"The Question Of God"

So, we had a recent "creation vs. science" debate with Bill Nye and Ken Ham.

This is an interesting topic. No, I didn't bother to watch… and really it is beside the point. I wonder, in any style of limited debate like this, if any side has justice done. I mean really, Science, by definition, aspires to what is “provable”. Faith is based on exactly the opposite, though (contrary to popular belief) not in an uninformed manner. Of course what is “provable” will always have the advantage.

C.S. Lewis - The Spirit and the Man
(Detail) © 2005 Randall M. Hasson

One of my favorite treatments of this Creation vs Science “debate” was a documentary done by PBS called "The Question Of God" which I studied as I was doing research for a painting on C.S. Lewis. The premise was a Harvard professor of Psychology (Dr. Armand Nicholi) who was teaching a class on Freud. Having just Freud’s view wasn’t working for him, so he added C.S. Lewis for students to compare and contrast. It became so popular that it has been offered for over 35 years. When PBS did the documentary, they had a nicely mixed panel of agnostics, atheists, believers, apologists and professors. It is one of the best treatments I have ever seen. From the PBS Website: “Their arguments can never prove or disprove the existence of God. Their lives, however, offer sharp commentary on the truth, believability, and utility of their views.”

This documentary is really a thoughtful, fascinating journey. Both Freud and Lewis, as well as the panel members, could actually articulate each of their worldviews without propagandist rhetoric (or what it seems that we in social media now practice: “name calling”). I believe, personally, that the more science advances, the more it strengthens my faith, but that is just me.  Yes I understand that there is the epic of Gilgamesh “before Noah” was written, yes I have studied where our earliest forms of writing came from, yes I get that someone just found and put together a round “Noah’s ark” recently, etc, etc. All good. If you think that Faith is Mythology, no problem, but also remember that “mythologies” come from somewhere and point to some actual person or event. Lewis, a literary scholar (and an atheist at the time), came to conclusions about this issue of mythology poignantly with this reference in his biography "Surprised by Joy". 

The point is this: educate yourself, be informed and quit propagating ignorant or partially informed statements (on both sides) that fail to take into account our heritage as Humans walking in this world and how we choose to live our own “one and only” life on this earth. The right of others who don’t “live by our rules” to not be inundated by our conservative or liberal bashing posts on social media should be a given.  (That is why there is a "hide" button on Facebook by the way. Try it, it'll make your life so much better!) Everyone complains about slanted news - Fox vs CNN and so on. We all are entitled to our own opinion. One of the things I keep learning is "the more I study, the less I know". Go research your sources please, and:  

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. (1)

The older I get, the more I am partial to Rilke's statement below:

"Forever" (detail) ©2008 Randall M. Hasson

(1). 1 Peter 3:15