God and Technology
Written by Baylen Whitfield
So often it seems as though religion, and science and technology are at war with each other. The relationship between them is a difficult one and they have tested and debated each other on many occasions. Many believe there are major differences in science and technology, and religion, and that the two sides can never coexist while others believe that science and technology is evidence that religious views are correct and that a God exists. Examples of this are provided in the Time Magazine article God vs. Science.
The Time Magazine article God vs. Science, discusses topics that have effortlessly sparked debates between each side such as, evolution and creationism. For example, the article states, “Can Darwinian evolution withstand the criticisms of Christians who believe that it contradicts the creation account in the Book of Genesis?” Despite the great efforts to convince the opposing side, a battle still brews amongst each side. Many evolutionists believe that Darwinian Evolution, which descent with modification by natural selection, is evidence that nature as well as the rest of the universe is the provider of life and that there is no God. Natural selection, which proposes that individuals that are best adapted to the environment will be more likely to survive and reproduce, gives atheists such as well known Richard Dawkins the evidence he needs for this debate. For example Dawkins states in Time’s article, “If God wanted to create life and create humans, it would be slightly odd that he should choose the extraordinarily roundabout way of waiting for 10 billion years before life got started and then waiting for another 4 billion years until you got human beings capable of worshipping and sinning and all the other things religious people are interested in.”
Aside from those debates between each side, there are other concerns regarding ethics, character, and many peoples ways of life after advancements in science and technology. Questions such as, “Does technology make people stray from God?’ or “Is technology of God’s creation and if so, is it only to glorify God and help people become closer to God?” have been often asked, especially by religion, as advancements in technology have been made and discussions can be debated on grand scales or minor scales. For example, in 1953 the chemical structure of DNA was worked out, providing the chemical nature of inheritance and showing that there is tremendous genetic diversity within almost all species, including humans. No two individuals have the same DNA sequence, with the exception of identical twins or clones. Because of reasons such as these irreducibly complex systems like proteins and the entire DNA structure, controversy around religion and technology has become more common.
Transitioning to a minor scale of things, debates brew over whether or not excessive amounts of technology should be used in churches and whether or not it takes away from our relationships with God. Whether on a large scale or not, it seems like many simply will not allow God and technology go hand and hand. For those like myself that accept technology and believe it can be used to worship God and show ways that technology is of God’s creation, are for pushing the boundaries of technology, especially when it’s used to glorify and strengthen our faith. It has many perks such as, allowing worship services to be creative and less boring, as well as being able to live stream for those that may not be able to make it to a church service for various reasons. I feel that using technology for those reasons are great and will continue to be very useful as long as the technology is not abused or used to try to take the position of God.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0KIfrV8AVM