Science on Trial
10/14/2005 01:50 Filed in: Faith & Reason
Guest Blog by J. T. McCubbin
On October 2, the Courier Journal picked up an an editorial by Miami Herald columnist, Leonard Pitts entitled, "Scientists Don't Sue to Gain Access to Pulpits." Read the original article by Pitts and then read below a response by J. T. McCubbin sent to both the Courier Journal and Mr. Pitts himself. Since neither have responded to J. T. yet, I thought I would publish his counterpoint for you here.
UPDATE: The Courier Journal did, in fact, publish JT's response on October 18. I don't know if it's a permanent link, but as of this writing (10/25/2005), the article can be referenced here:
http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051018/OPINION02/510180357/1016/ARCHIVES
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Science informs us of many inter-relationships within our systematic world. However, Leonard Pitts, among others, assign excessive authority to the scientific community and allow it excessive influence on producing modern knowledge.
If we question our origins, Darwinism, like Christianity, requires faith. Only, in the case of Darwinism, the leap is much greater. Science requires repeatable observation of facts. However, the theory of origins is really only substantiated by continuing to build a body of inductive, anthropological evidence. This evidence is essentially data, which can be used to support various theories of origins.
Science itself begins with several philosophical requirements. It typically begins with, “An orderly nature of the world we experience,” hence, the “repeatable” requirement. Also, science presupposes that there exists a knowable truth, again a philosophical statement.
Mr. Pitts accurately points out the inadequacy of the modern Christian’s faith. For too long Christians have been falling back on the mantra, “God said it. I believe it. That settles it!” Christianity need not rely on this blind faith. Much to the contrary of the church in Maine, which claims, “Reason is the enemy of faith,” if we recognize the true uniqueness of mankind, then there starts a line of logic and reason that leads to a well founded Faith. A Faith built on an historic, knowable truth.
Using Mr. Pitts’ argument of the “overwhelming consensus,” and in an attempt to link Mr. Pitts’ odd connection between race relations and evolution, the “overwhelming consensus” in the 1950’s held that the black man was not equal to his white counterpart. It took the courage of Martin Luther King Jr. and a very few others to build and put forward an idea of social science that mankind is equal regardless of race or ethnicity. In this case the few understood truth, while the “overwhelming consensus” only embodied majority opinion.
Feel free to contact J. T. McCubbin at JT.McCubbin@hexionchem.com