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Module M 013A1 Franklin Iriarte A. Master Of Theology
The best weapon of attacks to the Bible is the Science. We are actually living what is
known “the age of science”. Science has become an object of admiration. So the popular authority
that has gained the science has set a thought in the mind of people “If science says so then it´s true”.
This can produce confusion in the mind and heart of some Christians that are not very prepared.
Science is not some unified truths but simply a collection of different categories of information.
Some of this information has been validated, other not yet. Some might be even false.
What is science? Science is the name given to the knowledge that has accumulated as a
result of man´s quest to understand the world. It is also the name given collectively to the methods
used for gaining objective knowledge and insight about the universe. The methods used to obtain
the knowledge have been refined over and over. Science is different from technology. Technology
is the name used to designate all the practical applications of scientific information.
The science can be divided into two branches: The Exact Sciences and Non Exact Sciences.
Exact sciences can include physics, chemistry, mathematics, etc. non exact sciences include
history, sociology and all disciplines related to humanities. In the exact sciences we have a great
certainty of information, but in non exact sciences we don’t have a hundred per cent definiteness.
Between these two branches the common thing in order to methods of investigation is Logic.
Which is defines as the discipline of study which supplies the norms and standards to evaluate truth,
and separate true conclusions from false ones.
Now, the foundation of all scientific knowledge starts with Logic and Mathematics. They
are called the Normative Sciences, which gives us the norms and standards by which any
phenomena can be interpreted objectively and without bias. Every deduction has to conform to
science we have:
Physical Sciences. Because of the world is full of physical phenomena, these science only
deals with repeatable events. If any other thing is not repeatable, then it´s not in its
category.
Historical Sciences. Reconstruct the past is a pleasure for many. Also understanding the
past can help us to understand the present better. There are so many lefts from the past that
gives us the opportunity of build the past in some degree. Though archaeology is the only
historical science that throws exact descriptions, it is only one aspect of the historical study
of the past.
Sociological Sciences. This science studies the collective and individual behavior of people
in society. It is a science less exact than physics, because the human behavior can be
studied but cannot be predicted. Repetition is necessary to check predictions.
All these sciences are in somehow interconnected to each other. We have to remember that
without Logic and Mathematics all efforts into gaining knowledge are futile. In some investigations
these sciences will need each other. Some are more needed than others. That’s why the sciences
are a varied collection of information.
In order to prove the reliability of the information, science uses some words as hypothesis,
opinion, conjecture, etc. Hypothesis and opinion have no value at all. But words as data and facts
are reliable. In the matter of reliability it can be divided into two categories: Theories and Facts.
Theories are all that information that is not one hundred per cent sure. All the information that is
reliable and exact is facts. Theories change. Facts don’t. In Bible matters only Facts and Laws can
be used for meaningful interaction and dialogue. This is a very important thing to remember,
because most of the attacks done to the Bible are made based on theories not on facts.
Modelmaking is a special activity modern science that we must understand. They are used
to attack the Bible. The objective of model making is to study some things. It is and attempt of
though. There are two types of models: Qualitative and quantitative. Both are for research
purposes but the reliability is different. A brief description will be given:
description level. It is a combination of descriptive narrative in order to give shape to a
certain reality. The Historical, Legal and logical reconstruction of past events fall into this
category. This kind of investigation is very important for Archaeology, history and Law
courts. Their use is limited. The universe has been studied through this model.
mathematical relationship with the object represented by it.
The model making cannot be separated from the scientific endeavor. Bu a model it is not
the truth it is just a possible representation of truth. A model is considered superior to another one
if it is able to explain the maximum number of observed phenomena related to life; and if it´s able
to make the maximum number of predictions about phenomena related to life, but not observed so
far. Models are not truth they are only a possible representation of truth.
Finally, we must add that not because we are living in a science society every phenomena
should be studied or validated by material science. Historical science has to deal with phenomena
that occurred in the past. Things that is not repeatable. The origin of the Universe, the Origin of
Life and Archaeology are some examples of historical investigations. They are not part of material
science. The same is with the Bible, people demands scientific proof on historical stuff. It can´t be
done. The historical sciences can be investigated only with methods of historical research. The
apologist should always remember this: the Bible has nothing to do with material science in order to
attack it or refute it.