do not inherently contradict each other. Rather, he argues that astronomy allows us to appreciate the universe as a creation:
“Seeing the universe as God’s creation means that getting to play in the universe - which is really what a scientist does — is a way of playing with the Creator,” he says. “It’s a religious act. And it’s a very joyous act.”
I identify myself as a religious agnostic, but it's always nice to see faith and science complement one another. If people approach their religion flexibly, science and religion can better reconcile their differences.
For a long time the Catholic Church believed that the sun moved and the earth stood still because of Joshua 10:12 when the prophet Joshua sings a song after a great, victorious battle and he says, ""O sun, stand still over Gibeon, O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon."
ReplyDeleteAnd the narrative responds in vs. 13: "So the sun stood still and the moon stopped."
So at first glance it would seem that the Bible is indicating a wrong perspective of the universe, a view the Church believed for a long, long time.
However, that is simply a matter of speech. After all, don't we say today that, "The Sun RISES in the East and it SETS in the West?"
Does that mean that every time we say that we believe it's the sun moving and not the Earth? No. It's simply a phrase we use because it makes sense in the way we view the world from our perspective.
That doesn't mean Astronomy has disproved religion. This is one place where I agree with Sullivan (and I don't agree with him much). Ultimately studying the Earth and the Universe simply tells us the details of God's creation.