Many questions are placed before science and religion, often with the expectation of opposing view points. Recently, however, Guy Consolmagno, a planetary scientist and a Jesuit brother, with degrees from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of Arizona was interviewed to answer questions about God and science.
A man of faith through his life, he commented
that, “It’s not the science that led me to God. It’s God that led me to
science…Whether you believe or not has nothing to do with the science you do, it
has everything to do with your experience with the universe, your experience
with God.”
Perhaps the role of science as expressed by Guy Consolmagno is not to prove or disprove God
but to try to understand, to feel joy in learning more and more how our universe
works. Sometimes the questions posed to science are not really within the sphere
of science.
Guy Consolmagno notes that it’s like trying to use the Bible to figure out how
your VCR works, and science, according to him, is not meant to answer what the
purpose of the universe is.
The deep quest for Truth and Wisdom is a timeless and philosophical journey as
well as a scientific one. In the true sense, philosophers are scientists who
postulate, observe, and reflect on knowledge learned through experiences.
This quest towards Truth and the great mysteries of life is an age old quest
begun millennia ago and ever continues as human beings seek to understand the
workings of their world and grasp at those ineffable mysteries which seem to
transcend the understanding of our rational reason.
Science and religion do not have to be enemies!
