One of the biggest prejudices out there is that science and faith contradict one another. However, that’s not true if you look at the idea from an objective standpoint. Some of our world’s brightest scientific minds belonged to devoted Christians. Those people perceived the wonders of nature and the ability to explore them as great gifts from God, and it’s a great honor to make a list of such brilliant scientists today on Christmas Eve!
Science and faith can definitely coexist harmoniously. Someone once said that in order for Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity to exist, you need to have faith in the idea that the speed of light is constant throughout the entire Universe. Nobody has traveled through the entire Universe to know for sure that the speed of light is always the same (even though, after all, that’s what science teaches us), which means that we need to have faith without absolute proof.
With that out of the way, let’s cut to the chase and remind ourselves of some of the most famous scientists who were also devoted Christians:
Blaise Pascal (1623-1662):
Blaise Pascal is easily one of the brightest minds to have ever walked the Earth. He was a French mathematician, inventor, and physicist. Pascal made major contributions to fluid mechanics and probability theory. It might not come as a surprise that he was also a devout Christian believer.
Georges Lemaître (1894 – 1966):
Georges Lemaitre was both a physicist and Catholic priest who proposed the Big Bang Theory, which is currently regarded as the most plausible model to explain the birth and evolution of our Universe. The man was a firm believer in the Christian God and in the idea that exploring the wonders of nature is a “must.”
Isaac Newton (1642-1727):
It’s pretty difficult to talk about science without mentioning Sir Isaac Newton, who was easily one of the most influential scientists in history. He is known for his laws of motion, contributions to mathematics, and gravitational theory. To some people’s surprise, Newton was also deeply religious and wrote extensively on theology. Despite his creed, the famous scientists never got married.
John Polkinghorne (1930-2021):
Polkinghorne was a physicist and Anglican priest who made important contributions to theoretical elementary particle physics before he became a theologian. He also believed in the intersection of science and Christianity and explored it.
Johannes Kepler (1571-1630):
Kepler’s laws of planetary motion revolutionized the world’s understanding of our solar system. The famous German astronomer and mathematician was a firm believer in the harmony of the Universe as a reflection of the grand design of God.
Max Planck (1858-1947):
The German scientist Max Planck is considered the father of quantum theory, and despite the weirdness of such a field, Planck was a devout Christian who saw science and religion as complementary. Max Planck was also a Nobel laureate.
Arthur Eddington (1882-1944):
Arthur Eddington was a British astrophysicist who made important contributions to the understanding of both stars and relativity. He was even a Quaker, meaning a member of the Religious Society of Friends, which is a Christian movement founded by George Fox. Arthur Eddington even wrote about the relationship between religion and science.
Gregor Mendel (1822-1884):
Gregor Mendel is considered the father of modern genetics, and he was also an Augustinian friar. He conducted experiments on pea plants, leading to the foundation of our understanding of inheritance.
Therefore, next time you might be tempted to say that religion contradicts science or vice versa, it’s a good idea to think about the guys mentioned in this article. They may be a lot smarter than all of us, so maybe they had strong reasons to be devoted Christians.
