Pondering our Beginnings
06/03/12 05:50
This week I will be leading a class with the students preparing for the rite of confirmation in our church. The topic for the week is creation. I’ve been having regular conversations with teens about the topic for three decades and the conversations never get old. Last week, when we had a bit of time for free conversation at the end of our class, questions about creation were already bobbing to the surface.
Some of the questions are ones that have been around for decades and more. Most of the youth have heard that the Biblical view of creation is diametrically opposed to the view of science and that there is some kind of forced choice: you have to believe in one or the other. The truth, of course, is more complex than a simple science vs. religion debate. In polarized debates one of the techniques employed is to simplify the position of the opposition. If you only listen to the debates you might come to the conclusion that both sides are inherently simple. Seeking the truth requires a more nuanced and careful approach than is offered in debates focused on producing winners and losers.
For generations our people answered the questions of origin on family terms. We told the stories of our ancestors. Often the stories began with Abram and Sarai departing their family in Haran and setting off in pursuit of the vision that God was revealing to them. There don’t seem to be many stories about what happened before that time. When our people were part of a tribal society, wandering from place to place, the most important question was not what set the universe in motion, but rather what makes our story unique. How are we different from other people? What does it mean to join up with our band and be a part of our journeys?
Later, during the exile, we encountered origin stories of other people. Some of these stories posited theories about the beginnings of the world, as it was then known. Our people reacted negatively to the stories that involved multiple deities. We had become attached to the theology of one and only one God by that time. So we came up with our own stories. By that point in our history, we were already used to multiple points of view, so when the book of Genesis made the transition from a collection of carefully kept oral traditions to a written document, it represented multiple points of view. Scholars can identify at least four camps within the book. Sometimes these are discussed as if there were four distinct authors each offering their own contributions. The reality is likely more complex, but we do know that the book that has become the beginning of our bible is the product of many people who lived in faith and were engaged in deep relationship with God.
These important and long-treasured stories of our people continue to tell the important perspective on which we have staked our faith. There is only one God and the true God is the source of all that is.
What these stories do not do, is to present a scientific perspective. Written more than a couple of millennia before the advent of modern scientific method, they offer no opinion, pro or con, as to the effectiveness of scientific methodologies in discerning truth. The bottom line is that the Bible is not interested in arguing with science. It is interested in proclaiming the truth about God and inviting people into relationship with God.
Some scientists, however, are intent on arguing with the Bible. They have come to the conclusion that God does not exist and like to use scientific method to argue against the existence of God. The problem with their arguments is that invariably they do not know the God of the bible and their arguments succeed in arguing against the existence of quite a different notion of God than the Biblical God.
And they still run into many of us who have no desire to argue about the existence of God in the first place. When you live your life in a deep relationship with God, there is little interest in discussing whether or not God exists. It seems as silly as discussing whether or not the universe exists. Exploring the nature of God and talking about how God works in human history are interesting topics. Getting to know God better is worthy of our time. In that we are like the scientists. They do not invest their time or studies in the question of whether or not the universe exists. Rather they study that which seems to them to be obvious. Things that can be observed are “real” and therefore worthy of study.
It doesn’t take a competent scientist long to discover that there is more to the universe than what can be directly observed. Some things are too distant, others are too tiny, and more than a few things move too quickly to allow visual observation to be the only tool employed by scientists. Even the incredible tools that enhance vision such as telescopes and microscopes don’t provide sufficient assistance for direct observation.
Scientists set up experiments and devise elaborate schemes to make their experiments repeatable so that they can replicate results. And they make mistakes. Mistakes in calculations as well as mistakes in assuming that all variables have been considered can result in misleading results. But mistakes are the stuff of scientific observation. Each mistake that is caught opens the door to additional learning. Each result that surprises gives rise to new experiments to test the result. Each new discovery points to how little is known and how much is left to discover.
So I do not approach my discussions with students as if I somehow possessed knowledge. I have some insights and perhaps a modicum of wisdom honed over the decades. But I do not own the answers. What I can share with the students is the joy of discovery and the delight in asking the big questions.
And I can share my conviction that regardless of the methodology, God is at the heart of all that is. Which means that the conclusions of science are always partial truths waiting for new discovery. Interpretation of observations is always subject to revision. Those who conclude that there is no God have drawn their conclusions prematurely without having considered all of the evidence.
The story of our people and our relationship with God may have been going on for thousands of years, but the God we serve is eternal. From God’s point of view, we are just beginning. These young people, which whom I am privileged to work, will discover and understand more than I am able to imagine.
When we walk with God, the truth is never behind us. It is always ahead.
Some of the questions are ones that have been around for decades and more. Most of the youth have heard that the Biblical view of creation is diametrically opposed to the view of science and that there is some kind of forced choice: you have to believe in one or the other. The truth, of course, is more complex than a simple science vs. religion debate. In polarized debates one of the techniques employed is to simplify the position of the opposition. If you only listen to the debates you might come to the conclusion that both sides are inherently simple. Seeking the truth requires a more nuanced and careful approach than is offered in debates focused on producing winners and losers.
For generations our people answered the questions of origin on family terms. We told the stories of our ancestors. Often the stories began with Abram and Sarai departing their family in Haran and setting off in pursuit of the vision that God was revealing to them. There don’t seem to be many stories about what happened before that time. When our people were part of a tribal society, wandering from place to place, the most important question was not what set the universe in motion, but rather what makes our story unique. How are we different from other people? What does it mean to join up with our band and be a part of our journeys?
Later, during the exile, we encountered origin stories of other people. Some of these stories posited theories about the beginnings of the world, as it was then known. Our people reacted negatively to the stories that involved multiple deities. We had become attached to the theology of one and only one God by that time. So we came up with our own stories. By that point in our history, we were already used to multiple points of view, so when the book of Genesis made the transition from a collection of carefully kept oral traditions to a written document, it represented multiple points of view. Scholars can identify at least four camps within the book. Sometimes these are discussed as if there were four distinct authors each offering their own contributions. The reality is likely more complex, but we do know that the book that has become the beginning of our bible is the product of many people who lived in faith and were engaged in deep relationship with God.
These important and long-treasured stories of our people continue to tell the important perspective on which we have staked our faith. There is only one God and the true God is the source of all that is.
What these stories do not do, is to present a scientific perspective. Written more than a couple of millennia before the advent of modern scientific method, they offer no opinion, pro or con, as to the effectiveness of scientific methodologies in discerning truth. The bottom line is that the Bible is not interested in arguing with science. It is interested in proclaiming the truth about God and inviting people into relationship with God.
Some scientists, however, are intent on arguing with the Bible. They have come to the conclusion that God does not exist and like to use scientific method to argue against the existence of God. The problem with their arguments is that invariably they do not know the God of the bible and their arguments succeed in arguing against the existence of quite a different notion of God than the Biblical God.
And they still run into many of us who have no desire to argue about the existence of God in the first place. When you live your life in a deep relationship with God, there is little interest in discussing whether or not God exists. It seems as silly as discussing whether or not the universe exists. Exploring the nature of God and talking about how God works in human history are interesting topics. Getting to know God better is worthy of our time. In that we are like the scientists. They do not invest their time or studies in the question of whether or not the universe exists. Rather they study that which seems to them to be obvious. Things that can be observed are “real” and therefore worthy of study.
It doesn’t take a competent scientist long to discover that there is more to the universe than what can be directly observed. Some things are too distant, others are too tiny, and more than a few things move too quickly to allow visual observation to be the only tool employed by scientists. Even the incredible tools that enhance vision such as telescopes and microscopes don’t provide sufficient assistance for direct observation.
Scientists set up experiments and devise elaborate schemes to make their experiments repeatable so that they can replicate results. And they make mistakes. Mistakes in calculations as well as mistakes in assuming that all variables have been considered can result in misleading results. But mistakes are the stuff of scientific observation. Each mistake that is caught opens the door to additional learning. Each result that surprises gives rise to new experiments to test the result. Each new discovery points to how little is known and how much is left to discover.
So I do not approach my discussions with students as if I somehow possessed knowledge. I have some insights and perhaps a modicum of wisdom honed over the decades. But I do not own the answers. What I can share with the students is the joy of discovery and the delight in asking the big questions.
And I can share my conviction that regardless of the methodology, God is at the heart of all that is. Which means that the conclusions of science are always partial truths waiting for new discovery. Interpretation of observations is always subject to revision. Those who conclude that there is no God have drawn their conclusions prematurely without having considered all of the evidence.
The story of our people and our relationship with God may have been going on for thousands of years, but the God we serve is eternal. From God’s point of view, we are just beginning. These young people, which whom I am privileged to work, will discover and understand more than I am able to imagine.
When we walk with God, the truth is never behind us. It is always ahead.