Can faith and science coexist? – A students insight

Can faith and science coexist? The short answer to this question is YES! And the reason for this is one word, “Truth.”

The pursuit of truth is fundamental to the human experience whether it be in the realm of spirituality or the physical world. Every Person embarks on their own search for truth to find the answer to questions such as, “What is the meaning of life?” and “What am I supposed to do in my life?” but some will also embark on the hunt for answers to questions like, “How does the brain work?” or “How can we cure cancer?”

The journey to find answers to these questions is often hard, and as Flannery O’Connor describes it, “The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.” Truth is objective and true no matter the circumstances which can be very hard for us to swallow since the truth does not always give us the answers we want.

In the pursuit of scientific truth, science does not always give us the answers we want or expect, experiments do not always go the way we want, and worst of all we can get results that we don’t understand. No matter the circumstances the results of good science serve as a reliable way of explaining the natural world. Spiritual truth is much harder to determine since it does not rely on numbers or images. Our Catholic faith gives us the answers to the many questions we all experience such as “What is the meaning of life?” or “Why is there evil in the world?” but it is often hard to realize the answer to those questions.

Scientific Vs. Spiritual Truth

St. Augustine said “The truth is like a lion. You don’t have to defend it. Let it loose. It will defend itself.” This statement holds true for both scientific and spiritual truths. Science functions to investigate and draw conclusions about the natural world around us. These are the phenomenon that can be observed, measured, or manipulated to ensure the accuracy and reliability of results to draw conclusions that are consistent for all situations.

Spiritual truths are harder to measure or realize since they can not be measured with numbers or images. They are determined by contemplation and analysis of the human experience to find meaning and answers to the many questions in our hearts that only God can answer.

Modern scientific processes and technology can explain things such as how old the earth is, how gravity works, and even how to prevent and treat numerous diseases. These questions have very complex answers, but they pale in comparison to questions such as why is there suffering or what is the meaning of life. Science can not accurately answer those big questions and many more since there answers lie outside of the physical world. We rely on our Catholic faith to guide us to the answers to these big questions of our lives. The inability of the natural world to explain these big questions also does not degrade their validity as truth with the same definition as scientific truth, it was just found and proven through a different process.

How they Coexist

“Anyone who seeks truth seeks God, whether or not he realizes it.”
St. Edith Stein

Spirituality and science can coexist in the pursuit of truth because they are asking very different questions as described above but also because they are not trying to answer each other’s questions. Scientists are not trying to answer the great questions of our faith and spiritual lives and philosophers, theologians, and priests are not trying to answer the great questions of the natural world.

Both disciplines have their purpose and place in the pursuit of truth. Our Catholic faith provides us with the opportunity and the means to find the answers to many of the great questions in life just like modern science provides the means of finding answers to questions of the physical world. All we need to do is have faith and ask the right questions.

St. Albert the Great (Patron Saint of natural science and Doctor of the Church)
Pray for Us!