Truthfulness is an important virtue in the lives of all humans. Truthfulness is not only needed in the religious setting but everywhere. It is not only practiced by religious people, but by many other non-religious groups. Atheists even believe in truthfulness. Whereas many people will condemn science, it is evidently clear that science has done better than harm. In fact, science is everything. We apply science in our everyday life. Life is basically about science. I am even compelled to say that religion is science because we can find some scientific ‘traits’ in religions. Whereas science deals with evidence, religion normally goes beyond evidence and so there is the need for one to have faith so that they can appreciate the religion they find themselves in.
In this our world now, we have become too religious that we are failing to comply to some simple and truthful scientific outcomes. Yes! It is true, science sometimes “fails” us, but this does not mean we should neglect the outcomes of all scientific findings (especially from notable and widely accepted scientific bodies). Of course, the issue of too much religiosity is not new. It has been there even before the birth of Jesus Christ. Pythagoras was the first philosopher to say the ‘earth is spherical’ somewhere in 500 BC. However, many people didn’t believe Him. Later on, in 350 BC, Aristotle confirmed that. Yet, many still didn’t believe. Now, we have all come to accept the fact that the earth is spherical. I am sure some ‘notorious’ religious people still doubt this. As long as there is God, the world will each day be a mystery. There is nothing new on this earth, yet not all things have been discovered. Every day, new things are discovered which can be helpful to us or harm us. There are ‘harmful things’ that have been discovered but have been used very well to our aid. There are also ‘harmless things’ that have been discovered but have been used wrongly to our disadvantage. Who is to blame?
Beloved, let us appreciate science and its findings. Yes! We sometimes fear to accept science due to the disproves and condemnations of some scientific theories that were seen to be ‘truths.’ We are sometimes too disappointed in ‘updates’ of some theories or concepts that we thought were 99 percent truth. But this shouldn’t make us turn our backs on science. We need to know that science evolves each day. Science has some iota of truths in it. God gave us common sense to make use of the resources in the world. Yes! Faith can answer all things, but let us remember that even God applied some ‘principles’ of science in His redemptive work.
In the bible, from the Old Testament (OT) to the New Testament, we can find some elements of scientific ‘alterations’ in there. From the onset, the people of the Old Testament were not so clear on the real nature of God. Gradually from the prophets and the law, Jesus came to reveal the true nature of God, and He fulfilled scriptures (OT) alongside showing us the real nature of God. This is partly perhaps the reason we sometimes think some books in the bible are contradictory. No! They are not. Just that, perhaps comparatively, one of them lacks ‘enough divine evidence.’ This doesn’t make such books “useless” nor uninspired by the Holy Spirit.
Many prophets prophesied on the coming of the Messiah. When the Messiah finally arrived, earlier on, many rejected him. But now, according to data, about 30% of the world have accepted Him. Formerly, it didn’t make sense to them, but now we see that there is so much truth and sense in the concept of Jesus as the Messiah and the way to our salvation. The science we reject Today will one day make sense. Do not condemn science. Do not be a sola fide (justification by faith alone) but apply science and common sense too.
Let us go to the hospital when we are sick. It is not only about prayers. Yes, prayers can answer all things, but it is not every issue that will need ‘spiritual remedy.’ There are some human issues that will need ‘non-spiritual remedy.’ Let us know the truth, and the truth shall set us free. This is not to say all outcomes of science are true. Of course, just like there are false prophets in the world, there will certainly be ‘false scientists’ in the world who are wildly ready to harm souls. We need to be careful with such people. How do we know what a genuine scientific teaching or outcome is? Just like many believers choose or belong to a particular church, say the Catholic Church for the safety of their souls, we also need to consider the outcomes of scientific findings from authenticated & trusted sources and institutions. Examples (WHO, CDC, UNEP, UNESCO, FDA etc.) In Ghana, we can consider FDA, CSIR, Forestry commission Ghana, Noguchi, GWCL and many other scientific governmental organizations. This does not mean they can never fail us, but at least complying to their findings will go a long way to help us here on earth. After all, most of these bodies ensure the safety of our food and water. If they were not reliable, more than 60 percent of the humans on earth would have been wiped out due to contamination (via food and water poisoning).
Love science, pray for all scientists, philosophers and all naturalists who are trying to discover what nature has for us. Gradually, this world will be a better place.
Enjoy the rest of the day.
Thank you.
