God: Fact or Fiction?: Exploring the Relationship Between Science Religion and the Origin of Life

by Brendan Roberts

  Jesus revealed Himself and the will of God the Father through His words and deeds and signs and wonders, but especially through His death and glorious Resurrection from the dead and sending of His Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth.3 He also confirmed what revelation proclaimed that God became man in order to free us from the darkness of sin and death, and to raise us up to life eternal.4

  Jesus commissioned the Apostles to preach to all mankind the Gospel, the ‘source of all saving truth and moral teaching’.5 The Apostles responded faithfully and wholeheartedly with their oral preaching, witness of life, and their first-hand witness of what Christ handed onto them through living with Him, His words and deeds and what the Holy Spirit revealed to them.6

  In order to carry on the teaching authority of the Church the Apostles appointed successors: But in order to keep the Gospel forever whole and alive within the Church, the Apostles left bishops as their successors, ‘handing over’ to them ‘the authority to teach in their own place’. This sacred tradition, therefore and Sacred Scripture of both the Old and New Testaments are like a mirror in which the pilgrim Church on earth looks at God, from whom she has received everything, until she is brought finally to see Him as He is, face to face (See 1 John 3:2). 7

  Therefore the Apostles, including the head of the Apostles, St Peter, have all handed on the faith. That is why there is an unending succession from them to this day. In fact, every Pope can be traced all the way back to St Peter himself. The current Pope, Pope Benedict XVI is the 265th Pope.

  The Apostles themselves handed on what they had received from Christ and St Paul warns Christ’s followers to hold fast to the traditions which they had received either orally or in written form (see 2 Thessalonians 2:15). In fact sacred tradition and Sacred Scripture come from the ‘same divine wellspring’8 and ‘form one sacred deposit of the word of God’.9 Sacred tradition ‘takes the word of God entrusted by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit to the Apostles, and hands it on to their successors in its full purity’.10 Both Sacred Scripture and sacred tradition are to be ‘accepted and venerated [honoured or highly treasured] with the same sense of loyalty and reverence’.11

  Catholic and Orthodox Christians understand God’s self-revelation as being transmitted through both Sacred Scripture and sacred tradition. So, as revealed via both, God reveals Himself through the sacraments for the person who has faith. We know that Christ is truly present in the Eucharist through both scripture and tradition. In fact all the Church’s sacraments have a basis in Sacred Scripture.

  What the Apostles handed on ‘includes everything which contributes towards the holiness of life and increase in faith of the peoples of God; and so the Church, in her teaching, life and worship, perpetuates and hands on to all generations all that she herself is, all that she believes’.12 Therefore sacred tradition, Sacred Scripture and the teaching authority of the Church (which is in service to the Church to guide and protect her members) are so intimately linked that one can’t stand without the others.13

  The tradition received by the Church develops over time with a growth in understanding as the mysteries are contemplated by those who treasure these things in their hearts and this greater understanding also arises from those entrusted with the ‘sure gift of truth’14 through Episcopal succession (succession of bishops). Christ promised His Apostles that His Holy Spirit would be with them until the end of time. The helper would thus be given to the Church which is the pillar of truth (1 Timothy 3:16).

  But what is the purpose of God’s self-communication? He chose to reveal Himself and His will for us. Vatican II, the 21st Ecumenical (universal) Council of the Catholic Church, held from 1962 until 1965 explains that His will was that we ‘should have access to the Father, through Christ, the Word made flesh, in the Holy Spirit, and thus become sharers in the divine nature (cf. Ephesians 2:18; 2 Peter 1:4).’15 Sharing in His nature also means we will share in God’s life, glory and thus joy.

  We are truly unique! God’s awesome love for us is so beautiful that He allows us to share in His divine nature. Our uniqueness is also affirmed when God from the fullness of His love begins to address mankind as His friends and invites them into a relationship with Him, a relationship of love.

  The Old Testament speaks of people who could not discover God as ‘naturally stupid’. Today we call this ignorance. Yes, naturally stupid are all who are unaware of God, and who, from good things seen, have not been able to discover Him-who-is, or by studying the works, have not recognised the Artificer (Wisdom 13:1).

  Some don’t know God personally through no fault of their own and others refuse to want to know God in such a way. Most people have just a head knowledge of God rather than a knowledge of the heart. Because in modern times what people work out in their heads is detached from what they actually live.

  St Paul writing to the Romans said, ‘For what can be known about God is perfectly plain to them, since God has made it plain to them: ever since the creation of the world, the invisible existence of God and his everlasting power have been clearly seen by the mind’s understanding of created things (Romans 1:19-20).’

  Concerning natural revelation, God reveals Himself through nature (as we have explored through philosophy, particularly cosmology and Intelligent Design), and through the person of Jesus Christ, supernaturally, for we have been given divine revelation through the words, miracles and the person of Christ.

  Revelation unites philosophy and theology. They both explore the ultimate purpose of personal existence and both disciplines point to that ‘path of life’ (Psalm 16:11) which, as faith tells us, leads us in the end to the full and lasting joy of the contemplation of the Triune God.16

  Faith and Divine Revelation In the section on Divine Revelation the Second Vatican Council explains that by faith one freely commits his entire self to God. In doing so he or she fully submits his intellect to the God who reveals Himself.17

  Pope John Paul II says, ‘Man cannot grasp how death could be the source of life and love; yet to reveal the mystery of his saving plan God has chosen precisely that which reason considers “foolishness” and a “scandal.”’18 Therefore many concepts in the Gospel, when scrutinised with pure reason, are incomprehensible, and that’s why we need to use faith too when exploring divine revelation. But if we don’t have faith, we should ask God for the gift; if we have a small amount of faith, we need to ask God to increase it and put it into practice. Humanity finds it difficult to grasp that Jesus’s death could be the basis of life. Just reflect: How could death be the source of life? God gave us divine revelation through the prophets, and so revealed that the Messiah would die for the past and future sins of mankind and so would bring salvation.

  Using the imagery of a bird, revelation could be likened to that of the heart of the bird. Without the heart, and therefore without God revealing Himself to us by both natural and divine revelation we would not be able to believe in Him and especially in Christ as God would not have revealed His son to us. In addition revelation could be like the tail of the bird; without it we would be aimless and hopeless, and thus could not soar to where we wanted to.

  Pope Pius XII in the encyclical letter, Humani Generis states there was no opposition between evolution and the doctrine of faith except that the former should not be seen as proven and rescind from revelation. He adds other cautions such as Catholics are obliged to hold that souls are immediately created by God. So if life evolved from pre-existent and living matter God would have created and implanted an immortal soul into the new being. He also cautions that reasons favourable and unfavourable to evolution must be judged with ‘the necessary seriousness, moderation and measure’.19 He states that all [Catholics] must be ‘prepared to submit to the judgment of the Church, to whom Christ has given the mission of interpreting authentically the Sacred Scriptures and of defending the dogmas of faith’.20

  Mysteries There are many things that we delve into and never fully comprehend. Hence there are elements which still remain a myste
ry. For example, DNA and the genetic code remained a mystery for most of history and which scientists are still discovering more and more. Only recently has much of the mystery been uncovered. But when it comes to matters of faith there is a different kind of mystery which we call sacred. This is related to revelation as it means that there is so much that is revealed at a given time, leaving more to be always discovered in the future.

  Life itself is a mystery as is the human person. Because God is a mystery then we can never fully comprehend Him. Hence mystery is something which we contemplate rather trying to solve; we continually relook at our understanding of mystery, reinterpreting our understanding in the light of new experiences. So mystery is dynamic, not static; our understanding or expression of a given mystery is open to change.

  Pope John Paul II says that ‘mysteries of faith are in harmony with naturally known truths’.21 Mysteries of faith have been unravelled by successive generations – through the Church Fathers, Saints, Church Councils, Popes and others the Holy Spirit has revealed certain depths of the mysteries of faith. However these mysteries are so deep that we will not be able to fully comprehend them until heaven – that is, unless God chooses to reveal their fullness.

  A sacred mystery can be defined as: A divinely revealed truth whose very possibility cannot be rationally conceived before it is revealed and, after revelation, whose inner essence cannot be fully understood by the finite mind. The incomprehensibility of revealed mysteries derives from the fact that they are manifestations of God, who is infinite and therefore beyond the complete grasp of a created intellect. Nevertheless, though incomprehensible, mysteries are intelligible. One of the primary duties of a believer is, through prayer, study and experience to grow in faith, i.e. to develop an understanding of what God has revealed.22

  Pope John Paul II explains the unique relationship that humans have with God; in God is the origin of everything, the fullness of mystery. It is our mission to explore truth with our reason and this is our nobility.23

  This desire for knowledge means the ‘human heart, despite its experience of insurmountable limitation, yearns for the infinite riches which lie beyond, knowing that there is to be found the satisfying answer to every question as yet unanswered’.24

  Then he draws us back to the aspect of mystery as they ‘contain a hidden truth to which the mind is drawn’25; and the sign of the Eucharist which embodies, ‘the indissoluble unity between the signifier and signified makes it possible to grasp the depths of the mystery’.26

  Therefore because through receiving the Eucharist we are united body and soul and share in Christ’s divinity, then this beautiful union means we can grasp more and more the depths of the mystery of God. Also God communicates Himself through living in our souls and so especially through the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

  In Psalm 139 the Psalmist expresses deeply how awesome the knowledge of God is: How hard for me to grasp your thoughts,

  how many, God, there are!

  If I count them, they are more than the grains of sand; If I come to an end, I am still with you (Psalm 139:17-18).

  Summary Although God Himself is a mystery, He is a Being who chooses to self-communicate Himself to us. He does this through leaving His imprint upon creation; and through revealing Himself through the prophets and culminating in Christ. God has indeed drawn back the veil so that we can see what many people have desired to see, God revealing His nature. We are kings when we sift through the matters of God and come to know Him and His ways more. The Church, the pillar of truth continues to draw back the veil as she explores the matters of God and seeks to understand more what God has already revealed.

  Primary Revelation is the saving God who reveals Himself in Christ. God thus reveals Himself, His character and substance. Through science humanity identifies existing knowledge and develops new understanding. Mankind discovers the fingerprint of God the Creator through the Big Bang and Intelligent Design theories. Using reason (philosophy) and God’s revelation through His living Word and living Church, it can be known that God created primarily for mankind, the pinnacle of His creation – the purpose for creation.

  God gives Himself so intimately and unites so totally with us in self-gift through the Eucharist and through the power of the Holy Spirit. Therefore God though enveloped in mystery reveals more to us as the veil is drawn back to reveal the God of love who calls us to love a life of fullness in Him (John 10:10).

  Notes

  1. Vatican Council II – Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation (Dei Verbum) n.3.

  2. Ibid., n.2.

  3. See ibid., n.4.

  4. See ibid.

  5. Ibid., n.7.

  6. Ibid.

  7. Ibid.

  8. Ibid., n.9.

  9. See ibid., n.10.

  10. Ibid.

  11. Ibid., n.9.

  12. Ibid., n.8.

  13. See ibid., n.10.

  14. Ibid., n.8.

  15. Vatican Council II – The Conciliar and Post ConciliarDocuments, p. 750.

  16. Ibid., n.15.

  17. See Vatican Council II – The Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents, p. 752.

  18. John Paul II, Fides et Ratio, n.23.

  19. Pope Pius XII, Humani Generis, n.36.

  20. Pius XII, Allocution to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, 30 November, 1941) in AAS 33, p. 506.

  21. Ibid., n.3.

  22. Pocket Catholic Dictionary, p. 275.

  23. See John Paul II, Fides et Ratio, n.17.

  24. Ibid.

  25. Ibid., n.13.

  26. Ibid.

  CHAPTER 13 ON THE WINGS OF FAITH AND REASON

  Key characteristics differentiate us humans from the animal kingdom. In this chapter we will explore such notions as our ability to have faith, and our capability to reason between right and wrong; I have utilised the encyclical letter1, Fides et Ratio, On the Relationship between Faith and Reason2 by Pope John Paul II; he has covered the subject in extraordinary detail. The start of the encyclical is so richly profound; he states: ‘Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth.’ He also expresses that ‘God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth – in a word, to know Himself’3 (cf. Exodus 33:18; Psalm 27:8-9; 63:2-3; John 14).

  Faith Sacred Scripture reveals faith as ‘the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1).’ It is ‘an obedient response to God’.4 Thus men and women affirm God as one who reveals Himself. While we can trust in what He reveals one should not take faith for granted.

  This is why the Church has always considered the act of entrusting oneself to God to be a moment of fundamental decision which engages the whole person, enabling the person to act in a way which realises personal fullness of freedom. So faith is a personal commitment in which someone assimilates, integrates and appropriates belief and loves another being.

  The First Vatican Council, the 20th Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church (1869-1870) was called by Pope Pius IX. It emphatically reaffirmed that there ‘exists a knowledge which is peculiar to faith, surpassing the knowledge proper to human reason, which nevertheless by its nature can discover the Creator’.5

  We all put our faith in something or someone. For example we all believe the sun will rise in the morning though we have no way of truly knowing it will. We may jump off a bridge with a chord tied to our ankles and put our faith in those responsible for the bunji jump and trust nothing will go wrong. Although we may put our faith in our spouse, parents and friends, most of all God is our Heavenly Father and so we have the obligation to search, trust Him and so put our faith in Him.

  More radically, St Thomas recognised that nature, philosophy’s proper concern, could contribute to the understanding of divine revelation. Faith therefore has no fear of reason, but seeks it out and trusts in it. Just as grace builds on nature and brings it to fulfillment, so faith builds upon and perfects reason.6

  Faith sh
arpens one’s innermost self, the inner eye and opens the mind to discover God’s presence and action, His providence.7 In other words it helps us to see God’s presence and action in the world.

  What has been central to Christianity from its inception is the necessity to deepen one’s understanding of faith and proclaim the gospel: ‘For them, the first and most urgent task was the proclamation of the Risen Christ by way of a personal encounter which would bring the listener to conversion of heart and the request for Baptism.’8

  Some people think that it’s a cop-out to leave anything to the area of faith, as you will read in the chapter on miracles. But, let’s take the atom – can you see it? You believe it exists because someone has told you that it is true. There are many things that you believe because someone else tells you something that you can’t know for yourself, for instance, you have an ailment but you can’t tell exactly what it is, so you go to a doctor to seek his enlightenment.

  Others only have a glimmer of faith. The good news is that one can deepen their faith. This can be done through different means. Therefore one can ask God for more faith. As we will cover with people such as Thomas Merton it can take time, even years, to come to the point of faith to accept God as a personal loving God. It is also important to put one’s faith, no matter how small or great, into action – thus trusting God. This is like two wings of a bird. Instead of complaining, get into a habit of thanking God for everything – that is trust. This does not mean you blindly accept everything that comes your way. But it means having a grateful heart! If you look at your relationship with your best friend or lover, you realise that your relationship deepens when you put your trust in each other. Here is your opportunity to trust more in your Creator who is infinitely faithful.

  When it comes to faith many wonder how God can guide us and influence our actions. Is the decision that I’m making the right one and in accordance with God’s will? Proverbs says, ‘The human heart may plan a course, but it is Yahweh who makes the steps secure (Proverbs 16:9).’ In other words we make the plans and God directs our footsteps. He will close or open doors, or opportunities, if we ask for His guidance and are open to His will. If we have a rightly tuned spirit and search with faith we will know which path to take. If one seeks to separate faith from reason then they diminish the ‘capacity of men and women to know themselves, the world and God in an appropriate way’.9 In other words they only have a substitute rather than a more complete spirituality or better interpersonal relationships.