Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Can Science and Faith Mingle?


I still remember the day I saw the film, My Sister’s Keeper. I was fascinated that the family was able to go to a doctor that was able to engineer their next child to be a genetic match for their daughter suffering from acute promyelocytic leukemia. I was a freshman in high school and quite inquisitive so, in addition to learning about genetics in school, I did my own research. I looked into what jobs were available in that field. I was determined that I would grow up to be a genetic engineer.

I was so enthusiastic about my career choice; I wanted to share the news with everyone! I told my whole family at the table and the responses weren’t what I thought they’d be, “Oh, you want to play God?” Those weren’t my intentions; I just wanted to help people. I was in shock and confused. My family is Catholic and, I never thought that my religion could have such a significant impact on my life and what I wanted to be. If I like science more and believe in evolution, am I not Catholic?


Can science and faith mingle? I thought by reading, Francis Collins’ book, The Language of God, I would finally be able to know if it was okay to believe in God and science. Collins wrote, “…I was beginning to understand from looking into my own heart, the evidence of God’s existence would have to come from other directions, and the ultimate decision would be based on faith, not proof” (36). I believe that there is no definite answer as to whether faith and science can mingle. Due to perception, everyone has their own beliefs and this is one of the topics where I believe there is no right or wrong answer. It is unique to each individual. 

6 comments:

  1. Abigail, I've read this book as well. I agree that there is no definitive answer because everyone sorts it out for themselves, however, you didn't say what you yourself believe. Does science and faith mingle well for you in your own mind after reading this?
    Best, Austin

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    1. That's a great question Austin. Unfortunately, I always confuse myself when trying to answer this. Personally, since I was raised Catholic, I feel like there is a place in my heart always for God, it's just at the moment I am having a difficult time finding my faith.

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  2. Abigail-

    Like I said in my comment on Austin's blog, I didn't even consider writing my blog in first person (even though all of the blogs I read are in first person). You definitely worked this perspective to your advantage. I thought your blog could have benefitted from going into more detail on The Language of God, but that's just part of working with a word limit. Overall, I thought your personal tie to the book made for a really interesting topic.

    Gwen

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    1. Thanks Gwen. The word count was definitely a huge factor in why I did not go into depth about the book. I just figured since I discussed the book in my book report, I did not want to do that again in my blog.

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  3. Abigail, I really enjoyed the fact that your entry had a lot of personality; it was one of the few that had a varied use of punctuation, exclamation points and all! That was refreshing to see. You really took advantage of letting your personality shine through your writing. I agree with Gwen in the idea that you could have focused a bit more on the book, but as she said, it's just part of working with the word limit. I really enjoyed your perspective on such an interesting topic, well done!
    -Alyssa

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