Chapter 1A
God and Science
Bio
Biology
logy
bios + logos
life
study of
Biology
A Branch of
Science
Science
A body of facts that
man has gathered by
observing the physical
universe
Fact
Something that is true
So what is truth?
Is something true . . .
… because people believe it?
… because it seems to work?
… because we have seen it
happen repeatedly?
… because it is logical?
Is something
true because
people believe
it?
Doctrine of
Humors
Hippocrates
350 B.C.
Doctrine of Humors
 Holds that living things
are made up of four
liquids, or “humors”
 For a person to be
healthy, his humors must
be in perfect balance.
The 4 Humors
Black bile: spleen
Blood: heart
Yellow bile: liver
Phlegm: brain
Is something
true because
it seems to
work?
Doctrine of
Signatures
Ancient
Babylonians
Doctrine of
Signatures
Held that God left behind
signs or “signatures” to
indicate cures for the
illnesses resulting from
Adam’s sin
Examples
• Liverwort believed to cure liver
disease
• Yellow lichen used to cure
Jaundice
Is something
true because it
is seen
repeatedly?
Spontaneous
Generation
Theory that nonliving
materials change into
living organisms—
spontaneously
(abiogenesis)
Spontaneous
Generation
Read the section on page 17
about Jan Baptista van Helmont.
What was Van Helmont trying to
prove?
What was Van Helmont’s
hypothesis?
Mice will __________ inside the box
with wheat and a sweaty shirt.
Spontaneous
Generation
How did Van Helmont perform his
experiment?
What were the problems with Van
Helmont’s experiment? What are
other possible explanations for
his results?
What could Van Helmont have done
to obtain more reliable results?
Spontaneous
Generation
Read the section on page 17
about Francesco Redi.
What was Redi trying to prove?
What was Redi’s hypothesis?
How did Redi perform his
experiment?
Spontaneous
Generation
Why did Redi have to repeat his
experiment?
Did Redi’s results support
biogenesis or spontaneous
generation?
Spontaneous
Generation
Review the sections on pages 67 and 18 about John Needham.
What was Needham trying to
prove?
What was Needham’s hypothesis?
How did Needham perform his
experiment?
Spontaneous
Generation
Did Needham’s results support his
hypothesis?
Were Needham’s results valid?
What were the problems with
Needham’s experiment?
Spontaneous
Generation
What could Needham have done
to make his results more
reliable?
Spontaneous
Generation
Read the section on pages 18-19
about Louis Pasteur.
What was Pasteur trying to prove?
What was Pasteur’s hypothesis?
How did Pasteur perform his
experiment?
Spontaneous
Generation
Did Pasteur’s results support his
hypothesis?
Were Pasteur’s results valid?
Spontaneous
Generation
Is spontaneous
generation still
believed today?
YES
Is something
true because it
seems logical?
Logical
Reasoning
Inductive
Deductive
Inductive
Reasoning
Begins with a number
of observed facts and
derives a general
conclusion
Example
 Plants are living things, and
they are made of cells.
 Animals are living things,
and they are made of cells.
 Algae are living things, and
they are made of cells.
Therefore . . .
All living things
are made of
cells.
Deductive
Reasoning
Begins with a general
principle and draws
conclusions about
specifics
Deductive
Reasoning
The general principle
is assumed to be true.
Example
• All boys are smart.
• Jim is a boy.
Therefore . . .
Jim
is
Smart!!
Deductive
Reasoning
If either of your
premises is incorrect,
your conclusion may
be false.
All birds fly.
Cardinals are birds.
Therefore, cardinals fly.
Is the conclusion correct?
Is the argument valid?
Yes
No
The first premise is incorrect.
All birds fly.
Ostriches are birds.
Therefore, ostriches fly.
Is the conclusion correct?
Is the argument valid?
No
No
The first premise is incorrect.
Is something
true because it
is accepted by
faith?
Faith
Truth is not based upon
what we believe.
We should base what we
believe upon truth.
Truth: The Word of
God
The only sure source of
truth is God’s truth.
In John 17:17 Christ said,
“Thy Word is truth.”
Truth: The Word of
God
The only sure source of
truth is God’s truth.
In John 14:6 Christ said, “I
am the way, the truth, and
the life.”
Truth: The Word of
God
God’s Word is truth.
Nothing can disprove its
claims.
I Peter 1:25 says, “The
Word of the Lord endureth
forever.”
Truth: The Word of
God
God’s Word is truth.
Nothing can disprove its
claims.
Psalm 119:160a says, “Thy
word is true from the
beginning.”
God’s Truth & Science
Categories of Statements
• Revealed truth—true because
it is revealed in God’s Word
• Theory—thought to be true
• Fallacy—contradicts Scripture
or scientific evidence
• Truth by definition—defined
by man
God’s Truth & Science
Is there a Conflict?
• The same One who created
the physical world inspired
the Bible.
• God gave man his senses
and mind to observe the
physical world.
• God did not reveal all truth in
the Bible.
God’s Truth & Science
Is there a Conflict?
• We cannot have the same trust
in what is not in the Bible as we
can in what is in the Bible.
• God’s truth will not contradict a
proper interpretation of science.
• Psalm 119:89—“For ever, O
LORD, thy word is settled in
heaven.”
Conclusion
Science is man’s
attempts to observe
and describe the
natural processes
God established to
govern the universe.
Science:
Science is the collection of
observations, inferences,
and models produced
through a systematic study
of nature that enables
humans to exercise proper
dominion over God’s world.