Chapter
Can A Scientist
Believe In GOD?
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Discover Your Self
or thousands of years, people have marvelled at the starry
heavens. On a clear night, the beautiful stars hang like
shining jewels against the darkness of space. A moonlit
night bathes the earth with a beauty all of its own. Those who
think, often wonder : "Just what is out there in space? How is it
organized? Can we find out how it all got started? Who created
all these startling variety of things?" The human mind is
staggered by the immensity and complexity of the awesome
universe. As ‘National Geographic’ magazine commented what
man is now learning about the universe has "left him stunned."
Who will not appreciate and realize that all this artistry is the
work of an intelligent yet inconceivable designer and creator God?
If you want to see your face in the mirror you need the help of
sunlight. Similarly if one is interested in discovering oneself,
one needs to know God, the ultimate truth. Self-realization
comes automatically by God realization.
Group Work : Divide the class into groups of 3 each and ask them to
discuss the following question in about 5 minutes :
What gives you faith that there must be some God or Supreme
Being in this world? Write down as many reasons as possible
why you believe in the existence of God.
Once the groups are ready ask one representative from each group
to present all the points that came out from discussion and put it on a
flip chart. The same can be repeated with other groups. Overlapping
points can be left out. After this task the teacher can try to relate the
points obtained with the ones given below. Then discuss them after
the following story. When the points obtained from the students are
put on the board and discussed, that gives them more confidence
and faith than to ‘feed’ them without making them to think first.
Can A Scientist Believe In God ?
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The Story of Isaac Newton
here is a wonderful incident in the life of Sir Isaac Newton
that goes to show how he was a strong believer of God.
Newton had a small-scale model of the solar system, which, on
completion, was installed on a large table in his home. The artisan
had done a fine job, simulating not only the various sizes of planets
and their relative proximity, but also constructing the model in such a
manner that everything rotated and orbited when a crank was turned.
One day, one of Newton’s atheistic friends came by for a visit and
was naturally intrigued by the model. Having expressed his
admiration at the workmanship, he enquired about the artisan.
Newton replied in all seriousness that there was no artisan. The
model had just popped up by chance. Of course, the visitor was not
convinced. Finally, Newton explained, “You refuse to believe that
this puny contraption came about by chance and yet you are
convinced that the great original, the actual solar system, of which
this mechanism is only a model, has come into being without either a
designer or a maker. Now tell me, by what sort of reasoning do you
reach such an absurd conclusion?”
Thus Newton defeated his atheistic friend and made him realize
that behind this marvelous universe, there is the hand of God.
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Order and design
hen we think calmly and carefully about this wonderful
universe, we can see order and design at every level – in
the atoms, the molecules, the solar system and the universe.
Scientists continue to find new and astonishing aspects of this
order. The very word ‘cosmos’ means ‘an orderly, harmonious
systematic universe’.
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Discover Your Self
At Atomic level : An atom includes a nucleus surrounded by
orbiting electrons. All matter is made up of these building
blocks. What makes one substance differ from another is the
number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus and the
arrangement of electrons revolving around it. This has an
exquisite order. We study about 14 types of crystal structure
arrangements like FCC, BCC, HCP, etc., of different elements.
Where did all this order come from?
At the molecular level, networks of atoms are so fantastically
arranged that even a slight change in the positions of a few
atoms or a little variation in the geometry of a molecule, can
cause the colour of a substance to change from orange to red, a
mild pleasing odour to become repellent and pungent, and a
flavour to change from sweet to bitter.
On one extreme, we find the smallest molecule, the hydrogen
molecule, which contains only two hydrogen atoms. On the
other extreme, we find giant molecules such as proteins and
nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) that contain innumerable atoms
made for a definite function. These atoms are arranged in
amazingly intricate and definite patterns, like the double helix
of the DNA molecule.
The molecular networks are so fantastically and delicately
arranged that chemists cannot but wonder about the most expert
hand and brain who is making all these wonderful artistic
arrangements. Science is only unfolding the existing truths
about nature. We have not created this order.
At best, scientists can only try to imitate the wonderful artistic
works of God. They cannot even do this properly, and most of
their attempts lead to failure and disappointment. Even when
they are partly successful, it is only with the greatest difficulty.
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Discover Your Self
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For example, Prof. R.B. Woodward of Harvard, a Nobel Prize
winner in Chemistry (1965) and Prof. A. Eschenmoser of
Zurich took eleven years to synthesize the vitamin B12
molecule. Altogether, 99 scientists from 19 different countries
were involved just to accomplish this one small task!
At the level of Universe : From the infinitely large to the
infinitesimally small, from galactic clusters to atoms, the
universe is characterized by superb organization.
‘Discover’ magazine stated: “We perceived the order in
surprise, and our cosmologists and physicists continue to
find new and astonishing aspects of the order… It is a
miracle…”
Former astronaut John Glenn noted “the orderliness of the
whole universe… galaxies were all traveling in prescribed
orbits in relation to one another.” He therefore asked:
“Could this have just happened? Was it an accident that a
bunch of flotsam and jetsam suddenly started making these
orbits of its own accord?” He concluded, “Some Power put
all this into orbit and keeps it there.”
Indeed, the universe is so precisely organized that man can
use the heavenly bodies as the basis for his timekeeping. A
well-designed time piece is obviously the work of a
intelligent scientist. Then what about the far more complex
design and dependability that exists throughout the
universe?
Group Quiz: Make a comparison between the Government of your
country and our Universe. Find out what are the duties of your
government towards people and what you observe is happening in the
universe? You will see an amazing similarity. When you begin the
task, hide the right side column named `Universal Government’. After
the group discussion, verify how many of your answers tally with the
answers given under the heading of `universal government’?
GOVERNMENT OF ANY
COUNTRY
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Home Ministry (Law and
order)
Supplying medicines for
diseases
Industrial and domestic
water needs supply by
Municipality
Ministry of Social Welfare
(Supply of food grains,
vegetable, milk for the
physical well being)
Ministry of Energy
(Electricity and Lighting)
Finance Ministry
(Currency or wealth)
Health Ministry (Hygiene
and sanitation)
Defense Ministry
(Protection from dangers)
Education Ministry
(Education for citizens)
Reward for best citizens
UNIVERSAL GOVERNMENT
Law of Karma : For every
action, there is an opposite
reaction.
Illicit sex – AIDS,
Smoking-Cancer
Drinking-Liver problem,
Tobacco-bronchitis
Ayurvedic herbs
Rains
Air, water, grains, milk – all
supplied through mother
nature; God is father. Mother
cannot produce without father.
Sun and moon
Gold, silver, nava ratnas,
diamonds etc
Sun and rain keep cleanliness
Ozonosphere protects living
beings on earth, self defense
immunity system
Vedas, Bible, Quran
Benefits of Yoga, Meditation
etc who follow God’s laws and
scriptures
Oral Quiz: What do you learn after completing the table?
Brainstorm the ideas from students and tell one of them to
write the points on the board.
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1. The universe we are living in is owned and controlled by the
Supreme Lord.
2. We are not living in a universe, but in a Universal
Government that is well managed, maintained and
supervised by superior agents whom we may not see with
our eyes. Just as there is a Prime Minister for any
government, similarly there is Supreme God, who is the
presiding authority of the whole universe.
3. When we ignore the laws of any government or Prime
minister, one invites punishment; similarly by ignoring God
and the laws of nature, modern man is inviting sufferings in
this world more and more.
4. The sufferings we undergo are a proof that we are going
against the will of God and some steps need to be taken to
rectify our wrong mentality. The reform is to give up
selfish, exploitative, enjoying, grabbing approach and to
adopt the selfless, extending, serving, giving nature.
5. We should hear from the manual of God – Bhagavad gita –
to know how can we again harmonize our lives according to
His will.
Tremendous Energy
Every day the sun supplies the solar system with a tremendous
amount of heat, light and energy. The very tiny fraction of the
sun’s energy that falls on the earth – estimated at about five
parts in a hundred million million – is about 100,000 times
greater than all the energy used in the world’s industries. Put in
a different way, the energy the sun emits in one second is
greater than the whole amount of energy human species has
consumed throughout its entire history! We have to find out
whether any of our scientists can try to make one sun for us in
their ‘most-advanced’ laboratories.
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Discover Your Self
While God makes the sun, man can only poorly imitate it by
producing a mercury bulb. While God has made the moon,
man makes a Dome light. God makes vast oceans; man can
only create swimming pools. God puts huge planets in orbit
and sets them in motion; man can only put a small sputnik in
orbit. Thus God creates and man imitates, that too poorly.
Organization and Craftsmanship
There are many simple and graphic examples of the artistry of
the Lord’s creation. We see that among the lower forms of
living entities, social organization is very smoothly maintained.
For example, in a bee colony the drones nicely take care of
the queen bee, while the workers collect a great amount of
honey from flowers all day long.
Similarly, the loving relationship between a mother and her
baby is quite clearly visible even in very small forms of
living entities. During monsoon season in tropical countries,
when there are torrents of rain, the small ants run to find
shelter, carrying their eggs on their heads.
The spider makes its wonderful webs with great architectural
skill to serve as a shelter and to catch its prey for survival.
Silkworms spin hundreds of yards of fine threads to form
cocoons for their shelter during the pupa stage.
Inside a tiny seed, smaller than the size of a mustard seed,
the whole potency of a big banyan tree is present.
Seventy separate chemical reactions are involved in the
process of photosynthesis in a plant.
Can A Scientist Believe In God ?
In this way, we can see the
wonderful organization and
arrangements made by God,
who is creating, maintaining
and guiding all living entities,
small or big.
A Giant in a Tiny Package
One of the smallest seeds has
packaged within it the biggest
living thing on earth - the
giant sequoia tree. It grows
over 300 feet high. Four feet
above the ground its diameter
may be 36 feet. One tree may
contain enough wood to build
50 six-room houses. The twofoot-thick bark is flavored
with tannin that repels insects,
and its spongy, fibrous texture
makes it almost as fireproof as
asbestos. Its roots cover three
or four acres. It lives over
3000 years.
Yet the seeds that a sequoia
tree rains down by the millions
are not much bigger than a
pinhead surrounded by tiny
wings. A puny man standing
at a sequoia’s base can only
gaze upward in silent awe at
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Discover Your Self
its massive grandeur. Does it make sense to believe that the
shaping of the majestic giant and of the tiny seed that packages
it was not by design?
Nobel-prize-winning physicist Robert A. Millikan, said at a
meeting of the American Physical Society: “There’s a Divinity
that shapes our ends…A purely materialistic philosophy is to
me the height of unintelligence. Wise men in all the ages have
always seen enough to at least make them reverent.”
Laws of Nature
The development that has taken place in all the physical
sciences during the past hundred years has resulted chiefly from
the application of the ‘Scientific Method’ to the study of matter
and energy. In the experimental part of this study every effort
is made to eliminate every known possibility that the results
obtained are in any way due to mere chance. This study
consistently has shown in the past, and still continues to show
that the behaviour of even insensible matter is not at all
haphazard, but on the contrary obeys definite natural laws. The
arrangement of chemical elements by the great Russian
chemist, Mendeleef, is called ‘The Periodic Law’ and not ‘The
Periodic Chance’.
Also, the entire universe, from atoms to galaxies, is governed
by definite physical laws. There are laws for governing heat,
light, sound and gravity, for example. As physicist Stephen W.
Hawking said : “The more we examine the universe, we find it
is not arbitrary at all but obeys certain well-defined laws that
operate in different areas. It seems very reasonable to suppose
that there may be some unifying principle.”
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When we think of laws, we acknowledge that they come from a
lawmaker. A traffic sign that says “Stop” certainly has behind
it some person or group of persons who originated the law.
What, then, about the comprehensive laws that govern the
material universe? Such brilliantly conceived laws surely bear
witness to a brilliant Lawmaker.
Did everything start from
a ‘Big bang’ or a ‘Big brain’?
If you ask someone, how this universe began, people simply
murmur, ‘big bang’. Whenever there is a big bang due to some
atom bomb in your town or city, you can be sure of two things :
people would be curious to know who created the
explosion-- any terrorists or soldiers?
the explosion might have caused only damage and
destruction and nothing orderly must have come out of it.
The explosion usually is chaotic, like the explosion of a nuclear
bomb. But does this type of explosion result in better
organization? Do the bombs that fall on cities in wartime
produce superbly designed buildings, streets and signs with
traffic laws? On the contrary, such explosions cause wreckage,
disorder, chaos, disintegration. And when the explosive device
is nuclear the disorganization is total, as experienced by the
Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.
No, a mere “explosion” could not create our awesome universe
with its amazing order, design and law. Only a mighty
organizer and lawmaker could direct the powerful forces at
work so that they would result in superb organization and law.
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Discover Your Self
The universe we live in, is not some lump of floating material,
but a perfect residence (with arrangement for food, water, heat,
light, medicine etc) for all living beings to live in harmony. No
one would expect a beautiful multi-storeyed housing
appartment replete with all facilities for food, water supply,
lighting and electricity, hospital facility etc to spring up from a
‘big bang’ or a big explosion.
If someone is adament in arguing on ‘big bang’, he might be
suggested to start a ‘small bang construction company’ and
create housing appartments based on his ‘big bang’ belief.
Encyclopedia Britannica admits, “It should be emphasized that
no theory of the origin of the solar system has as yet won
general acceptance. All involve highly improbable
assumptions.” Thus, with such “highly improbable” theories
the atheists try to deny God as the origin and controller of the
universe.
According to big bang theory, everything began from ‘a point
of infinite temperature, infinite density, infinitesimal in size
that is physically indescribable, mathematically unverifiable,
beyond all conceptions of space and time.’ Does it sound like
a scientific theory? Now where did that ‘point’ come from?
Here the scientists face the same difficulty as the religionists
they taunt with the question, “Where did God come from?”
And just as the religionists respond with the answer that God is
the cause of all causes, the scientists are faced with the prospect
of declaring a mathematically indescribable, physically
unrealizable point of infinite density and temperature, of
infinitesimal size, existing before all conceptions of time and
space, as the cause of all causes. The choice is yours!
Whether you want to accept God or a ‘point’ as the Supreme
cause of all causes.
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Thus, believing in an empirical (or physical) scientific theory
requires just as much faith as in believing that a personal God
creates and maintains the universe. Scientists generally claim
that nothing is accepted in the field of Science without proper
experimental evidence. We can challenge, “Where is the proof
that such a point existed? It is more wiser to assume that God,
a Supreme Truth, endowed with unlimited energies is the cause
of all causes, than to assume a ‘point’ as the Supreme Truth.”
God is not an assumption, but a tangible
reality. Dr.Albert Einstein said,“I believe
in God – who reveals himself in the
orderly harmony of the Universe. I
believe that intelligence is manifested
throughout all Nature. The basics of
scientific work is the conviction that the
world is an ordered and comprehensible
entity and not a thing of Chance. When I sit here and watch the
mighty ocean, I can imagine the treasures hidden below the bed
of the sea, when I see the clear blue sky above, I feel sky is the
limit. When I cast my eyes around I see the wonders and
beauties of Nature. Science must learn to live in Harmony with
all these magnificent gifts of God to Humanity."
When we think calmly and carefully about this wonderful
universe, we can see that everything is working under the
control of a supreme brain. There is a cause behind each action.
A machine cannot run without an operator. Modern scientists
are very proud of automation, but there is a scientific brain
behind automation also.
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A Charge against Chance
ome scientists are using the concept of chance in a way that
misleads the public. Being unable to explain the origin of
the universe by physical laws, they assert that it was somehow
caused by chance. But such statements are meaningless.
To make any statement about a chance event meaningful,
Many repetitions of the event in question are required and
These must be observable.
For example, we can flip a
coin many times and note the
results. We can see that they
correspond to a statistical
pattern indicating a 50%
probability that heads will
turn up rather than tails. The
word ‘chance’ therefore does
not actually refer to a cause it refers only to a certain type
of pattern in the results of an
operation
repeated
a
sufficient number of times.
Now imagine we could toss a
given coin only once and it
came up heads. If someone
asked why that result
happened, we might give a
causal explanation or say that
we don’t know, but it would not be meaningful to say it
happened by chance.
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So now what about the universe? It is not possible for us to
observe more than one appearance of a universe-- we can only
see the one we are in. The origin of the universe is thus a onetime event, and statements about it that involve chance are
meaningless according to the rules of quantitative science.
Do you know a machine
which has no maker and with no purpose?
We have absolutely no experience of any object or system
coming about by chance. Why and how then can we assume
that the entire universe with all its harmony, order and
structured organization came about by itself, by chance?
Have you ever seen:
A complicated machine coming by Chance?
A complicated mechanism with no Purpose?
Suppose you go to the Strength of Materials laboratory and ask
the lab incharge, “Where does the Universal Testing Machine
(UTM) come from? And what is its purpose?” If he tells you
that the UTM came by chance and that it has no purpose, will
you not consider him to be a fool? This is what the so-called
scientists of today are saying about the origin and the purpose
of the most complicated mechanism - the universe. When a
blind man leads many blind men everyone falls into a ditch.
That is the condition of today’s society.
Any sane man can appreciate that a superb organization
requires a superb organizer. Nothing in our experience indicates
that anything organized happens by accident. Rather, our entire
experience shows that everything organized must have an
organizer. Every machine, computer, building, even a pen and
pencil had a maker, an organizer. Logically, the far more
complex and awesome organization in the universe must have
had an organizer too.
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Those who advocate the ‘chance’ theory must put forward
some supportive evidence to back their viewpoint. If they
could find one, just one, wristwatch, computer or even a chapati
that happened without a maker or designer, that would be
something. But there is not a single such piece of evidence !
Not even one !
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The Unseen Is Proven by the Seen
ne may not know God for sometime, but sooner or later, an
intelligent person asks – “How is it that the material
universe from the submicroscopic realm of the atom to the
expanding reaches of the galactic objects is running like an
intricate well-oiled clock? If hundreds of scientists have to
break their heads to put a single satellite in orbit, how much
greater giant brain, capable of careful planning, would be
required to put millions of planets in orbit? Modern scientists
are proud of automation, but there is a scientific brain behind
automation also. What great intelligence has been able to
visualize the arrangement of innumerable planets, realize it and
put all the planets in motion?”
A clear principle is established: “The unseen is proved by the
seen. The creation reflects the creator at every point. God can
be easily seen in this creation just as an inventor can be easily
known by his invention.” The Bhagavad-gita explains that
everything rests upon God just as pearls are strung on a thread.
Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita (7.7):
mattah parataram nanyat kincid asti dhananjaya
mayi sarvam idam protam sutre mani gana iva
“O conqueror of wealth, there is no truth superior to Me.
Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread.”
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The analogy is clear. By superficial examination of a pearl
necklace, one cannot see what is keeping all the pearls together.
But we figure that there must be some binding factor, else the
pearls would have scattered. Similarly, God is the underlying
thread of Truth binding this entire cosmic manifestation
together in an orderly manner. It is He who put all the planets
and galaxies into precise orbits and it is He who maintains
them.
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The Spiritual Scientist
ord Kelvin, one of the world’s greatest physicists, has made
the following significant statement: “If you think strongly
enough, you will be forced by science to believe in God.” In
other words, Lord Kelvin answers the question, ‘Can a scientist
believe in God?’ in unambiguous terms: if a scientist does not
believe in God, he is not a scientist at all.
After commenting on all the special conditions of order and law
that are so obvious in the universe, ‘Science News’ observed:
“Contemplation of these things disturbs cosmologists because it
seems as if such particular and precise conditions could hardly
have arisen at random. One way to deal with the question is to
say the whole thing was contrived and lay it on Divine
Providence.” Many scientists have begun to acknowledge what
the evidence keeps insisting-- intelligence.
There are many true scientists who, being in the frontlines of
research in their fields, not only are keenly aware of the
marvelous powers and achievements of science, but also are
equally aware of its limitations – of the questions that science
alone can never answer and of the marvels of creation, of
wonder, and design in the universe that the atheist or agnostic is
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powerless to account for. After years of research and study this
is what Sir Isaac had to say, “I do not know what may appear to
the world, but to myself I seem to have been like a boy playing
by the sea shore, and diverting myself in now and then finding
a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the
great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.”
Scientists of today have begun to realize that the knowledge
and ability they have is extremely limited and in fact quite
insignificant. Therefore, instead of denying and challenging
the existence of the Supreme Scientist, God, it should be the
prime duty of all scientists to appreciate the inconceivable brain
of God and His wonderful manifestations everywhere and
create a worldwide spiritual awareness among people. Then
there can be real peace in society.
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