“The nature of God is not a scientific question,” said Dr Mags Blackie* on Thursday evening at the second of a series of talks about science and religion.
The series of four talks, “Catholics on Campus,” lead by Dr Blackie and Prof. Delia Heyns*, explores the link between science and religion.
“The aim of this series of talks is to talk about the science that people who have faith are often challenged by. We deal with issues that can be complicated when you are a person of faith,” said Haynes.
According to Nicholas Tutt, Chairperson of the Matie Association of Catholic Tertiary Students (ACTS), it is interesting to see how scientists view the origins of the universe.
“To be able to have scientists that are not scared to link science to faith is really exciting. It is interesting to view it from that point and to have open conversation,” he said.
Thursday’s talk focussed on the science behind the age of the Earth and the origins of biomolecules. Blackie unpacked these complex issues with insight and a good deal of humour.
“Spoiler alert: 4.5 billion years is the answer,” Blackie joked at the start of her talk, agreeing with the estimated age of the Earth determined by scientists.
She continued the discussion with a brief history of different theories aiming to determine the age of the Earth in the past. These include famous ones such as the use of Biblical generations as well as catastrophism, the sudden violent and unusual events shaping the Earth’s crust.
Today, Blackie explained, the Earth’s age is estimated by studying the massive impact of the slow operation of forces, such as wind and water. This is especially seen in mountains with soil and rock layers, even here in Stellenbosch.
“The forces that change the Earth now are the same forces that have always changed the earth. Therefore the Earth has to be very old,” she said.
These studies are done by looking at the radioactivity of certain uranium-containing compounds. Radioactivity serves as a “natural clock”. It has a half life which means that if it takes eight days for half of it to decay, it takes another eight days to go from half to quarter, and another eight days to go to an eighth, etc. Based on how much radioactivity is left, you can figure out how old something is.
“It isn’t random,” Blackie said about the age of the Earth. “Good constructive arguments was used in each step, bringing us closer to a reliable answer.”
By using visual aids, such as photos and diagrams, Blackie kept the audience captured even when talking about complex scientific matters.
Dr. Heyns addressing the audience members at a “Catholics on Campus” talk. PHOTO: Ross Michaels
Hereafter Blackie discussed the chemical origin of life.
“There are some really intriguing questions that need to be asked. The big arguments are yet to come,” she said about the discoveries yet to be made. The most fascinating question is how DNA formed from the atmosphere.
Blackie explained that molecular machines made this possible. Again she used simple terms to explain the biochemistry.
Heyns and Blackie showed critical thinking by stating that not all scientific questions can be answered yet, and pointing out that people of faith should not by default attribute this to a supernatural power.
“I just want to point out a mistake that often gets made by people of faith,” Blackie said. “[This is] to say that the way in which something happened is a mystery, so God must have done it. The great ‘God of the gaps’. The problem with that is, sooner or later we will figure out how that worked.”
The audience asked many questions, and struggled with how the understanding of science leads us back to the existence of God. On this link Blackie, a religious woman who also believes in the Big Bang Theory, said that the wonder she experiences through engaging with science is not different to the wonder she experiences through religious experiences.
Alain Lolliot, an audience member and Catholic, remarked that the lecturers were very “brave to open themselves up to “all sorts of questions and comments”.
“I found the lecturers to be extremely knowledgeable,” he said. “And it was just great to see lot of people at the talks as well.
The women concluded by agreeing that “not all questions are scientific questions”.
“If it is a scientific question, give us enough time and the right instrumentation and some brainy people and we’re gonna figure it out,” said Blackie.
*Prof Delia Haynes is a PhD in Organic Chemistry graduate from Cambridge University and is currently an associate professor in Organic Chemistry at SU.
*Dr Mags Blackie is an Ignatian Scholar and the author of Rooted in Love, a book about Ignatian Spirituality, as well as The Grace of Forgiveness. She graduated with a PhD from UCT, and is currently a senior lecturer in Organic Chemistry at SU.
– Grethe Bestbier