In the current debate between those who believe in God and those who do not, non-believers would have us convinced that science has proved that God does not exist. Not only that, but they would have us believe that there are no scientists who believe in God. In the eyes of secular science, science has made a belief in God unnecessary. Oftentimes, secular scientists look down their noses at those who believe in God, miracles [1], creation, etc. and use supposed scientific facts to dispute our belief in the reality of God.
However, all scientists do not reject the idea of God. There is, and has always been, those in the scientific community whose faith in God remained the foundation of their lives even as they carried out scientific research and discovery. Some of these godly scientists made some of the most important scientific discoveries ever made. Let us look at several.
[2]However, all scientists do not reject the idea of God. There is, and has always been, those in the scientific community whose faith in God remained the foundation of their lives even as they carried out scientific research and discovery.
Frances Bacon (1561-1626)
Bacon is usually considered the man primarily associated with the so-called ‘scientific method’ in science. This ‘scientific method’ stressed observation and verification rather than philosophical conjecture. He believed that God gave us two ‘books to study’; one being the Bible and the other being nature. He was also instrumental in establishing the Royal Society of London, a group of scientists, philosophers, and physicians who met to discuss and debate.
Johann Kepler (1571-1630)
Johann Kepler is considered by many to be the founder of physical astronomy. He discovered the laws of planetary motion and he established the discipline of celestial mechanics. Some of his contributions to science are the fact that he conclusively demonstrated the heliocentricity of the solar system, he devised a method of mapping star movement, and he contributed to the development of the calculus.
Kepler was a Christian who studied in seminary but instead ended up teaching astronomy as he felt the Lord wanted. Kepler coined the phrase, and the idea, the research and discovery was, “thinking God’s thoughts after Him”, a motto adopted by many Christian scientists after him. Kepler believed the world was created about 7,000 years ago and that scientists must guard against the tendency to glorify our own minds instead of giving God the glory.
Blase Pascal (1623-1662)
One of the greatest early philosophers, Pascal is also considered the father of the science of hydrostatics (the study of the pressure fluids exert on other objects). Pascal had much to do with the development of calculus and the theory of probability and the invention of the barometer.
However, he was also a deeply religious man who thought, and wrote, much about his faith. He may be best known for what Christians call “Pascal’s Wager”, which asks, in short, why anyone would risk living as if there were no God. If one lives a life pleasing to God, only to find out that He does not exist, hasn’t the life lived been worth it. If, however, one lives his or her life in rebellion to God, and then finds out God does exist, he has not only lived a corrupt life, but now faces an eternity of misery. Pascal believed that the only reasonable choice in life was to live for God.
Isaac Newton (1642-1727)
Who has not heard of the name of Sir Isaac Newton? He is credited with discovering the Law of Gravity, the three laws of universal motion, and his refinement of calculus into a comprehensive branch of mathematics. Newton was a Christian from his youth and, later in years, he wrote much against atheism and in defense of the Christian faith. He believed in a recent creation of the universe, and defended the chronology of Bishop Ussher. Newton also believed in the biblical account of Noah’s worldwide flood [3] and the literal six-day creation record. He believed the Bible to authenticate itself better than any other historical record ever written.
Samuel F. B. Morse (1791-1872)
Morse is probably most clearly remembered for inventing the telegraph; however, he also invented the first camera in America and made the first photographic portrait, he was an outstanding artist, he served 20 years as the founder and president of the National Academy of Design, and in 1831 he was appointed professor of sculpture and painting at New York University.
Morse was a man deeply devoted to God. In the first message sent over his newly invented telegraph (in 1844), the message Morse sent was, “What hath God wrought!” He lived his life dedicated to loving and serving God. Morse wrote these words shortly before he died, “The nearer I approach to the end of my pilgrimage, the clearer is the evidence of the divine origin of the Bible, the grandeur and sublimity of God’s remedy for fallen man are more appreciated, and the future is illumined with hope and joy” (Morris, p. 55).
Louis Pasteur (1822-1895)
Pasteur was a giant in the discipline of medicine who instrumental in developing the germ theory of disease among many other significant contributions to the fields of chemistry and physics. His research helped develop vaccines against many diseases. Pasteur also helped demolish the evolutionary theory of spontaneous generation of life. Pasteur also discovered then, as do others now, when one stands up for their belief in biblical Creation, secular naturalistic scientist go on the attack. Even so, many would consider Pasteur to be the greatest biologist who ever lived.
William Thompson, Lord Kelvin (1824-1907)
Kelvin established the scale of absolute temperatures, so that such temperatures are today given as so many “degrees Kelvin.” He also established thermodynamics as a formal scientific discipline and formulated its first and second laws in precise terminology (Morris, p. 69). Kelvin believed that science affirmed the reality of Creation. He was a devout and humble Christian even as he aggressively engaged in controversy over the age of the earth, denying Darwinism and upholding Creation.
Wernher von Braun (1912-1977)
Von Braun was instrumental in the development of the German V-2 rocket before migrating to America, becoming a U. S. citizen, directing U.S.-guided missile development for several years before becoming director of NASA. On the subject of space flight, he once wrote, “An outlook through this peephole at the vast mysteries of the universe should only confirm our belief in the certainty of its Creator” (Morris, p. 87). For von Braun, everything he saw revealed in his life and work pointed to the reality of God.
Conclusion
It has always struck me as tragic that science, a discipline dedicated to research and discovery, oftentimes misses the greatest Truth in our universe. The truth of the existence, and immense love, of the Creator of the universe. Nevertheless, truth is not validated by popular opinion; therefore, even if all the scientists who ever lived declare that God does not exist, our very existence says otherwise. We have been given the revelation of nature (Romans 1:19-20), God’s Word, and the Holy Spirit (John 14:16, 15:26, 16:7-11) as witness of His existence, love, and power. Therefore, each of us is left with the choice to either reject God or follow Him with all our hearts.
We have looked at just a small number of scientists of the past who loved God and believed the Bible; there were many more. Today there are many Bible-believing scientists who see no conflict between their faith in God and their continued scientific research. As a matter of fact, many of those scientists believe that the evidence found in nature cannot be rightly interpreted outside the framework of God’s Word. They believe that we can only truly understand our universe when we accept the biblical record and view everything in light of that record. One thing is certain, there are many men and women scientists today who are glorifying God through their work. One does not have to renounce God in order to do good science; nor should they.
Related Post: Does Faith in God and Science Conflict With Each Other [4]
Resources – The Holy Bible, English Standard Version “Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”
Morris, Henry M. Men of Science, Men of God. Master Books, 1988.