Atheistic Scientists Who Play God—Where It Might Lead
For science to work properly it has to be governed by moral values and ethical standards.
by John Ross Schroeder
Modern science and religion have
had an uneasy relationship often marked by suspicion and contention.
Despite recent attempts to forge a common philosophical approach and
considerable media publicity about efforts to harmonize science and
theology, the relationship remains a difficult one.
In fact, a recent survey shows that
fewer scientists believe in God than ever before. Today only about 7
percent of leading scientists profess belief. Doubt, disbelief and agnosticism
reign in the world of science. The statistics are not encouraging (please
see sidebar).
Britain's Richard Dawkins is in the
forefront of militant atheism. Noted journalist Paul Johnson has named
him as a prime candidate for the title: "The most dangerous man in Britain." Dawkins
presently occupies a specially created professorial chair at Oxford
University.
Writes Mr. Johnson: "Dawkins, a handsome,
plausible and self-confident performer on TV and radio, uses his position
not only to undermine belief in God, but to press the case for scientific
adventurism of the kind many find frightening." Professor Dawkins is
a strong advocate of human cloning.
Paul Johnson continues: "When Dolly
the sheep was cloned, Dawkins said he looked forward to having a copy
of himself made, 30 years younger, so that he could go on pontificating
well into the 21st Century."
Two Types of Scientific
Inquiry
There is both a right and wrong type
of scientific inquiry. In many ways science has made every day life
in the 20th Century a better experience for millions upon millions of
people. As Mr. Herbert Armstrong has said, "It is not the thing itself,
but the wrong use of the thing." A good thing that science creates could
be put to a wrong use, or the thing itself could be intrinsically wrong.
For science to work properly it has to be governed by moral values and
ethical standards. No field of human endeavor can exempt it itself from
basic rules, and still avoid horrendous consequences. It helps a great
deal if scientists truly believe in God and the Ten Commandments.
