Why It's So Hard for Scientists to Believe in God | Francis Collins

[Mboo]

it might interest you that scientific advances help to feed the hungry, which is something Jesus commanded us to do

At all times charitable souls have always given food to those who are hungry without the support of science.
Individually, I do not need scientific discoveries to feed my hungry neighbor and that is what God expects from me.

 

[RandomAlias]

At all times charitable souls have always given food to those who are hungry without the support of science.

That was true in the past, and would have remained true up to the time that the world population got into the billions. At that point, natural farming or organic farming would not provide enough food for everyone. In those circumstances, I am sure you would give food to the poor if you had any to give, but what if you had only enough food for your family, and none to give without facing starvation yourself? That’s what I’m talking about. Without someone, not necessarily you, developing science, the agricultural limits of the earth would keep most of the world on the verge of starvation.

 

[Mboo]

That was true in the past, and would have remained true up to the time that the world population got into the billions. At that point, natural farming or organic farming would not provide enough food for everyone. In those circumstances, I am sure you would give food to the poor if you had any to give, but what if you had no food to give? That’s what I’m talking about. Without someone, not necessarily you, developing science, the agricultural limits of the earth would keep most of the world on the verge of starvation

There they are just speculations. People can not know how the world would be if there had been no scientific revolution. Maybe it would be better (ie more turned towards God) maybe it would be less so.
It is God who governs the world, even the discoveries of these scientists, it is God who made them discover. God can make discover what he wants and to whom he wants, he has not needs scientists …

 

[RandomAlias]

Well, it is possible that without scientific advancement, the world population would have remained under a billion or so, due to diseases which today are preventable by vaccination or curable by antibiotics. Then the world would not need so much food.

Also, in the absence of machinery, the world would still rely on slave labor to keep the farms running efficiently. That’s biblical, isn’t it? So we would be all right. Except for the slaves, of course, but hey! Slaves can be close to God (as the Israelites showed Pharaoh), and that’s what counts, right?

 

[IWantGod]

Well, it is possible that without scientific advancement, the world population would have remained under a billion or so, due to diseases which today are preventable by vaccination or curable by antibiotics. Then the world would not need so much food.

True. But it is still good to seek cures for ilness’s. It’s in our nature to fix things, to become better, to grow in knowledge, to become greater in our own unique ways. God put this in our nature. So what sense does it make to say this is all just vanity? It’s God’s will… God gave us rational minds not only so that we could know God, but also so that we can bring good into the world.through our actions.This is giving glory to God. Curing illness gives glory to God. Science gives glory to God despite the fact that some seem to think that science counts against him. We were always going to invent the scientific method… We were always going to invent better technology to do things more efficiently. It was always just a matter of when and where.

Personally, i say thanks be to God for science because it has produced good fruit.

 

[RandomAlias]

Returning to the subject of the Original Post, Dr. Collins seems to describe something like Deism, the idea that the universe was created by an intelligence which designed it, set it in motion, and then left it alone for the rest of time. This leaves no room for the intervention of God is worldly affairs, or miracles, or resurrection. Or does it?

I think it is easier for scientists to accept Deism than Theism, because the latter, if I am not mistaken, assumes that the Lord and Creator occasionally violates the laws of nature which he designed.

 

[Mboo]

Well, it is possible that without scientific advancement, the world population would have remained under a billion or so, due to diseases which today are preventable by vaccination or curable by antibiotics. Then the world would not need so much food.

Also, in the absence of machinery, the world would still rely on slave labor to keep the farms running efficiently. That’s biblical, isn’t it? So we would be all right. Except for the slaves, of course, but hey! Slaves can be close to God (as the Israelites showed Pharaoh), and that’s what counts, right?

Yes you won me, I give up …