I’ve often heard from Scientists that “as a Scientist, I have to be an atheist.” What do they mean by this? First, let us understand what it means to be an atheist and what it means to be a theist.
Theism is broadly defined as the belief in the existence of a supreme being or deities. In common parlance, or when contrasted with deism, the term often describes the classical conception of God that is found in monotheism (also referred to as classical theism) — or gods found in polytheistic religions — a belief in God or in Gods without the rejection of revelation as is characteristic of deism. Gnosticism is the belief in personal spiritual knowledge. (Wikipedia)
Skeptical Theism is the view that people should remain skeptical of their ability to discern whether their perceptions about evil can be considered good evidence against the Orthodox Christian God. The central thesis of skeptical theism is that it would not be surprising for an infinitely intelligent and knowledgeable being’s reasons for permitting evils to be beyond human comprehension. That is, what may seem like pointless evils may be necessary for a greater good or to prevent equal or even greater evils. This central thesis may be argued from a theistic perspective, but is also argued to defend positions of agnosticism. (Wikipedia)
The Scientific Method is an empirical method for acquiring knowledge that has characterized the development of science since at least the 17th century (with notable practitioners in previous centuries; see the article history of scientific method for additional detail.) It involves careful observation, applying rigorous skepticism about what is observed, given that cognitive assumptions can distort how one interprets the observation. It involves formulating hypotheses, via induction, based on such observations; the testability of hypotheses, experimental and the measurement-based statistical testing of deductions drawn from the hypotheses; and refinement (or elimination) of the hypotheses based on the experimental findings. These are principles of the scientific method, as distinguished from a definitive series of steps applicable to all scientific enterprises. (Wikipedia)
Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities. Atheism is contrasted with theism, which in its most general form is the belief that at least one deity exists.
The first individuals to identify themselves as atheists lived in the 18th century during the Age of Enlightenment. The French Revolution, noted for its “unprecedented atheism”, witnessed the first significant political movement in history to advocate for the supremacy of human reason. In 1967, Albania declared itself the first official atheist country according to its policy of state Marxism.
Arguments for atheism range from philosophical to social and historical approaches. Rationales for not believing in deities include the lack of evidence, the problem of evil, the argument from inconsistent revelations, the rejection of concepts that cannot be falsified, and the argument from nonbelief. Nonbelievers contend that atheism is a more parsimonious position than theism and that everyone is born without beliefs in deities; therefore, they argue that the burden of proof lies not on the atheist to disprove the existence of gods but on the theist to provide a rationale for theism. Although some atheists have adopted secular philosophies (e.g. secular humanism), there is no ideology or code of conduct to which all atheists adhere. (Wikipedia)
Agnosticism is the view or belief that the existence of God, of the divine or the supernatural is unknown or unknowable. Another definition provided is the view that “belief that God exists or the belief that God does not exist.
The English biologist Thomas Henry Huxley coined the word agnostic in 1869, and said “It simply means that a man shall not say he knows or believes that which he has no scientific grounds for professing to know or believe.” Earlier thinkers, however, had written works that promoted agnostic points of view, such as Sanjaya Belatthaputta, a 5th-century BCE Indian philosopher who expressed agnosticism about any afterlife; and Protagoras, a 5th-century BCE Greek philosopher who expressed agnosticism about the existence of “the gods”. (Wikipedia)
Now that we know what Wikipedia has to say about Theism, Atheism, and Agnosticism, let’s explore why Scientists can’t or won’t let themselves believe in a creator.
The very definition of science is the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation, experimentation, and the testing of theories against the evidence obtained. Since the belief in a creator cannot be proven by these methods, Scientists struggle to call themselves Scientists and Theists at the same time. Most often, though, it is because of pier pressure. Scientists that admit they believe in a creator tend to lose the respect of their colleagues.
Since Scientists struggle with the concept of a Creator, yet know the universe had to have a beginning, (big bang) prefer to say that the universe created itself or that it spontaneously came into being. It is also common knowledge that everything must have a beginning and an end.
The big question for Scientists, Atheists, and Agnostics is, if there is a creator, then which God should I believe in? There certainly does seem to be endless choices.
What do you think?
