Science and Faith Discussion Group

A weekly discussion group held in 1988

Science and Faith

Fridays 7:00 p.m. at Wisconsin Lutheran Chapel
220 W Gilman St. (just off State St.), Madison, Wisconsin

You are welcome to join us at any time and bring interested friends, too.

This is a time for discussing and sharpening our views on the controversial issues that tended to separate science and Christianity for a long time.

And a time for listening to what experts in physics, astronomy, biology, philosophy and theology consider to be reality.

We shall read and discuss literature displaying Christian, agnostic and atheistic views, trying to

  • understand what they assert and how they support their views,
  • uncover the underlying motives and assumptions,
  • sharpen our perception of how to discriminate between truth, belief and prejudice, between knowledge and ignorance,
  • replace our uneasiness about these controversial issues by discriminating between what we know and what we don't know,
  • give witness to the fact that Nature tells about God,
  • better understand God as the origin of truth.

    Many of us are Christians who trust God's word as given in the bible, and therefore dedicate their lives to serving Him. This gives us a different perspective to look at the world. In neither means that we know all the answers nor that we cannnot hold wrong views. But it does mean that we accept God's evaluation of our do's and don'ts, and of what should be important to us.

    God is the God of love and truth. Scientists live to honor Truth, Christians live to honor God, so we should take advantage of each other in a loving attitude, to strengthen our own calling by God.

    It is my hope that you enjoy these meetings, that you learn something, and that you learn to be more able to express your thoughts and questions on the subject both here in the group and later in life.

    Arnold Neumaier
    Visiting Professor
    Mathematics

    Topics of relevance to the theme

    Limits of knowledge

    Principles of science

    Mind and body

    Probability and quantum physics

    Life and matter

    The origion of the universe

    History of scientific thought

    Science and bible

    I would like to be able to present instant answers to all these questions, but unfortunately a thorough understanding of any of these problems requires a long time of patient study. The truth is often hidden from us, and our desire to reach a quick conclusion often prevents us from even gaining that measure of truth which is accessible to an open and self-critical mind.

    I don't know the answers to most of the above puzzles. But I want to go with you some steps along the fascinating and rewarding road to understanding the best, although often mutually exclusive, views. It seems that, just as physicists consider the building blocks of matter from the contradictory points of views of ``particles'' and ``waves'' to get the right description of matter, so truth may involve being aware of the contradictory points of view that partially explain things.

    Science and Faith
    My Views on the Christian Way of Life
    On Christianity
    Gesprächskreis Glaube und Wissen
    Gedanken zum Leben als Christ
    my home page (http://arnold-neumaier.at)

    Arnold Neumaier (Arnold.Neumaier@univie.ac.at)