Can Science and Religion Happily Coexist?

The origin of life is somewhat of a mystery to most people. Some would argue that humanity evolved out of lesser life forms, in a long biological process. Others would argue that humanity was created in its current form by God. Both sides of the origin of life controversy argue that the other viewpoint is wrong. Is it possible that both sides are wrong and both sides are right?

There are elements of both creation and evolution that seem extraordinarily difficult to grasp, especially depending on one's perspective or beliefs. The instantaneous creation of humanity by God seems difficult to believe to those who believe in the scientific process and evolution is insulting to those who have strong faith in creation as it is written in the Bible.

An examination into both aspects of the origin of life first needs to address the issue of God. Such an easy task! Just who or what is God? In the simplest form, God is a conscious driving force behind all of existence. Different religions view God in different fashions, but all are guilty of the most common fault; placing human characteristics on something beyond the true level of comprehension of humanity. Too often God is portrayed in humanity's image, rather than an image more reflective of a creator of the very fabric of reality. By examining the book of Genesis, it is implied that God created not just life, but the very essence of life itself, matter and energy, even time itself. That kind of intelligence is beyond anything our limited minds can conceive.

The theory of evolution is widely accepted, but seems to be filled with inconsistencies and questions. In relation to human beings, it is commonly thought of as man evolving from apes. The common theory is that man and ape evolved from a common ape-like ancestor. This seems in the range of possibility because of such things as the genetic similarity between man and chimpanzee and the possible vestigial tail at the base of the human spine. The evolution of humanity takes another view as the evolution of mammalian life is considered. It is commonly thought that the only mammalian creature to survive the mass-extinction of the dinosaurs was a small opossum like creature. It can be implied then, that all mammalian life evolved from a single common ancestor. This would mean that the wide range of creatures such as mice, blue whales, platypus, bats, elephants, dogs, giraffes, seals, tapirs, wombats and all of the wide variety of mammals are descended from a common ancestor. That common ancestor would have evolved from mammalian-like creatures that lived during the time of the dinosaurs, perhaps even evolving form dinosaurs themselves. Evolutionists would have people believe that this occurred without direction and by natural selection. It would seem that there would be some sort of divine guidance behind the development of the wide variety of life forms.

Creation seems to be written in more of a story format, illustrating a divine hand in the aspect of creation. The creation of the animals is interesting because it is not stated in Genesis that God created animal life, it states that "the land was to bring forth animals" or "the seas were to bring forth sea life." Genesis also points out that God formed man out of the dust of the world and breathed life into him. It is interesting to point out that the very elements, or "dust", which we are composed of, are the most common in virtually every other living creature. Some of the elements are in the heart of the stars themselves. Humanity is composed of the stuff of stars, composed of the very basic essence of existence.

In order to integrate both the Bible and science, it should be understood that at the further people journey into the heart of creation and reality, there only lies more questions. The laws of science and mathematics can be viewed as much the laws of God as is the Bible. It seems very possible to me that life evolved pretty much as science has determined but with one exception, divine guidance. A divine, cosmic intellect guided and pushed life along, seeking to develop a being worthy of the gift of "His image." This image is not constrained to a physical form, but an intellectual, spiritual form, one of higher consciousness and reasoning abilities. As the first primitive hominids looked to the sky and began to consider something beyond them, then God pushed that creature's intellectual development into higher levels.

Humanity seeks to understand the nature of existence by attributing human characteristics on something beyond understanding. If God does work through science and, more importantly, long periods of time, then humanity has only begun to understand the nature and characteristics of God.

The Bible should not be viewed as a science textbook. It would have been a disservice to humanity to reveal the workings of the world to such a young immature creation. As humanity slowly matures, a better understanding of the world around us is grasped in a tenuous grip. The Bible is a work in which God is revealed to humanity in His interaction with humanity. The most important aspect of the creations stories is not how it happened, but that a divine intelligence, God, was and is involved in the creation of life.