In the early 1500s, Copernicus theorized that the sun was the center of the universe, not the earth. The theory caught the attention of very few and was repressed by the Catholic church at the time. However, other astronomers and mathmeticians did notice. About 80 years later, Galileo assumed the theory as fact and was able to make precise calculations of the universe by making the assumption. Galileo also built on the knowledge by improving the telescope and finding phases of Venus and moons around Jupiter. The Catholic church placed Galileo under house arrest for the last four years of his life and asked him to recant the theory that the sun was the center of the universe, which he did under that pressure.
In a more modern century and in another field, Wegener in 1912, theorized that the continents on the earth drift about on the earth's surface. In 1928, the call was taken up by Holmes with the addition that volacanic activity below the ocean's surface somehow made the drift possible. With the subsurface oceanic studies in the 1960s, the theory was corroborated and strengthened. Now geologists assume plate tectonics as fact. This time the Catholic church could not stand in the way of deterring the progress of scientific findings. It's influence had waned. But churches both protestant and catholic can be found that still oppose "secular" science and feel that the Bible is in opposition to findings from science, any field.
As the scientific revolution marches on, there will be other great discoveries that will advance the knowledge of the human race. And, probably there will still be resistance from religious voices or entities saying that science in some way destroys the faith engendered by the events in the Bible.
I would hope that just the opposite happens. My hope is that people will begin to see the advancement of humanity by the good that science brings us. Stem cell exploration has the potential to help a great number of diseases. Moon exploration has the potential to bring us Helium 3 and other non-earth elements. Space travel in general would do the same. Food from algae and other underwater resources could virtually wipe out hunger, while taming the ocean's movements and desalinizing the ocean could ensure a never-ending supply of comfort and supply of drinkable water.
In a more modern century and in another field, Wegener in 1912, theorized that the continents on the earth drift about on the earth's surface. In 1928, the call was taken up by Holmes with the addition that volacanic activity below the ocean's surface somehow made the drift possible. With the subsurface oceanic studies in the 1960s, the theory was corroborated and strengthened. Now geologists assume plate tectonics as fact. This time the Catholic church could not stand in the way of deterring the progress of scientific findings. It's influence had waned. But churches both protestant and catholic can be found that still oppose "secular" science and feel that the Bible is in opposition to findings from science, any field.
As the scientific revolution marches on, there will be other great discoveries that will advance the knowledge of the human race. And, probably there will still be resistance from religious voices or entities saying that science in some way destroys the faith engendered by the events in the Bible.
I would hope that just the opposite happens. My hope is that people will begin to see the advancement of humanity by the good that science brings us. Stem cell exploration has the potential to help a great number of diseases. Moon exploration has the potential to bring us Helium 3 and other non-earth elements. Space travel in general would do the same. Food from algae and other underwater resources could virtually wipe out hunger, while taming the ocean's movements and desalinizing the ocean could ensure a never-ending supply of comfort and supply of drinkable water.
My hope is that people will begin to see that matters of faith are not found in science but in beliefs about matters not seen, about a person who was raised from the dead. Science can help the physical stay on the earth. Faith can help the spiritual stay on the earth. It takes both. The two are not in opposition. They're complements of each other. When seen as two faces of the same existence, the earth can advance and peace on earth can be achieved.
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