Leonard Brands Chapter 1 Summary

During this time of enlightenment and exploration however, the standards of Christianity and ethical thought challenged science and its moral reasoning. Despite the large progress in society, the church's vast power led the people to fear science. However the church's fear was not just for the salvation of their church, but that science would disprove the proof of God and take God's place in

During the seventeenth century, the scientific revolution in Europe was at its peak, changing people’s lives through the new techniques of the scientific method. Citizens of western civilizations had previously used religion as the lens through which they perceived their beliefs and customs in their communities. Before the scientific revolution, science and religion were intertwined, and people were taught to accept religious laws and doctrines without questioning; the Church was the ultimate authority on how the world worked. However, during this revolution, scientists were inspired to learn and understand the laws of the universe had created, a noble and controversial move toward truth seeking. The famous scientists of the time, such as Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo and Newton, were known to be natural philosophers, intending to reveal God’s mystery and understand (through proof) the majesty of God. Throughout previous centuries, people had hypothesized how the world and natural phenomenon may work, and new Protestant ideals demanded constant interrogation and examination. Nevertheless, some of these revelations went against the Church’s teachings and authority. If people believed the Church could be wrong, then they could question everything around them, as well. As a result, the introduction of the scientific method, a process by which scientists discovered and proved new theories, was revolutionary because it distinguished what could be proved as real from what was simply

1). Copernicus came from Poland, a very Catholic nation, which explains his choice to dedicate his book to Pope Paul III. John Calvin, a theologian who founded the Calvinist sect of Protestantism, was very fond of astronomy, saying that it shows the wisdom of God (Doc. 2). Other religious figures condemned the work of scientists, like Giovanni Ciampoli, who in a letter to Galileo insisted that Galileo censure facts due to the disagreement of church doctrines to the findings of Galileo (Doc. 3). Other philosophers merged their ideas on the sciences to religious beliefs to please the church and their own traditional beliefs. In a book by Walter Charleton, an English doctor and philosopher, he states that the creation of atoms and arrangement of them could only be achieved by a higher power (Doc. 8). His occupation as a doctor may have led him to this conclusion as the human body is a very complex machine, and it seemed that only God would be capable of engineering such an organism. Another philosopher, Gottfried Leibniz, compares God to an engineer manipulating his machines, further affecting the work of scientists by meshing religious and scientific ideas (Doc. 12). Many scientists’ works were condemned by the church at this time for blasphemy, so many turned to deism, where God made the Universe like a clock and let it run on its own. Many scientists’ work during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries was

During the sixteenth and seventeenth century, the world of science became exposed to new scientific discoveries that were not welcomed by the church. For decades, people believed and did everything the Roman Catholic Church told them because there were no documents or no other proof of scientific knowledge to go on. Friendship should be spread through the whole world of learning…(Document 9)” You will learn better if you are friends because you can exchange information and find out more than if you were enemies. The Roman Catholic Church was threatening by the Scientific Revolution because Copernicious’s, Galilei’s, and Newton’s new science discoveries open people minds to change.

The Old Testament of the Holy Bible gives many examples which provide modern man with guidelines for the use of scientific method. Millam (2008) explains that there is an underlying order in nature demonstrated by the patterns and regularities of God’s creations. These regularities can be seen in the forces of nature and are stable throughout space and time (Millam, 2008). The original classification of species, use of precise measurement, and even the first account of scientific research, are all included in the Old Testament of the Holy Scriptures. God gives scientists some clear frames of reference for seeking knowledge and truth in science.

Worldviews has been an important theme in this book so far. Some worldviews are in conflict with having a Christian worldview and as a Christian scientist it can be difficult to work with those who have different viewpoints. On another note, Wright gives many reasons for why a Christian can and should be a scientist. Many people do not think you can be both, but he gives valid reasons for why that is false. He says that science is very enjoyable, and you can learn about creation, how it works and what is in it (p.48). Lastly, God gives everyone different talents and interests. If your interests are studying God's creation you should do it. By studying science, more specifically biology you get to learn about God and what he has created. You get to learn about him and worship him while doing what you

Journalist Christopher Leonard spent more than a decade covering the country's biggest meat companies, including four years as the national agribusiness reporter for the Associated Press. This what have led him to do what he is doing now.  Christopher Leonard is know an investigative journalist who goes around covering the world's biggest meat companies. Leonard in the book “ The Meat Racket “ shows how companies have seized the nation's meat supply. We also see that the system has also put farmers on the edge of bankruptcy and they are charging consumers high prices. You'll learn how the food industry got to where it is today.  You'll also discover how these companies are able to raise meat prices for consumers while pushing down the price

Wells’ articles… is whether ordinary people should be allowed to know the facts and should discuss their implications” (Woolf 498). This excerpt is a prime example of the division between science and religion that was occurring throughout the time period within this book was written. Many people began to support Wells in his beliefs of scientific principles such as Darwinism. However, there were those who strongly dejected it and even became hostile that those scientific ideas were available to the public. The reason the ideas were so easily accessible were because of literary interpretation in controversial books such as The Island of Dr. Moreau.

The Dawkins chapter speaks about the debate between religion and science and how religious people refuse to even give science teachers and professors the time of day. Most of the time people will refuse to listen to what has been proven due to their religious beliefs. Evolution professors have even been threatened with the loss of their jobs. Even though, many professors have tried to explain that evolution is a fact and one of the greatest of God’s works, still their time is wasted. The pope and educated priests and professors of theology have been known to no longer have a problem with evolution because they understand that evolution is a fact and not intended to be an anti-religious study.

New scientific ideas also put religion and the beliefs of church doctrines in turmoil. As humanism during the Reformation and Revolution period brought into question predestination and salvation, science brought into question the literal words of the Bible. Darwin’s concept of natural selection brought into question the entire belief of Creationism and the existence of one great God. His philosophy could not grasp the concept of predestination much as Humanism movement did during the Reformation and

The goal of the Scientific Revolution was to glorify God by showing universality by which nature operates. Traditional Christians felt the new scientific breakthroughs were contradictory to God. They believed these theories took away from the belief that God’s creation was the center of the universe. From the Scientific

Unlike Francis Collins, I grew up in a very religious family. My paternal grandfather is a Pentecostal preacher, so my siblings and I grew up in the church for the first decade or so of my life. Even at a young age, I was fascinated with science, especially paleontology. Despite growing up in an environment that held firmly to the literal interpretation of Genesis, my parents encouraging me to learn as much as I could about things that interested me. Of course, this led to some strange questions and answers about the origins of dinosaur fossils. Just because I had questions, though, did not mean that I thought I had to choose between my faith and science. Until I came to JBU, I categorized fossils as a mystery that I would eventually understand. I may have felt threatened by my own attempts at trying to explain what I believed about God and science, but even before Francis Collins’ talk, I realized that no matter what science discovers, it cannot threaten God. He gave us the ability to discover things that He made. Why should He feel threatened by the things He made with love and pride?

Biology professor Kenneth Miller’s central argument is that science should not undermine one’s faith in God. “Science itself does not contradict the hypothesis of God.” He makes this argument by stating that science explains the things that God has made and in doing so, trying to prove the existence of God through natural or scientific means does not make sense. Once the supernatural is introduced, there is no way to use nature, thus science, to prove or disprove its existence. Miller argues that science gives us the window to the dynamic and creative universe that increases our appreciation of God’s work. The central point of his argument is evolution. Creationists, of the intelligent design movement, argue that nature has irreducible complex systems that could have only arisen from a creature or designer. This theory is widely supported among devout believers in the Bible and God. Miller argues that if they truly believe this, completely ignoring hard facts and theories, then they are seeking their God in the darkness. Miller, a Christian himself, believes that this “flow of logic is depressing”; to fear the acquisition of knowledge and suggest that the creator dwells in the shadows of science and understanding is taking us back to the Middle Ages, where people used God as an explanation for something they have yet to or want

Some of the new scientific discoveries consisted of theories which went against the churches beliefs. One theory which was proven true about

The “scientific mind”, or how people think about the world, has changed multiple times throughout history. Before the 1700s, people had a more religious-based point of view on life; the church was considered to be far more important than it is today. With the church’s iron grip over society and its people, it came with a shock as the 1700s passed by and more and more people started to think for themselves. The acceptance of having more freedom, when it came to religion and change, changed the world forever.During the scientific revolution, Isaac Newton, Rene Descartes, and Francis Bacon all came up with principal scientific