Re: Science and the new Presbyterian Catechism
Andrew Swensen (swensen@volen.brandeis.edu)
Wed, 13 Jan 1999 08:30:42 -0500
At 10:13 PM 1/12/99 -0600, you wrote:
>To me the virginal conception of Jesus may be explainable by modern biology
>but Christ's and Lazarus' resurrections and many of Christ's other miracles
>might stretch the "Nothing basic to the Christian faith contradicts the
>findings of modern science, nor does anything essential to modern science
>contradict the Christian faith" past what I could agree with. I think one
>would have to play games with either the basics of Christianity or science
>(or both).
>
>John
>
>
Science tells us about the natural processes and rules that govern the
universe. Miracles are, by definition, deviations from these rules. Science
just tells us that a resurrection can't occur 'naturally' or in the normal
course of nature and I agree. Just because science can't explain something
doesn't necessarily mean that science contradicts it. Some may see this as
just dancing around the issue but I think it is an important point.
Andy Swensen
Andrew Swensen
Volen Center for Complex Systems
Brandeis University
Phone:(781) 736-3141
Fax: (781) 736-3142
swensen@volen.brandeis.edu