Science and Religion, Can they Co-exist?
Every few months there is a science based controversy in the media. Evolution, intelligent design global warming, and population explosion are just a few examples where supposed scientific arguements are used to challenge believers.
Fr. Paul Nienaber, SJ is a physics professor and Fermi lab researcher in the area of Neutrinos and building block particles. As a Jesuit priest, it is his vocation to straddle both worlds of theology and science, professor and pastor.
Fr. Nienaber is a very strict scientist. The way of science is the way of precision and exactness. When queried on specific areas of controversy, such as evolution, he carefully chose his words, and did not feel qualified as a physicist to answer questions in biology.
Father's presentation tracked the development of science in the West through such figures as Gallileo, Sir Isaac Newton, and Rene Descartes, and the shift in cultural mindset that they fostered.
Most of the areas of contention between science and religion come from people doing poor science and people preaching poor religion. The area of expertise of science is the empirical study of matter and its properties, and the area of expertise of religion is experience, the experience of individuals and communities as they feel the touch of the transcendant.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Vicki Thorn
Call to Be Catholic opened its 6th program year in 2009 with Vicki Thorn speaking at St. Joseph's in Owatonna. Vicki Thorn is the founder of Project Rachel, a program that ministers to women suffering from the trauma and effects of abortion. Beyond the questions of morality and politics which abortion brings to mind, there is still a human dimension to the situation which requires pastoral compassion.
The focus of Vicki's talk, however, was the alienation and suffering of the Generation X and Generation Y young adults who have grown up in post- 1960s culture. Vicki's approach to this topic was unique and candid, sharing many insights drawn from scientific sources.
It was this choice of sources which made Vicki's message so powerful. Without quoting scripture, theology, or any teaching document of the Church, Vicki made her pro - life, pro - family argument drawing primarily from biology.
The pheromones, the chemicals of attraction between men and women, are changed by chemical contraceptives, causing relational frictions at a very basic level when the woman's system is cleared of chemicals.
A woman's body is changed by pregnancy in ways that are continually being discovered, and some of these new discoveries lend further credence to the pro - life viewpoint. The link between abortion and breastcancer has been discussed in literature for several years, However, building on this point, it is now known that a great deal of a woman's future health depends on carrying early pregnancies to term.
Vicki Thorn gave an incredible presentation, and backed her position with solid biology and science, taking life issues out of the realms of philosophy and theology, and into the hard sciences.
The focus of Vicki's talk, however, was the alienation and suffering of the Generation X and Generation Y young adults who have grown up in post- 1960s culture. Vicki's approach to this topic was unique and candid, sharing many insights drawn from scientific sources.
It was this choice of sources which made Vicki's message so powerful. Without quoting scripture, theology, or any teaching document of the Church, Vicki made her pro - life, pro - family argument drawing primarily from biology.
The pheromones, the chemicals of attraction between men and women, are changed by chemical contraceptives, causing relational frictions at a very basic level when the woman's system is cleared of chemicals.
A woman's body is changed by pregnancy in ways that are continually being discovered, and some of these new discoveries lend further credence to the pro - life viewpoint. The link between abortion and breastcancer has been discussed in literature for several years, However, building on this point, it is now known that a great deal of a woman's future health depends on carrying early pregnancies to term.
Vicki Thorn gave an incredible presentation, and backed her position with solid biology and science, taking life issues out of the realms of philosophy and theology, and into the hard sciences.
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