Ronald Numbers points out that renowned theologian Thomas Aquinas believes in both science and religion. He says, “Using Aristotle’s criteria, the great Italian theologian and philosopher Thomas Aquinas (ca. 1225- 1274) later argued that theology was a science” (Numbers, pp. 23, 2009). Thomas Aquinas says we must think critically about our faith, as we cannot just simply accept it. Science can sometimes challenge our faith, which turns out to be a good thing because that forces us to analyze why we believe what we do. A person’s faith journey should not be stagnant, but like science, it should be always striving for betterment. Nicolaus Copernicus was another person with both religious and science backgrounds, who was able to successfully live a life believing in both with no qualms. He was a Renaissance mathematician and astronomer who formulated a model of the universe that placed the Sun rather than the Earth at the center of the universe. Yet, he also was a practicing Catholic who had underwent Holy Orders. Besides just religious individuals, the Jesuits, who are a religious congregation of the Catholic Church, also serve as positive proponents believing in science as well, while maintaining their faith beliefs. For instance, the Jesuits were established in 1540 with a large emphasis on education. By 1625, they had founded nearly 450 colleges around Europe. Many of these universities were deeply …show more content…
According to Craig, everything in the beginning has a cause, whereas the ultimate cause of all causes is God. It is only logical to assume that God was this ultimate designer of such a perfectly tuned universe. Similarly to Craig was Francis Collins who believed in theistic evolution or that God chose to bring about life on Earth through biological evolution. God is the source of all life and that life expresses the will of God. The idea of survival of the fittest is God’s way of creating life according to His plan. God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-loving. While we may not understand why things are the way they are or why the human race is seen as the dominant species at this point in time, it is through faith that individuals can believe that a greater purpose exists outside of our understanding. We as humans have limited cognitive understanding compared to God. Things may not make sense to us now, yet God has a master plan in mind where life as we know it will continue to evolve over time according to His plan, thus exemplifying that science and religion can indeed work