In recent decades, there’s a growing opinion, more so among younger generations, that science and religion are somehow in conflict. It includes the assertion that the sciences arose despite intense pushback by religion, especially the Catholic Church.
Most Catholics are not ready to give a strong philosophical or historical response when needed. That has included me. Then, a brother priest helped me think differently.
The late Jesuit Father Tom Finsterbach regularly celebrated Sunday Mass at the parish where I served 16 years ago. Over coffee between Masses, I asked him how I might reply when someone says that science and religion conflict with each other and can’t mix. Fr. Tom just stared at me for a moment with a face that said I just asked the silliest possible question, then replied: “Dave, I have a PhD. from Stanford University in Molecular and Cellular Physiology. And I’m doing research at Stanford Medical Center on how we might best treat heart failure.” He then put on a friendlier smile and said: “There’s no conflict between science and religion.” All I could say in reply was, “Oh! That’s right!”
I realized that Jesuit Father Tom Finsterbach would be prime evidence supporting the notion that science and religion needn’t be in conflict. As the psalmist declares: Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them. [Psalm 111:2]
Nevertheless, most people might wonder how to best reply with the historical facts of the Catholic Church’s ongoing support of the sciences. Instead, I suggest a simple use of the “scientific method” to support the historical and current cooperation of science and religion.
Such reasoning includes four steps: Make a claim. Gather evidence. Examine the evidence. Draw a conclusion.
I’ve heard this idea expressed simply: “Don’t trust what I say; test what I say.”
Let’s now apply those four steps:
1Make a claim
The popular claim that "science and religion are necessarily in conflict" is worth testing.
2Gather the evidence
The evidence is already collected online, and I offer you five websites you can easily view by clicking the link. At the websites, you also click links to explore the evidence more deeply.
A Wikipedia list of 304 Catholic clergy scientists. For many centuries, Catholic clergy were doing the research that today’s scientists continue to build upon. They recorded, catalogued, and filed their observations and research, which was properly understood as clerical work, that is, the work of clergy. We now refer to anyone who archives and maintains records and files as doing clerical work. Think of it as a simple reminder of who was doing such work early on.
Interesting fact: 35 moon craters are named for Catholic priests. They were the scientists active in the science of astronomy.
A second Wikipedia page lists 227 devout Catholics (who were not priests) who have added to the sciences over many centuries. Some of their names continue as references to what they discovered or contributed to scientific knowledge, such as, Alois Alzheimer, André-Marie Ampère, Giovanni Domenico Cassini, and Christian Doppler.
This Wikipedia list includes 363 Catholics and Christians of other Christian traditions. They are listed by century and, if still active in the sciences, by their area of scientific expertise.
Among the society’s stated purposes is to witness to the harmony between the vocation of scientist and the life of faith, as well as to be a forum concerning the relation of science and the Catholic faith. The link takes you to their list of 102 Catholic scientists with their bios and accomplishments, including the Belgian priest Georges Lemaître, the theoretical physicist and mathematician who proposed the Big Bang Theory and explained it for Albert Einstein.
Among its goals is to recognize excellence in science and to encourage international interaction.
Members are chosen not on the basis of religion, race, or gender, but on the high scientific value of their activities. Among its members have been Nobel laureates, including scientists who were not religious and others who openly described themselves as atheists.
3Examine the evidence
More evidence can be offered, but I hope the five websites listed above show that Jesuit Father Tom Finsterbach was not a lonely exception of science and religion getting along well. Then again, I repeat my earlier request: “Don’t trust what I say; test what I say.” As you visit the suggested websites, evaluate the evidence they offer about science and religion getting along. To use an automotive metaphor, be willing to kick the tires some before drawing your conclusion.
4Draw a conclusion
Ask yourself whether the evidence is enough to persuade you that "science and religion are necessarily in conflict" is not true.
Another way to approach the conclusion is to ask if you would share those website links with others who wonder about the relationship between science and religion. If you would, that’s great. I would then suggest you keep those handy, perhaps on your smartphone or computer, so you can share them easily.
Together with Father Tom and the psalmist, we can declare: Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them. [Psalm 111:2]
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Another great web site is the Vatican Observatory. Staff from the Observatory occasionally contribute to Aleteia and you can go deeper on the theme at hand with this link:
