Bible and Science

AMS Region Midweek Devo Series The Bible and Science Rolan D. Monje, REE, MMin 14 Oct 2004, Yamaha Bldg, Makati City Goals show that the Bible and science should not contradict To show how science can build our faith in the Bible and also in God To What do Bible critics say? useless! The Bible and Science will never have a common ground.  It’s worthless! The Bible is not worthy of attention or respect.  It’s so confusing! The Bible is too hard to understand. It’s just like Science.  It’s What does focused study show? are removed.  Many criticisms are biased or unfounded.  The Bible and science should not necessarily contradict!  Misconceptions Science and Religion: Potential for harmony "I want to know how God created this world. I am not interested in this or that phenomenon, in the spectrum of this or that element. I want to know his thoughts; the rest are details."-- Albert Einstein Did some scientists believe in God?  Bacteriology  Calculus and Dynamics  Celestial Mechanics Kepler  Electrodynamics Maxwell  Electromagnetism  Gas Dynamics  Genetics Louis Pasteur Sir Isaac Newton Johannes James Clerk Michael Faraday Robert Boyle Gregor Mendel How does science relate to the Bible? 1. 2. 3. 4. Archeology – proves the historical truths of the Bible Statistics - shows how improbable (and impossible) miracles are Medicine – proves that ancient Israel was „ahead‟ of its time because of God‟s law other sciences and combined fields Can science help explain the Bible? YES! Aside from giving proof of the truth of whole Bible, science helps us appreciate the power and nature of God in different ways. Science helps us to appreciate… God‟s directions for Ancient Israel The Miracles of the Bible The Universe which God made The Human Body God‟s directions for Israel Very different compared to ancient Egypt, 3500 years ago. During the time of Moses, Egyptians were the most “advanced.” The Egyptian „experts‟ Papyrus Ebers 1552 B.C. Egyptian Prescriptions… 1. 2. 3. “To cure pinkeye apply the urine of a faithful wife.” To embedded splinters they applied worms‟ blood and donkey‟s dung. To prevent hair from turning gray, anoint it with the blood of a black calf which has been boiled in oil, or with the fat of a rattlesnake.” But the Bible says… Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life. (Proverbs 16:31) Egyptian Rx for Hair loss  “When it falls out, one remedy is to apply a mixture of six fats,namely those of the horse, hippopotamus, the crocodile, the cat, the snake, and the ibex. To strengthen it, anoint it with the tooth of a donkey crushed in honey.” But the Bible says… “When a man has lost his hair and is bald, he is clean. If he has lost his hair from the front of his scalp and has a bald forehead, he is clean.” - Lev 13:40-41 Another example of Bible wisdom…  “Whoever touches the dead body of anyone will be unclean for seven days. He must purify himself with the water on the third and seventh day...take some hyssop, dip it in the water and sprinkle the tent and furnishings and the people who were there.” - Num 19:11 Hyssop contains thymol! Thymol, disinfectant The Bible and Sex Leviticus 18 “Do not have sexual relations with….”  I Corinthians 6:18 “Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits outside are his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.”  Results of immorality/ wrong views about sex • Herpes, Gonorrhea, Syphilis, Chlamydia • Genital warts and Cancer of Cervix • Infertility and Tubal pregnancy • Pelvic infection •Teenage, unwanted pregnancy and abortions • Rape, abuse, violence, psychol. illness • AIDS and other infections Science helps us to appreciate… God‟s directions for Ancient Israel The Miracles of the Bible The Universe which God made The Human Body The Miracles of the Bible The Flood, Gen 7-9 1deg tilt? The Miracles of the Bible The Sun stopping, Jos 10 300Tr H-bombs The Miracles of the Bible Water into Wine, John 2 wow! Another type of Bible “miracle” In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth araaaahij aThe earth and the heavens [art] God created in the beg. Another type of Bible “miracle” Amazing facts from Gen 1:1: 1. The total no. of words in Gen 1:1 is 7. 2. The total num. value of the three nouns God, heaven, earth - is 777, or 111 x 7. 3. The num value of the verb - created - is 203, or 29 x 7. 4. The num value of the first, middle, and last Hebrew letters is 133, or 19 x 7. Another type of Bible “miracle” 5. The num values of the first and last letters of the first and last words is 497, or 71 x 7. 6. The num value of the last letters of the first and last words is 490, or 70 x 7. 7. The number of letters in the three leading words - God, heaven, earth - is 14, or 2 x 7. 8. The shortest word of this verse is in the middle. The number of letters in this word and the words to the right and left of it is 7. THE BIBLE HAS SO MUCH MORE TO OFFER THAN WE THINK! Science helps us to appreciate… God‟s directions for Ancient Israel The Miracles of the Bible The Universe which God made The Human Body The Universe which God made So God made the expanse and separated the water… -Gen 1:7 Water The Universe which God made The Universe which God made Physical Constants …God saw all that he had made, and it was very good… - Gen 1:31 God is not a god of disorder… - 1 Cor 14:33 The Universe which God made: God is a God of order Physical constants (unchanging values) The Universe which God made: God is a God of order Constants Which Had to be Just Right For Life Constant 1. Gravitational constant 2. Strong Nuclear Force 3. Weak Nuclear Force A Little Bigger very short-lived stars no hydrogen, fusion all H2  He at big bang no chemical bonding no galaxies A Little Smaller no stars only hydrogen no He at big bang no heavy elements no chemical bonding universe collapses quickly 4. Electric Force 5. Expansion rate of universe The Universe which God made The Number of Stars "Look up at the heavens and count the stars--if indeed you can count them." - Gen 15:5 ...as countless as the stars of the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore...- Jer 33:22 The Universe which God made Number of stars in the universe can be equal or even exceed the number of grains of sand in all the seashores of all the world… The Universe which God made What atheist scientists say about design of the universe  Superintellect ingenious  supernatural Agency  Supreme Being, and  providentially crafted  can only refer to a person: GOD!  exceedingly Science helps us to appreciate… God‟s directions for Ancient Israel The Miracles of the Bible The Universe which God made The Human Body The Human Body I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made… For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb… - Ps 139 The Human Body: forming ? Elements Amino Acids  Proteins  DNA and RNA  Cells  Organs  Living beings The Human Body  “The current scenario of the origin life is about as likely as the assemblage of a 747 by a tornado whirling through a junkyard.” F. Hoyle, “The Intelligent Universe”, 1983. An original proponent of the Big Bang Theory (saw no need for a God) The Human Body: cost?  Trillion dollar man Dr. Horowitz (Yale University): Total cost of ‘assembling’ one person from all the raw elements would be approximately 1 Tr Tr US$. This would deplete the world of all its resources. The Human Body: amazing facts  Our skin  Our heart  Our genes  Our brain  Our muscles  Our blood vessels Science helps us to appreciate… God‟s directions for Ancient Israel The Miracles of the Bible The Universe which God made The Human Body The Bible says… You asked, `Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?' Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. - Job 42:3 The Bible says… He made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding… - Jer 51:15 The Bible says… For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength…- 1 Cor 1:25 The Bible says… His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Eph 3:10-11 Conclusion IS AWESOME!  Science and religion are not enemies.  Science can build our faith in the Bible and ultimately, in God.  God who is all-knowing wants to amaze us with His wonders, because He loves us!  Study the Bible and get to know the God who created you and loves you.  GOD AMS Region Midweek Devo Series The Bible and Science Rolan D. Monje, REE, MMin 14 Oct 2004, Yamaha Bldg, Makati City QC Central Midweek Devo Series The Bible and Science 17 Aug 2004, PCC, Quezon City QC Central Midweek Devo Series The Bible and Science 17 Aug 2004, PCC, Quezon City