SCIENCE AND THE BIBLE

Evening Star, Issue 19660, 13 September 1927, Page 10

SCIENCE AND THE BIBLE

LECTURE BT DR PETTIT The first of a scries of lectures on ‘Questions of the Hour’ was given hast oveiling at Knox Church by Dr Pettit, of Auckland. .> Dr Pettit, who took as his subject ‘Science and the Bible,’ dealt_ with the prevailing idea that modern science had rendered belief in the liiblo untenable. A recent lecturer had declared it to bo foolish to try to make tho Book ol Genesis fit in with scientific doctrine. Genesis, ho claimed, was early poetiy, and was not a serious attempt to wiite pre-history, its main purpose not being to tell people the method c creation, but the fact that it all came from Goa. Dr Pettit explained that the fault of such a position was that it was ically socking to examine tho account of Genesis in the light of evolution, which was purely theoretical. Ho was prepared to admit that the Bible could not bo reconciled with scientific theories, but it had to be remembered that these theories rarely stood for even half a coutury. It had been slated by Sir milium Ramsay that of all the theories of physical science which were taught fifty years ago not a vestige remained. But when one came to look at the teaching of the Bible and compared it with the facts of science, it was found there was no contradiction whatever. The speaker challenged any scholar to produce from the realm of biology, geology, astronomy, or any other branch of science one fact which conflicted with the statements of tiie Bible. Lord Kelvin, probably the greatest scientist of the nineteenth century, said: “There is not a single fact of science which is in conflict with any statement of the Bible.” The trouble was that the modern thinker who had adopted tho evolutionary philosophy treated this hypothesis as if it were an established fact, mui then proceeded to deny those portions of tho Bible which could not bo reconciled with his theory. The Bible was the Word of God, and there could not possibly be any conflict, between it and true science. TruO science dealt with facts, and revealed God’s voice in'Nature. It revealed His eternal power and Godhead, and so it could never bo in conflict with Bis written word. If anyone could prove that the facts of Nature contradicted the Bible, they had demonstrated that the Bible was not the Word of God. But that was exactly what all down the ages it had been impossible to do. The Bible was always ahead of every branch of science. It was perfectly true that the Bible was not a scientific text book. It was not designed primarily to teach tho facts of the physical universe. This was freely admitted. There was no contention regarding tlie matter. But at many points the Bible referred to matters that came within the realm of science. Tlie question at issue was: Does it state truth or error in these references? He Challenged the scientist to produce ou« instance of error. On tlie other hand, there was in the first chapter of Genesis a record of creation in which the scientist couicl fincl no flaw. . Tho Bibio had forestalled scientific discoveries by many centuries. As an instance of this Dr Pettit quoted God’s Covenant with Abraham in Genesis, chapter xxii.; “ I will multiply thy seed iw the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is upon the seashore.” These words were recorded by Moses in tho fifteenth century me. As late ns fjO a.i). Ptolemcy estimated the number of stars as only <3.000. ft was not until after tho invention of tho telescope by Gallilco about 1000 a.p. that astronomv discovered tho vast number of tho stars. In 181-5 Lord Ross estimated that there were 400,000,000 visible stars. The speaker also pointed out that tlie Lord Jesus Christ in the reference to His second advent described this great event in terms which bore indirect testimony to the fact nl the rotundity of the earth. “In that night there shall be two in one bed; (lie one shall bo taken and the other shall be left. Two H>all be grinding together : the one shall be taken and the other left. Two shall be in (be field; tbo one shall be taken and the other left.” Hero they had in one moment of time night in one part of the earth, oarlv morning in another, and broad daylight in another. This was only possible because of tlie rotundity of the oar tli_a fact which science discovered centuries after the Son of God spoko those pregnant words.