Saturday, August 16, 2003

When Faith and Reason Divorce: There are two good articles about faith and science that you should read. The Washington Monthly talks about the growing anti-science movement in the GOP, while Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times talks about the demise of intellectual Christianity and the rise of the anti-intellectuals in the church.



The growing know-nothingness in the Republican Party spells trouble for our society. Take for example, stem cell research. Stem cells from unused embryos could be the cure for many diseases like Parkinson's. However, many far-right Christians consider using these embryos which would be discarded anyway, as akin to murder. While we must grapple with the ethical and moral implications of this new technology, we also must look to the ethical and moral implications of not doing this and allowing people to suffer.



When I was in college, I went to a church that hosted a seminar on evolution. The presenters were all scientists spreading the gospel of "creation-science." The beleived evolution was a lie and that the earth was created in six twenty-four hour days. In fact, they said the evolution was the lynchpin of a whole ideology which inlcuded such other things as abortion and homosexuality that would draw people away from God. If you think I'm joking, just visit the Institute for Creation Research.



For me, faith and reason must go together. The Bible calls us to love God with our hearts and minds. If you want to see what a society looks like that has given up on reason, just remember life under the Taliban in Afghanistan. Somehow, I think I will be writing more on this...

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