Do Science and the Bible Conflict?
The very first verse in the Bible perfectly parallels one of the greatest and most advanced physics equations ever discovered. Keep in mind the Scriptures were written thousands of years before scientific research even began.
Einstein’s Theory of Relativity (Energy equals mass times the speed of light squared) provided a basis for proof that time, space and matter (which is energy) are not only the foundational facts of science, but each had a beginning (as opposed to being eternal). The implications of this mathematical equation (math being a perfect science) left Einstein (and all the rest of us) starring in the face of God!
Incredibly, the Bible begins with these words,
“In the beginning (that’s time) God created (that’s energy) the heavens (that’s space) and the earth (that’s matter).
And that’s just the first verse! Five chapters later we come to,
Noah’s Ark
In Genesis chapter 6 we have the record of God telling Noah to build the ark. As for the pseudo-scientists who mock those who take this story literally, there are a couple of “minor details” they’ll need to explain before we decide who has the last word. The book of Genesis records the exact specifications Noah followed to build the ark. Here is what is recorded in Genesis 6:14-16:
“Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to a cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third decks.”
A cubit is the length of a man’s arm from his elbow to the tip of his middle finger (about a foot and a half). Based on the Biblical account, we know (within a matter of inches) how long, how wide and how high Noah’s ark was. That means we can test it! Interestingly, it was not until the 20th century that scientists built a scaled down model of Noah’s ark using the exact ratios of height, width, and length found in the Genesis account. They wanted to test the seaworthiness of its design.
Estimating the weight for the proper ballast, they put their experiment to the test in a large tank filled with water. Then they produced waves, gradually increasing their intensity. What they discovered was astounding. It wouldn’t sink! They concluded that a ship built to those specifications would have been one of the most seaworthy vessels ever constructed.
What are the odds of Noah guessing how to build a ship of this magnitude and getting it right? About the same odds, you would have of being struck by lightning twice in the same spot.
Here is another inexplicable fact (humanly speaking) about Noah’s flood. Scientists have discovered marine fossils on mountain peaks all over the world, including Mt. Everest, the highest point on earth. How did the fossils of sea creatures ascend 29,000 feet above sea level? Do our atheistic “scientists” have an explanation for this? Were they flying fish? Or, maybe they came from another planet! The Bible provides the answer in Genesis 7:17-20:
“Now the flood was on the earth forty days. The waters increased and lifted up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. The waters prevailed and greatly increased on the earth, and the ark moved about on the surface of the waters. And the waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth and all the high hills under the whole heaven were covered. The waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains were covered.”
The Universe
Scientific analysis would not be not possible without consistency in nature. Time, space, matter, gravity, etc., must be consistent in order for scientific experimentation to be meaningful.
Time is based on the consistency of our solar system. The earth revolves at a constant speed making one revolution every 24 hours while simultaneously orbiting the sun at a traveling velocity of 67,000 miles an hour. Planet Earth makes the 584,000,000 mile journey around the sun once every 365.25 days. Its “on time” arrival record is better than any train or airline in the world!
Consider Our Own Milky Way Galaxy The Milky Way galaxy is 100,000 light-years across and 10,000 light years in diameter at the center. To get from one end of the galaxy to the other, you would have to travel at the speed of light (186,282 miles every second) for 100,000 years!
The earth is 26,000 light years from the center of the galaxy. If you were to take a commercial airliner from earth to the center of our own Milky Way galaxy, traveling at 550 miles an hour, it would take you 278 quadrillion years to get there!
Not only do all the planets in our solar system revolve around the sun, but the entire Milky Way galaxy (containing 100-200 billion stars) revolves once every 250 million years! From our position in space, we are being hurled around the center of the galaxy at an incredible 550,000 miles an hour.
What holds all the stars in place as we fly through time and space, around and around like a giant cosmic Ferris-wheel? How much power is required to move it and where does it come from? Why don’t the stars collide? Who steers it? How could this happen all by itself? Can a symphony play without a conductor? What about the hundreds of billions of other galaxies doing the same thing? Who is directing all this traffic?
Because of the regularity of the physical laws that govern our universe, astronomers can chart the position of planets, moons, stars, and asteroids far into the future with accuracy and precision.
Here is what Albert Einstein said about natural law in his book, The World As I See It,
“The harmony of natural law reveals an intelligence of such superiority that, compared with it, all the systematic thinking of human beings is an utterly insignificant reflection. “. . . it seems to me, (this) is the attitude of even the most intelligent human being toward God. We see a universe marvelously arranged and obeying certain laws, but only dimly understand these laws. Our limited minds cannot grasp the mysterious force that moves the constellations.”
The Wonders Of God’s Creation
God is perfect and everything He created (when He created it) was perfect. Consider the atomic structure of the elements in the Periodic Table. Every element is perfect to the atom.
Take water as an example. One molecule of water is made up of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. You cannot change the atomic structure of water by even one atom without completely changing the element itself.
Interestingly, if you separate the hydrogen from the oxygen, pure hydrogen is highly flammable. Pure oxygen is also highly flammable. Amazingly, if you put the 2 together in a 2 to 1 ratio you have a 3rd substance with which you can use to extinguish a fire!
Can you rationally understand that? Shake your head from side to side. No. You can’t. Don’t feel too badly. There’s not a scientist in the world who can tell you how a brown cow can eat green grass and turn it into white milk!
Fortunately, God is far more interested in the souls of men than He is in chemistry or biology, and His formula for evangelism is no less perfect.
For more on science and the Bible see our book, Where Did God Come From?
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