Science and the Existence of God

Yesterday's Wall Street Journal contained a thought-provoking piece by Sharon Begley entitled, "Despite Appearances, Science Doesn't Deny The Existence of God." Begely writes that science does not look to supernatural explanations because it strives for testable explanations and predictions, and we cannot test or predict the actions of God. More specifically, "[s]ince only the most arrogant would claim the ability to predict what He will do next (and would likely be struck dead for hubris anyway), supernatural explanations fail as science." The inability of science to rely on supernatural explanations however, is not a denial of the existence of the supernatural. The article continues:

Prof. Colling, a lifelong Christian, argues that forgoing supernatural explanations "should not bother religious folks. God is not a micromanager." Explaining wondrous phenomena naturally "expands our comprehension of the created order." None of this is to deny the supernatural, just to say that it doesn't work in science. Students "are being told that they must choose between scientific reality and God," he says. "Nothing could be further from the truth."

It is heartening to read an article seeking to explain the harmony between science and religion, and stating that the scientific quest to learn about the world through testable hypotheses is not inconsistent with a belief in God. 'Abdu'l-Bahá described the organic harmony between science and religion in the following manner:

Religion and science are the two wings upon which man's intelligence can soar into the heights, with which the human soul can progress. It is not possible to fly with one wing alone! Should a man try to fly with the wing of religion alone he would quickly fall into the quagmire of superstition, whilst on the other hand, with the wing of science alone he would also make no progress, but fall into the despairing slough of materialism.

One potential understand based on the above is that through the wing of science, we test our explanations of the created order in order to better understand the world, thereby guarding against superstition and dogma, while the wing of true religion gives us guidance in the areas that cannot be provided solely through testing and scientific explanation--the values and virtues that guide our actions on this earth--thereby guarding against the devastating effects of rampant materialism.