A perfect pairing? Beneath the surface, religion and science have common bonds

Recently, a renowned British physicist has been in the news for making some serious scientific strides. Unfortunately, the particulars of these strides are a bit out of my grasp, but I'll try to boil them down as best I can. For the last 40 years, Peter Higgs has been inching ever closer to an explanation of the origins of our universe. For all the research that physicists have done regarding the Big Bang Theory, there is still a gap between what has been mathematically proven and what still remains a mystery. Higgs, however, believes that he has found one more step in the process of closing that gap, a discovery that has come to be called the "God particle."

This particle, the existence of which Higgs claims to be on the verge of proving, is said to give other particles their mass, and would therefore be vital in explaining many of the questions scientists have yet to answer regarding the birth of matter and life as we know it. Higgs hopes to make this discovery under conditions that would hurl particles at each other at the practical speed of light, but the implications of this breakthrough involves more than the collision of particles.

Historically, man has always looked to the supernatural when faced with the inexplicable. Theisms, religions and faiths are all belief systems that center on the existence of some sort of deity or supernatural being. All are based on explaining what logic, observation and science cannot. Now, however, our world is full of knowledge gleaned from scientific research, and the proportion of the unexplained to the understood is continually shrinking. Given the ever-growing amassment of scientific information today, it seems that we have little else to wonder at or believe in.

Higgs' discovery in particular takes a swing at one of the deepest and most baffling mysteries of our world: Its origin. Those who believe in God can accept the Big Bang Theory because there is still the missing piece of whom or what was there to start it. Many point to this gap as proof that God, or something similar to a god, exists. Higgs' "God particle" however, would effectively fill this gap, leaving even less room for the presence of an omnipotent, supernatural being.

For many, science and religion are perpetually at odds, vying for precedence in our political, social and educational worlds. Discoveries like Higgs' are seen as threats to people of faith, and (as is the case with the God particle), are often met with overzealous skepticism, protests and outright rejection. Even with a whole host of evidence, scientific progress in areas that challenge religious tradition are often ignored. The question, then, is why these two fields are so often seen as purely adversarial.

The problem seems to be one of semantics. While certain people of faith may reject the challenges of science because they fear that they take the place of religious beliefs, there are many others - myself included - who see science simply as a different way of describing the same thing. Here, science serves as proof for the existence of God, rather than the more commonly held contrary. The discovery of the solar system, of gravity, of photosynthesis, of cells and atoms and particles - all are just ways of re-labeling His greatest feats. What were once called miracles we now refer to as scientific phenomena, but that doesn't mean any of the wonder is gone. Scientific discoveries simply give us a language to describe these miracles. Perhaps most important, though, is the fact that you don't need to look at dramatic and significant events like The Big Bang to find God. Take last week for instance, when I saw God in an apple and on YouTube.

In my English class a few days back I was munching on an apple and marveling at its design. If you think marveling at an apple is odd, bear with me and try to consider its magnificence. The apple I held in my hand was probably treated with various hormones and fertilizer enhancers, but apples in their purest form come directly from nature. They are the unaltered product of our world, and they are utterly amazing. Just think of the remarkable act of simply walking up to a tree, plucking away its contents and instantly receiving tasty nutrients. It is this all too serendipitous convenience and seemingly perfect design that convinces me of the existence of God. I've always assumed that the first person to cut open a pineapple must have felt like he'd found a gold mine, but maybe a better guess would be that he felt like he'd found God.

To take this idea of design a bit further, I was recently shown a clip on YouTube created by Harvard Biovisions that uses animation in an attempt to create the most accurate representation of what actually goes on inside a human cell. The processes are absolutely unbelievable, and I would challenge anyone who sees this incomprehensibly acute level of design to not see God in its intricacy.

The point I hope I have arrived at is that science is inescapable, but it shouldn't be something from which people of faith feel a need to escape. Regardless of the vocabulary man uses to describe the amazing happenings of our world, the labels will never lessen the level of undeniable wonder that comes from observing their seemingly perfect and utterly harmonious design. Higgs can call the creator of the universe a particle, but I will still see it as simply another well-crafted tool created by the ultimate designer.