“With Louis Pasteur, we discovered that ‘much of the science’ belongs to God”

“A little science turns away from God; a lot of science returns to it.” Francis Bacon, the English philosopher of the Renaissance, is the origin of this thought (1) which is mysterious for its simplicity and consistency.

On December 27, we will celebrate the bicentennial of the birth of 1822 Louis Pasteurwho could seize it. A scientist known worldwide for developing a vaccine against rabies, among other major contributions to biology and public health, Pasteur was also associated with spiritualism, as evidenced by his writings and the testimonies of those close to him.

Since Pasteur’s time, science and theology have advanced separately and sometimes through dialogue. Today, in the era of quantum computers, genome manipulation and space tourism, how can we make sense of this“A little knowledge takes away from God”but that “a lot of science brings it back” ?

Knowledge is liberating

The fruit of science and technology is more effective for facing certain trials in daily life than a prayer to heaven. Lightning connector example – which I took it from last work Science. God exam? By François Ivy – Speaking for himself: Benjamin Franklin discovers that lightning is of the same nature as electric current and invents the lightning rod that protects against storms better than prayer.

Scientific knowledge liberates man by giving him mastery over the material world where divine intervention is no longer necessary. Moreover, science leads man to reason and to the exercise of his critical spirit, which is the basis of the scientific method. Thus, he encourages man to liberate himself from religious dogma and thus also liberates him intellectually.

The idea of ​​liberation through science was dear to the thinkers of the French Revolution. Our educational system, which is highly focused on the sciences, is its heir. The revolutionary scientist Pierre Simon Laplace, commenting on his work on astronomy, believed that “I didn’t need to make that assumption (that God) ». In a word, science allows for the material and intellectual liberation of man and thus, at first glance, distances him from God.

What remains elusive to science

Against this statement, it will be argued that science cannot explain everything, and that there is always room that escapes quantitative and empirical measurement: Feelings, emotions and love. Of course, science doesn’t describe everything. You may not explain repeatedly Everything, but it is progressing: the “limits” of the field of science, if they exist, are constantly receding.

For example, the feeling of love is better and better described as a complex neural and hormonal phenomenon triggered by biochemical processes of which the science of Pasteur’s time was completely unaware. Tomorrow does thought, conscience and faith explain this way? As far as understanding their physical principles is concerned—to explaining the “how”—can science not claim to describe all phenomena of nature?

Genius watchmaker

So how does “so much knowledge” belong to God? The empirical approach of science reveals to man the harmony, refinement, and beauty of nature, and makes us suspect, with Voltaire, “There is no watchmaker for this watch.”. However, to see the sign of God the Creator, science is not needed: walking under the starry sky is enough.

But, beyond meditation, scientific activity plunges man into the heart of creation, where the watchmaker’s genius manifests itself. Discoveries in biology since Pasteur abound with surprising signs: the genetic code, the spiral structure of DNA, hormonal regulation, and the complex inter-species balances in ecosystems.

Spiritual liberation science

To interpret these signs as God’s work is a free act: that is, faith. However, these signs of material order and utility remain. How do “a lot of knowledge” Will he return it to God? spirituallyHow does he establish a relationship between God and man? Historically, the advancement of science has called into question the literal reading of the Bible. Thus, the believers were able to raise their level of reading in order to reach the spiritual message of these texts with more clarity.

The teaching of the texts has also gained depth, and there is no doubt about honesty. In a way, science has helped separate the divine message—the wholesome teaching—from its support—the narrative. In this sense, science also allows for liberation spiritual from a man. For example, in the Genesis account, Adam and Eve They understand themselves as the first men not in the biological sense of common ancestors, but in the spiritual sense: they bear the mark of sin that all people inherit.

Mysteries remain

This way of thinking about the dialogue between science and biblical stories, initiated by the German theologian Rudolf Bultmann, may seem obvious to our modern minds. It constituted, in fact, the great advance in theology that took place after Pasteur’s life. Naturally, this concept deepens the interpretation of the signs of God as the Creator, emphasizing the The spiritual dimension of creation And it is hidden between the lines of the Genesis story: the act of creation as a gift to man. Finally, the fact that science orients the reading of stories towards their spiritual content does not prevent us from believing in manifestations of God in the real physical world, not even in supernatural manifestations that are miracles.

Moreover, there will always be material to fuel this dialogue between scientific knowledge and inspiring stories, because our understanding of physical phenomena will never be perfect. As a result, the biblical account that seems to agree with a scientific explanation today may not agree at all tomorrow. This precaution is necessary with regard to phenomena on the frontiers of knowledge, such as the first moments of the universe.

Scientific research is a spiritual process

Finally, there is a final path that science leads to God. I mentioned the biochemical phenomena that recent research has shown provide the inner workings of the body in emotions and in the exercise of thought. However, the spiritual life is based on this ability to feel, move and think: faith, joy, love, remembrance and prayer take the form of feelings and thoughts directed towards God.

Therefore, science reveals to the believer the order of our physiological constitution in the search for God. This remark leads us, it would seem, to conclude with the great shepherd that “a lot of knowledge” Return to God. to the believing world, The subject of the study is the work of GodAnd search activity is also a spiritual process.