Introduction

I've been meaning to start a blog here for a while, as a sort of answer to some of the astronomy/skeptic blogs who seem to believe that you can't be both a skeptic and a Christian without having multiple personalities or something, and also some of the Christian blogs that don't have a clue about science. I will readily admit that many of my conservative Christian values are a product of my environment, that's true for whatever environment you grow up in, to some extent. Unlike some, though, I have spent much of my adult life questioning and reconciling my beliefs to get to where I am today. I'll try to give a quick overview now, and follow it up later with a more detailed description of what I believe and why.

I have a PhD in Space Physics, and I believe in empirical evidence as a proper scientist should. I don't go around finding Jesus in breakfast food and I don't support Intelligent Design (both because it's bad science and also because it's bad theology. More on that later). Science is not just the realm of the known, but the knowable. This is the source of much of the conflict between religion and science. To paraphrase Jesus, "Render unto science that which is science's". Empirical questions of how the universe works is exactly what science is designed to find out.

I am also a southern Baptist, having grown up in a Christian family in small town Texas. My experience probably wasn't completely typical with biology professor for a dad, but overall I grew up the same as many others. I believe religion serves the purpose of answering those things that science cannot address, the "unknowables" that must either be believed or rejected without scientific evidence. I choose to believe in God and the teachings of Jesus, and I believe that proving that belief right or wrong is not only impossible, it is a philosophically flawed concept since religion is about faith in things that fall outside of the realm of the scientifically knowable. Other Christians may say that my faith is small or weak, but I often think the same of those who would put God in a particular box and claim to understand exactly how He formed creation without actually studying that creation.

In this blog I plan to share my thoughts and reactions to some of the foolishness that goes on on both sides which serves to drive a wedge between religion and science. If you agree with me, that's great. If not, that's even better, I hope you can gain a better perspective of my particular viewpoint from this.