Since Covid, we have heard a constant refrain of, “Follow the science!” Political campaigns argue over who best follows the real science on any given issue. Newscasts and articles push their point of view by claiming a closer affiliation to science than the other side. For more and more people, decisions are not a matter of wisdom or common sense, but about someone else’s definition of “the science.”
And I understand. We naturally defer to those whose knowledge of a topic comes from years of study. If your doctor says your life depends on getting a certain surgery, you get the surgery. Even if you feel fine, you almost always defer to the doctor. You might get a second opinion, but you get that opinion from another doctor. You go by the best medical facts available to you, and those come from experts. All that makes sense.
But in recent decades, especially the last few years, scientists have become the high priests of a new and almost universal religion — scientism. It makes a religion out of science, even though scientists disagree on all kinds of things, and science itself changes regularly on any given subject.
Science is built on a foundation of questioning. So, to make science a religion is to destroy its foundation. Many scientists see the dangers of this and emphasize that they are not purveyors of ultimate truth. They find facts and draw the best conclusions they can. But they know those conclusions may be disproven in the future. Other scientists, however, have fully embraced their new religious and political powers.
As with any religion, the leaders must profess the correct creed, or else be labeled a heretic. Darwinian evolution? Check. They regularly ostracize the men and women of science who disagree. Man-made climate change? Check. If you don’t believe the world is heating up and that it is heating up for “doctrinally correct” reasons, they will call you a “climate denier.” (This is funny because no one disputes that “climate” exists.)
The term “climate denier” sounds like “holocaust denier,” and that’s on purpose. A holocaust denier claims that the Nazi extermination of some six million Jews never happened. That’s a clear denial of a proven, historical fact. It is a belief usually embraced by those who hold an extreme hatred of the Jewish people. In other words, it’s a matter of prejudice and ignorance. They want to paint those who disagree on climate change in exactly those terms, even though the two things are not alike.
In effect, “climate denier” is a modern cry of, “Heretic!”
Science often gets things wrong. Real science admits this fact. That’s why scientists keep working on problems. How many times have you read an article on some new discovery, and saw a quote that says, “We were stunned!” They were stunned because they found something they had not expected. Scientists don’t know everything, and every day they keep trying to know more. That’s an admirable thing, but it makes a terrible religious faith.
Jesus said that to build your life on His word is like building on solid rock. But to build elsewhere is to build on sand. When a storm strikes a house built on sand, it comes crashing down. Why? Because sand, like science, keeps shifting. Its nature is to change. In science, that’s good because it allows scientists to keep refining their understanding of the physical world.
But when you face the great issues of life, you need more than sand. You can trust the all-knowing God who made universe. And the Bible has repeatedly proven to be His word. That means trusting it is reasonable, and building on it is safe.
