Ronel Kian S.

Cablinda Issues in Science and Religion RHD MW 3:00-4:30 AM

Lecture Assessment:
1. What have you learned from today’s lecture? Write at least 3 things and explain why.
I’ve learned that scientists can conduct the same experiment, using the same
procedures and the same methods, and still come to a different conclusion. There is a
larger factor beyond the methods employed in research – a scientist’s worldview. A
worldview is how an individual makes sense of the world around him and is therefore a
key determinant of how he perceives the result of research.
Since an individual’s worldview forms on a number of factors that influence his
upbringing from childhood, it will take more than a scientific argument to convince him
to change his worldview. As a worldview takes years to take root, it may also take years
to be completely uprooted.
In synthesis, Christians must be aware of the various factors behind a person’s
behavior and belief system. As we deal with non-believers, we must learn how to
convince them with arguments in another language, a non-scientific method, and that is
the great argument of a sanctified life made possible by the blood and sacrifice of Jesus
Christ.

2. How worldview can influence one individual to see which one is correct and not?
Explain.
Our individual worldview develops during the stages of adolescence and young
adulthood. Factors such as family, studies, media, and the surrounding culture influence
how that worldview takes shape. New information and experiences continue to refine the
way an individual understands and interprets reality.
Consequently, our ideas of right and wrong stem from our worldview. A person
who believes in Darwinian evolution may eventually uphold the absence of any objective
truth or morality – that is, there is no right or wrong, therefore anything possible is
permissible. People of this kind usually turn into liberalists or, in extreme cases,
anarchists.

3. Explain with your own words the contrast between Biblical Christianity and Secular
Humanism.
Biblical Christianity believes in a higher purpose that governs our existence;
secular humanism believes we are here at random and therefore have no purpose. Biblical
Christianity believes we are beings created in the image of God; secular humanism
believes we are the product of chance. Biblical Christianity provides an internally
coherent answer to key worldview questions; secular humanism tries to come up with
theories in various fields of science that contradict each other.
By far, Christianity provides the most practical answers to life’s questions with
far-reaching results. Secular humanism seems to make sense at the surface level and may
even be easier to believe than theism, but it fails to provide long-lasting solutions to
present world problems. Biblical Christianity and secular humanism have at least one
thing in common: they both require faith. Biblical Christians may not have witnessed the
origin of life, but so have secular humanists. Creationism requires just as much faith as
Ronel Kian S. Cablinda Issues in Science and Religion RHD MW 3:00-4:30 AM

evolutionism. The superior worldview between the two will be evident in the fruits they
produce.

4. Give at least 5 ideas that can spot the differences between Christian scientists and normal
scientists.
1) Christian scientists believe in new information that arises progressively (new
information builds up on previous information); normal scientists believe in
information that evolves (the information always changes).
2) Christian scientists believe in a definite objective answer; normal scientists accept
multiple interpretations.
3) Christian scientists believe in the involvement of intelligent design in the origin of
life (choice); normal scientists believe that life was created through the random
combination of auspicious conditions (chance).
4) Christian scientists believe in purpose; normal scientists believe in luck.
5) Christian scientists believe in a God; normal scientists believe they are gods.

5. Explain the contrasts between a Bible believing Christian and a Neo-Darwinian

evolutionist!
Bible believing Christians believe in a higher purpose that governs our existence;
neo-Darwinian evolutionism believes we are here at random and therefore have no
purpose. Bible believing Christians believe we are beings created in the image of God;
neo-Darwinian evolutionism believes we are the product of chance. Bible believing
Christians provide an internally coherent answer to key worldview questions; neo-
Darwinian evolutionism tries to come up with theories in various fields of science that
contains loopholes.
The contrast is clear. While the Bible contains an internally consistent truth, Neo-
Darwinism involves loopholes in its theory that require a considerable amount of research
and much more faith than Christianity requires!

6. Why Do Different Scientists Interpret Reality Differently? Explain.

As stated earlier, equally capable scientists can conduct the same experiment,
using the same procedures and the same methods, and still come to a different
conclusion. A key factor behind the differences in interpretation is the individual’s
worldview. Worldview affects how an individual understands and interprets reality.
Other methodological factors come into play such as a different working
paradigm. Basically, a scientist makes conclusions according to the dictates of his own
conscience. As such, it is only natural that people who will apply the aforementioned
principle, under different working paradigms and different worldviews, are bound to
interpret reality differently.