I’ve applied to participate in the very cool-sounding Sinai and Synapses Fellowship. My answer for one of the application questions felt blog worthy.

Question: Please share a story – either personal or professional – that exemplifies how you grapple with the relationship between religion and science. (300 words max)

Adam’s answer:
Loosely speaking, the enterprise of science seeks to interpret evidence to draw conclusions about the universe. But, of course, “speaking loosely” is not a helpful practice in science. So we must systematize this process of inquiry and interpretation and carefully define what “evidence” is. We make observations of the physical world and count them as evidence if they meet our standards of reproducibility and scientific controls.

Outspoken scientist atheists emphasize that there is no evidence for a divine creator and say that it is misguided to have faith. They’re probably right about the lack of evidence, especially if we’re using scientific standards for what constitutes “evidence”. I can’t think of a reproducible way to “test” for God. And, to me, God-of-the-gaps arguments for God aren’t particularly satisfying or compelling–especially given the historical trend for these gaps to shrink at an ever-increasing pace.

However, I still find there to be a great deal of “evidence” for God that is compelling to me, even if it’s outside the realm of science. Whatever science may have to say about God’s existence or lack thereof, the question of God still resides within my own soul and no one can answer it for me. I am forced to wrestle with the deep uncertainty and mystery of God for myself. At moments, this uncertainty is profoundly uncomfortable and it’s tempting to use the lack of “scientific evidence” for God as an easy escape from the question.

For me to authentically engage with that internal wondering, I can’t restrict myself only to the scientific realm—even though I still take science seriously. I also examine my heart and my experience to see where they may point me. I draw from history and philosophy, sociology and anthropology to see what clues they may yield. I immerse myself in relationships and seek to contribute to the good of society in my quest to comprehend the mystery of love.

Yet, there’s one page from the science playbook that I strongly adhere to in all of this. Even though my convictions run deep, I hold my conclusions lightly, acutely aware of the vast amounts that I don’t know, eager to see what new evidence may teach me.

[note: The first paragraph below was not included in my answer due to the word limit. Without it, my answer is 299 words! And, of course, the images are just for the sake of this post.]