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The Rise ofModern

SciencePresented by: Alona Rose L. Jimenea

Science Fiction or Science Fact: Theism as the Foundation for Modern Science

1.What is Theism?

2.Where Did Science Come From?

3.Integrating the Truth

Science Fiction or Science Fact: Theism as the Foundation for Modern Science

•Science and religion are at odds with each other•When the church got out of the way, this was when science flourished.•Science is rational and naturalistic•Faith is subjective (even irrational) and superstitious.•Is this how it really went?

Science Fiction or Science Fact: Theism as the Foundation for Modern Science

•Galileo challenged the earth-centered cosmology of the day.•The Church believed Galileo was in error and contradicted the teaching of Scripture.•Galileo was placed under house arrest by the Church.•Galileo was battling Aristotle (lack of empiricism)

GALILEO GALILEIFATHER OF MODERN SCIENCE

Science Fiction or Science Fact: Theism as the Foundation for Modern Science

•Define a matter•Consider the difficulties involved by reviewing generally accepted views on the subject and suggestions of earlier writers•Present your own arguments and solutions

ARISTOTELEAN SCIENCE

Science Fiction or Science Fact: Theism as the Foundation for Modern Science

•The history of science shows that theism is primarily responsible for the rise of experimental science.•Science is clouded in modern mythology

ORIGINS OF SCIENCE

Science Fiction or Science Fact: Theism as the Foundation for Modern Science

•Scientists are reclaiming the theistic history of science•“Science and Christianity: Conflict or Coherence?” - Henry F. Schaefer (2003)•“Modern Physics and Ancient Faith” - Stephen Barr (2003)•“For the Glory of God: How Monotheism Lead to Reformations, Science, Witch-Hunts, and the End of Slavery” - Rodney Stark (2003)

ORIGINS OF SCIENCE

Science Fiction or Science Fact: Theism as the Foundation for Modern Science

3 BASIC WORLDVIEWS:Theism Naturalism Transcendentalism

THEISM IS A WORLDVIEW

Science Fiction or Science Fact: Theism as the Foundation for Modern Science

·Theism·Creation - God made nature out of nothing

·Naturalism·Evolution - Nature made itself out of nothing

·Transcendentalism·Reincarnation - God made nothing - nature is an illusion - all are part of God

GRAND METAPHYSICAL STORIES

What Culture Founded Science?

“The rise of science was not an extension of classical learning. It was a natural outgrowth of Christian doctrine: Nature exists because it was created by God. To love and honor God, one must fully appreciate the wonders of his handiwork. Moreover, because God is perfect, his handiwork functions in accord with immutable principles. By the full use of our God-given powers of reason and observation, we ought to be able to discover these principles” (Rodney Stark, For the Glory of God, 2003, p. 157).

Summary of Science History

· Natural philosophy begun by Greeks - 4th century BC

· Aristotle emerges as premier natural philosopher - 3rd century BC· Platonism and atomism are competing natural

philosophies - 3rd century BC

· Islamic world adopts Aristotle - 9th century AD

Summary of Science History

· Aristotle widely available to the West - 11th century AD

· Universities founded - 13th century AD· Experimental methodology developed at

Oxford - 13th century AD· Aristotle repudiated - 17th century AD· Birth of modern science - 17th century AD

Scientific Method• Francis Bacon (1620) as a Christian started from the Law of

Causality in his common day living experiences to develop the scientific method

• First: Make an Observation about a phenomena• Second: Make a guess or working hypothesis regarding the

phenomena • Third: experiment to falsify your guess (if falsified, then

start over; if not, it becomes a theory)• Fourth: after much more experimentation, the theory

becomes a law of nature

Scientific Laws

• Gravity Coulomb’s Law• Causality Ohm’s Law• Thermodynamics (zeroth, first, second, third)• Motion (first, second, third)• Conservation of Momentum and Angular Momentum• Conservation of Mass Kirchoff’s Law• Boyle’s Law• Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle• Ideal Gas Law• Law of Biogenesis

Theism vs Naturalism: Which Aligns Better with the Laws of Nature?

Biogenesis

• Law of Biogenesis: Life can only come from life in terms of causality

• Theism: God created mankind with life• Naturalism: Over long periods of time

different animals evolved into greater/larger forms of life but the original life was caused by spontaneous generation

Theism vs Naturalism: Which Aligns Better with the Laws of Nature? Thermodynamics

• 1st Law of Thermodynamics: energy (matter) cannot be created or destroyed

• 2nd Law of Thermodynamics: the amount of available energy is decreasing as things tend to go a disordered state

• Theism: God created everything with the greatest amount of potential energy but things are going downhill ever since and accelerated because of the sin of mankind

• Naturalism: There are ups and downs in thermodynamics of the earth because of the energy from the sun (earth is an open system)

Integrating the Truth

• Truth corresponds to reality.• Reality is that science is largely theistic in

origin• Reality is science but also is more than just

science.

Scientific Limitations

All truth

Scientific truth

Scientific Limitations: Examples

• When science said there were 1100 stars, the bible said that the stars could not be counted (Gen 15:5)

• When science said the earth was flat, the bible said that earth was round (Isaiah 40:22)

• When science said to take blood out of person when they are sick, the bible said that life is in the blood (Lev 17:11)

However, Science is Encouraged in the Bible: The Dominion Mandate

• Gen 1:28 Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it

• Indicates human stewardship under the Creator• Science: Discovery of Truth• Engineering: Applying the Truth• Humanities: Interpreting the Truth• Commerce: Implementing the Truth• Education: Transmission of the Truth

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Thank you!