Last week we spoke about the supposed conflict between science on the one hand and God on the other. But as I mention in my book Atheism Kills and even more elaborately and my upcoming book Atheism Destroys — the second of my Atheism Kills series — that science is in fact a wonder in and of itself. Why do we even have science in the first place?
It’s a question worth posing isn’t it?
For some reason we are hell-bent on science. You might say, “Well, Barak. You know, what are you talking about? Of course we need science, it helps us make a better world. We need the light bulb so we can see at night time. Without science, we wouldn’t be able to communicate by the telephone.” And so forth and so on.
So what? Animals don’t need that either. Why don’t we just survive like the animals? Indeed many people will say that humans are just animals, we’re just more sophisticated perhaps. That’s their go-to answer. But science is more than just trying to explore something to make things more convenient. You see, If you’re an atheist, you really have no interest in time. And if you have no interest in time, that which came before you and that which will come after you, why are you really interested in science? And I’m not even talking about the convenient science, the practical science — Like learning about how electrons move so that we can get electricity and so forth. No, I’m talking about the science that really will not touch your everyday life. Such as studying the galaxies. What is a black hole? How far a star might be 100,000 light years from now will have no impact on your life whatsoever.
There is no fear that you will somehow fall into a black hole and we must learn about it so that we can avoid stepping into that black hole. We learn so many things in science that will be of no consequence to us whatsoever. Now you might say, “Well, Barak, you know… Eventually it’ll be useful to us. That’s what we call applied science.” Eventually, one day, it’ll be useful. Not really.
Do you really think that scientists today, learn their science specifically so that they can one day be useful for people a thousand years from now? Or even a hundred years from now? No.
They do it because it’s fascinating to them. There’s something in science that draws them out — makes them want to explore. There’s something inside them that tells them, “Figure this out.” We need to study that instinct to figure things out. To explore science. Because if you do explore that instinct, you will discover that it’s God asking you — compelling you — to seek Him out. That is the purpose of science.
Once again, when your atheist friend says that science is somehow completely devoid of religion, ask him: Why do you even follow science in the first place? They have never thought about this at all. That science really is something unique to humans and why it’s unique, you should explore that as well.