Science and Theism

The various clashes between science and religion have been well documented, particularly concerning the Aristoltelian cosmology of the High Middle Ages (cf. Galileo), and in modern times, over the implications of Darwinism. It is worth presenting in parallel -- all the more so since it is so rarely done -- some of the common ground that science and theology share, and some of their positive influences.

Modern science arose in Christian Europe over the course of the second millennium, which meant that most of its pioneers were Christian Theists. The rise of the experimental method in particular can be traced to many of their theological convictions. So, in Theism --

Nature is neither divine nor magical

but rather is created: therefore it should not be feared as a god, or as the habitation of a spirit, but can be studied and dissected.

God's control of nature is complete.

so the behaviour of nature will be perfectly regular; and its behaviour invites discovery.

These factors seem to have favoured Europe against other civilizations -- Greece, Rome, Egypt, Babylon, Persia, China, India -- that, in spite of advanced learning, never developed truly experimental sciences in the modern, Baconian, sense.

Creation from nothing means that God was not constrained by external factors in the act of creation.

Accordingly, the nature of the world cannot be inferred from higher principles, but must be found by observation. This view was especially influential after the Scholastics, led by Aquinas adopted Aristotle's view of sense-derived knowledge over Plato's (and Augustine's) view of innate knowledge.

Humanity, as the steward of creation, can expect to understand it

...and to view the quest for such understanding as a Christian vocation.

Creation is an important though imperfect avenue of understanding God and his nature

...and thereby a source of spiritual joy and praise.

These influences were extraordinarily strong in, e.g., Puritanism, which contributed 42 of the 68 founding members of the Royal Society, despite being only a small minority of the general population.

Christians are responsible to God for the well-being of others.

In consequence the development of science, and even some industrialisation, e.g. in the case of food technology, has been motivated by concern for the poor and the sick.

One of the most natural connections between science and theism, both now and historically, has been shared, immense appreciation of natural wonder, which in both cases only seems to grow with greater knowledge.