Faith and "Curiosity"

Have you been following news of NASA's Mars rover, Curiosity?

Last week, Curiosity made an incredible discovery:  definitive evidence that liquid water once flowed on Mars.  The rover sent pictures back that appear to be from an ancient Martian stream bed.  There photos showed gravel that was smoothed by erosion and to large to have been moved by wind.

All in all, these photos aren't earth-shaking.  We know that water exists throughout the universe.  We've observed Mars' polar ice caps and trace ice on our own moon.  Jupiter's moon, Europa, is a vast frozen world.  And comets are essentially massive chunks of rock and ice hurtling through space.  Water, in its frozen state, is something that scientists have observed in relative abundance across the vastness space.

However, for the relatively new field of astrobiology, this discovery is a major boon.  Astrobiology is concerned with the viablitiy of life being established on other worlds and the possibility of a "second genesis", life that occurs independently on other planets.  In both cases, liquid water is fundamental to our understanding of how life works.

When I excitedly relayed this story to my brother, his response was one of concern:  "But wouldn't scientists use this information to prove that life can exist outside of Earth, therefore disproving God?"

My answer was two-fold:  Probably, so what?

I don't think my brother's position is that uncommon among Evangelicals.  Our society has created a situation where we Christians have to choose between two apparently competing narratives.  On one side, traditional Western Christianity dictates that God created the Earth and everything in it in a very specific way across a very specific period of time.  In another narrative, scientists are asking questions about our origins and their discoveries seem to point to a very slow and steady development of the Universe over countless ages.

And I guess my response to this dilemma is... Why choose?

Christianity is about knowing and following Jesus Christ, who is "the Way, the Truth, and the Life."  Science, when it is honest and agenda-free, is about discovery and learning the truth about things around us.  At the end of the day, Christianity and science are both about the quest for truth.  The methods may be very different, but the two can be allies in their pursuits.

In fact, throughout history there have been several leading scientists who were also devout believers.  Their awe of God's creation spurred them to delve deeper into nature's mysteries.  Unfortunately, the Church also has an ugly history of resisting scientific revelations.

Several questions arise when you consider this dichotomy.  Why do we Christians challenge scientific developments?  Is it because we are the ones who's faith in God is insecure?  Do we not trust God to be bigger than any new discovery?  Won't science, if it is honest, continue to reveal new things about the nature of God as it studies His creation?  Is it at least possible that our dogmatic approach to certain narratives about God are in fact limiting His scope and character?

To illustrate my point, the Grand Canyon is an awesome geological feature whose formation is debated by fundamental Creationists and traditional geologist.  A "Young-Earth" Creationist's narrative regarding the Grand Canyon would say that God carved it out of rock relatively quickly with a sudden blast of water.  That in one mighty blast God split the Earth asunder leaving behind the distinctive canyon roughly as we see it today.  

The traditional geologist would say that the Grand Canyon was carved from solid stone over eons by an infant Colorado River, then just a trickle water working its way to the ocean.  It could be said that God guided those water molecules as they trickled from their head waters and hewn rock one dust particle at a time.  That He slowly carved one of the most recognizable natural wonders on Earth meticulously over centuries or millennia all while managing billions of other details that would shape the world His children would call home.

Two different stories about one small part of this vast galaxy of wonders that God has set us in.  One reflects God as a being of power and action.  The other describes Him as a patient craftsman.  Which is true?  Only God knows, I guess we'll have to turn to Him for the answers.