Posted by Gareth Matthews | Posted on 11-01-2006
Category : Religion, Society
If you were watching Channel 4 last night you may have watched a program called ‘
The root of all evil‘. The documentary was presented by Richard Dawkins, an Oxford professor who set out to ask the question ‘
why is the world deluded by religion in the face of opposing scientific evidence that suggests it is all myth and fiction‘. I thought it would be good to discuss some of his ideas and maybe approach them in a less
extremist way.
Dawkins has two main arguments as far as I can see:
- Firstly there is the issues that Christian’s still can’t agree on such as the issues of creation and evolution where he suggests that the overwhelming scientific evidence should cause us to back down and admit we are wrong.
- Then there is the issue that while all the major faiths preach morality, peace and hope in fact they bring violence, intolerance and destruction.
Dawkins is a self-professed atheist and the documentary was very much from that point of view – in fact any mention of Christianity sparked cheesy music and overall even I was left with a tarnished view of my own faith!
So how do we address the issues put forward by this program? I think the issues he raises are ones that need to be talked about and debated – maybe the reason why he has a documentary to do is because they have been swept under the carpet for so long.
One of his main points was on the lines of scientific proof. He recalled a university professor who had passionately believed in a particular theory for many years and had dedicated his life to researching that theory and promoting it. One day, another professor proved to him that what he had in fact believed was completely wrong. Apparently the professor shook him by the hand and thanked him for opening his eyes to this – and apparently that is the attitude which scientists have that us religious people don’t. Whilst I agree with him that if something is proved to be completely false it just looks foolish to continue saying that it is in fact true I think it is ultimately impossible to disprove religious belief using this argument – which may seem arrogant and blinded to someone like Dawkins but really is the essence of faith.
All of scientific knowledge about events such as the big bang are theories – they are theories because there is evidence that suggests they are true, evidence to suggest they are false but no evidence to say conclusively that they cannot be false. I also, as mad as it seems to Dawkins, feel this way about my faith and about events such as creation. There is evidence in the scriptures that God created the world in six days, there is evidence from scientists to say this is madness but no way for this to be conclusively disproved.
In mathematics, complex problems are often solved by assuming a factor holds true and then continuing calculations until the calculations fail in such a way that mean your assuming factor could not have possibly been true. I view issues such as creation in the same way – Dawkins starts by assuming that there could not have possibly been a God and finds evidence that supports his view while I assume that God was instrumental in creation and I find evidence that supports my view. The bad news is for Dawkins is that we are never going to be able to prove in this life one way or the other conclusively. The other frustrating thing that Dawkins may find is that when I assume that God is not only instrumental in creation but in other events throughout history and in my everyday life then, well anything is possible. Scientists such as Dawkins may think this is complete madness – but then we knew he would say that didn’t we?
On the issue of faith preaching faith and hope that it ultimately results in violence and intolerance I feel he used some good examples in his report. I think society has huge problems today and the root of it seems to be intolerance – and to be honest when I think about this issue I have more questions than answers. I completely understand why Jesus set us straight on what is important in life and I think that His message of love is one that if lived out can affect society in un-imaginable ways. I guess what I don’t understand is why there are acts of intolerance in the Old Testament – often perpetrated by God Himself and if Jesus was always the plan why those things had to happen in the first place.
A friend of mine used to have a sticker in their car window that said “If you are living like there is no God then you had better be right!” I believe that my Christian faith is something that gains me everything and looses me nothing. I believe the teaching of Jesus Christ is the most profound teaching ever to echo the ears of the inhabitants of this earth. I believe this through testimony shown in the bible and through testimony and experience in my own life. I believe this not because I was told to, but because I choose to. This, in my humble opinion is what is so amazing about the God we have faith in.
So there we go – a few thoughts but probably raising more questions than they answer!
Any thoughts?
