Christianity & Atheism
Is Science at War with Christianity?
The idea that science and Christianity are at war is largely a myth, invented in the nineteenth century and rejected by most historians of science today. Modern science grew substantially in Christian soil; many of its founders and many scientists now are Christians. Science and faith answer different kinds of questions. Evolution and the Big Bang are not disproofs of God, though some specific religious claims do conflict with mainstream science. Here is a careful account.
The warfare myth
The ‘conflict thesis,’ that religion and science have always been at war, comes mainly from two nineteenth-century books (Draper and White) that historians of science now consider badly misleading. The Galileo affair was real but far more tangled than the cartoon of ‘science vs the church.’ Modern science arose largely among people who expected an orderly, law-governed universe because they believed in a rational Creator.
How science and faith relate
Science studies natural causes by methodological naturalism, a working rule to look for natural explanations. That is not the same as metaphysical naturalism, the philosophical claim that nature is all there is; science as such does not settle whether God exists. On origins, many Christians accept evolution (theistic evolution) and see the Big Bang, a universe with a beginning, as consonant with belief in a Creator. Christian views genuinely range, from young-earth positions that do conflict with mainstream science, to full acceptance of the scientific consensus, and we represent that range rather than one faction.
An honest word
Some particular religious claims do conflict with well-established science, and pretending otherwise helps no one. But ‘science has disproved God’ overreaches: science is superb at how the natural world works, and silent on whether there is anything beyond it. Many working scientists are also Christians.
Historical and philosophical sources are named in the text (e.g. Tacitus, Josephus, Bart Ehrman, Gary Habermas, Alvin Plantinga, John Hick). We aim to cite atheist and skeptical scholars accurately and in their own terms. Bible: King James Version.
Frequently asked questions
- Is science at war with religion?
- Historians of science largely reject the 'conflict thesis.' It was popularized by two 19th-century books now considered misleading. Modern science grew substantially in Christian soil, and many scientists are religious. Specific claims can conflict, but wholesale 'warfare' is a myth.
- Can a Christian accept evolution?
- Yes. Many Christians accept evolution (often called theistic evolution) and the Big Bang, seeing them as how God created. Christian views range from young-earth positions to full acceptance of the scientific consensus.
- Has science disproved God?
- No. Science studies natural causes and is very good at explaining how the natural world works. Whether anything exists beyond nature, including God, is a philosophical question science does not settle.
Come and see, on your own terms
The most honest way to weigh Christianity is to examine the historical evidence and read the earliest sources yourself. The Gospel of Mark, the earliest of the four, is a good place for a skeptic to begin, no belief required to read it.
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