God and Nature 2025 #4
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By Lilyan Robinette
It is written, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters” (NIV). Over the next six days, God would speak all of creation into existence.
On the other hand, according to the scientific narrative, creation started with a point of immense, perhaps infinite density and temperature that expanded into the universe we know today.
Superficially, these two creation narratives seem to be vastly different, and so religion and science are often considered to be contradictory. However, perhaps we can see them as two filaments of a single thread in the complex tapestry of life. Separate, they seem unrelated, and the knowledge each discloses is limited. Together, they display the interwoven partnership between the spiritual and the physical.
It is written, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters” (NIV). Over the next six days, God would speak all of creation into existence.
On the other hand, according to the scientific narrative, creation started with a point of immense, perhaps infinite density and temperature that expanded into the universe we know today.
Superficially, these two creation narratives seem to be vastly different, and so religion and science are often considered to be contradictory. However, perhaps we can see them as two filaments of a single thread in the complex tapestry of life. Separate, they seem unrelated, and the knowledge each discloses is limited. Together, they display the interwoven partnership between the spiritual and the physical.
Look at the tapestry. Look at the details. Look at the image woven by the threads. |
In this tapestry, we can see that science and faith are not independent of each other but are intwined, each affirming the other. If we are willing to look, we will find that the sciences can deepen our understanding of God’s creation, illustrating the harmony between faith and science and revealing the nature of our Creator.
Trying to hold both the views of faith and science while keeping them separate can be exhausting. One can end up with a constant battle over whether natural phenomena are explained by science or by Genesis.
It helps to remember that when Moses wrote the creation narrative, the audience and culture to whom he was writing were not people of science. The purpose of the first chapter of Genesis was to give people at the time an understanding of who created life and why. Science did not exist yet, and people explained things through stories, so Genesis was written a story.
The current scientific view, the Big Bang Theory, holds that a spontaneous explosion brought the universe into existence. This is also incomplete as an explanation. Can spontaneity produce such intentional creation?
Despite the gaps in each worldview, many people tend to side with either a religious or scientific stance—but what if it is actually the gaps that make the ideas fit together, like puzzle pieces? What if the two sides are not in a match of tug-of-war but pulling toward each other like magnets? What if the reason it is so exhausting to keep them separate is because they were meant to be together all along? Perhaps creation’s bang was divinely curated by an intentional Creator!
Think of atoms. As chemistry tells us, all matter in the entire universe is made of these particles. It is amazing to think that the same kind of atoms found here on earth are found on planets and stars light years away. Furthermore, atoms have the capacity to combine in many ways to form many different compounds. Though there are a limited types of atoms, there are countless possible outcomes.
Much of an atom’s reactivity can be told simply by its placement on the periodic table, a masterpiece of organization, in which the elements settle into familial columns. Elements within a family share many characteristics due to their valence electrons. For instance, in the first column (the alkali metals), elements are highly reactive on account of having only one valence electron. There are many qualities of atoms that can be mapped out by the periodic table.
The molecules made by atoms are crucial for all the many different life forms. Our cells are constantly conducting vast numbers of processes to ensure our survival. Our cells can break down and produce the molecules essential for our body’s health without us ever having to think about what is being done. These critical processes are extremely complex and intricate in the way they interact with each other in order to accomplish what the body needs. They are also designed so that they are not rigid and machine-like but can adapt and thrive.
It is evident that all living organisms on the earth have the fortunate ability to adapt and evolve. It is clear that there is intentionality and purpose behind adaptation and evolution so that organisms can continue to thrive in their environment.
Life also relies on physical and chemical characteristics and interactions on a larger scale. Specifically, this is observed in the purpose of the earth’s core. Compared to other planets that have been studied, the earth’s core is unusually large. The earth’s large, molten iron and nickel core creates a magnetic field that shields us from the sun’s harmful radiation. This protective phenomenon is beautifully observed as the aurora borealis and the aurora australis, the northern and southern lights. Without its anomalous core, the earth would be unfit for life.
Science was never meant to be the sole explanation for the cause of the universe. Nevertheless, knowledge of science is exceedingly important. Studying the created world is like reading a message from the creator saying: “I have written you into existence. This place was made for you to thrive, and you were made to flourish here. Every detail is for your benefit.” But this is not where the message ends. He goes on to say, “Now you have seen it, so join me. Keep searching in my creation and live more deeply.”
To know a painter, one can study the artist’s painting. To know an author, one can study their writing. Similarly, science is one of many facets capable of revealing our Creator’s nature. Look at the tapestry. Look at the details. Look at the image woven by the threads. Does it not have a weaver? Look at the universe. Look at life. Do they not have a creator? How can chaos give birth to elaborate sublimity?
How intricately woven, how purposeful, how perfect yet flexible, how organized, how intentional it all is. The spoken and written language is limited in describing such a Being. This is why faith is needed: to close the distance between the seen and the unseen.
Briefly stated, faith and comprehension are not the same. When understanding falls short, faith is the bridge to knowledge and the way to belief. What we know scientifically and religiously about this Creative Power is minuscule compared to the whole truth. We must combine both sides so we can have a more complete picture. Until the remainder of the tapestry is revealed to us, we can stand in awe of what has been beautifully contrived.
Lilyan Robinette is a junior chemistry major at Lipscomb University in Nashville, TN. She has written this essay hoping it may inspire others to see God and nature in the way she has come to admire them.
Trying to hold both the views of faith and science while keeping them separate can be exhausting. One can end up with a constant battle over whether natural phenomena are explained by science or by Genesis.
It helps to remember that when Moses wrote the creation narrative, the audience and culture to whom he was writing were not people of science. The purpose of the first chapter of Genesis was to give people at the time an understanding of who created life and why. Science did not exist yet, and people explained things through stories, so Genesis was written a story.
The current scientific view, the Big Bang Theory, holds that a spontaneous explosion brought the universe into existence. This is also incomplete as an explanation. Can spontaneity produce such intentional creation?
Despite the gaps in each worldview, many people tend to side with either a religious or scientific stance—but what if it is actually the gaps that make the ideas fit together, like puzzle pieces? What if the two sides are not in a match of tug-of-war but pulling toward each other like magnets? What if the reason it is so exhausting to keep them separate is because they were meant to be together all along? Perhaps creation’s bang was divinely curated by an intentional Creator!
Think of atoms. As chemistry tells us, all matter in the entire universe is made of these particles. It is amazing to think that the same kind of atoms found here on earth are found on planets and stars light years away. Furthermore, atoms have the capacity to combine in many ways to form many different compounds. Though there are a limited types of atoms, there are countless possible outcomes.
Much of an atom’s reactivity can be told simply by its placement on the periodic table, a masterpiece of organization, in which the elements settle into familial columns. Elements within a family share many characteristics due to their valence electrons. For instance, in the first column (the alkali metals), elements are highly reactive on account of having only one valence electron. There are many qualities of atoms that can be mapped out by the periodic table.
The molecules made by atoms are crucial for all the many different life forms. Our cells are constantly conducting vast numbers of processes to ensure our survival. Our cells can break down and produce the molecules essential for our body’s health without us ever having to think about what is being done. These critical processes are extremely complex and intricate in the way they interact with each other in order to accomplish what the body needs. They are also designed so that they are not rigid and machine-like but can adapt and thrive.
It is evident that all living organisms on the earth have the fortunate ability to adapt and evolve. It is clear that there is intentionality and purpose behind adaptation and evolution so that organisms can continue to thrive in their environment.
Life also relies on physical and chemical characteristics and interactions on a larger scale. Specifically, this is observed in the purpose of the earth’s core. Compared to other planets that have been studied, the earth’s core is unusually large. The earth’s large, molten iron and nickel core creates a magnetic field that shields us from the sun’s harmful radiation. This protective phenomenon is beautifully observed as the aurora borealis and the aurora australis, the northern and southern lights. Without its anomalous core, the earth would be unfit for life.
Science was never meant to be the sole explanation for the cause of the universe. Nevertheless, knowledge of science is exceedingly important. Studying the created world is like reading a message from the creator saying: “I have written you into existence. This place was made for you to thrive, and you were made to flourish here. Every detail is for your benefit.” But this is not where the message ends. He goes on to say, “Now you have seen it, so join me. Keep searching in my creation and live more deeply.”
To know a painter, one can study the artist’s painting. To know an author, one can study their writing. Similarly, science is one of many facets capable of revealing our Creator’s nature. Look at the tapestry. Look at the details. Look at the image woven by the threads. Does it not have a weaver? Look at the universe. Look at life. Do they not have a creator? How can chaos give birth to elaborate sublimity?
How intricately woven, how purposeful, how perfect yet flexible, how organized, how intentional it all is. The spoken and written language is limited in describing such a Being. This is why faith is needed: to close the distance between the seen and the unseen.
Briefly stated, faith and comprehension are not the same. When understanding falls short, faith is the bridge to knowledge and the way to belief. What we know scientifically and religiously about this Creative Power is minuscule compared to the whole truth. We must combine both sides so we can have a more complete picture. Until the remainder of the tapestry is revealed to us, we can stand in awe of what has been beautifully contrived.
Lilyan Robinette is a junior chemistry major at Lipscomb University in Nashville, TN. She has written this essay hoping it may inspire others to see God and nature in the way she has come to admire them.