Disciplines
• Biochemistry
• Chemical Engineering
• Chemistry
Chemistry and religion
both give structure and order to the universe,
helping people to understand the constitution
of the natural world; how, why and what
results when we interact; and providing
a sense of certainty and inevitability for
those who trust in the principles.
Religious and philosophical
beliefs (Christianity in Europe; Islam in
the Middle East, Africa and Spain; and Confucianism
in China) early on gave their followers
a belief in an ordered state of the universe
and sense of comprehensibility about the
world. Christianity and Islam drew on classical
Greek philosophies of an "ordered world."
Confucianism described an intrinsically
harmonious world, with a balance between
two elements of opposite qualities, yin
and yang. Confucians believed the universe
is made up of five elements: fire, earth,
metal, water and wood, which transform into
each other, making the universe dynamic.
Such beliefs led to the
practice of alchemy, first in China and
then in the Middle Ages in Europe and the
Middle East. Alchemists viewed their materials
as expressions of the fundamental principles
that ordered the world. They hoped that
by manipulating those principles, they could
create new substances, turn base metals
into gold or distill an "elixer of
life." Alchemists developed techniques
such as sublimation and distillation, as
well as equipment to perform techniques
and advance knowledge of the chemicals they
used. Their experimentation was based on
belief in the universe's divine order.
Early Muslim scientists'
exploration of the elements led to understanding
of the constitution of matter. A number
of terms used in chemistry, such as alcohol,
alembic, alkali and elixir, are of Islamic
origin. "Alchemy," as well as
its derivative, "chemistry," come
from the Arabic word "al-Kimiya'."
Some scholars link the introduction of the
"scientific method" to early Muslim
chemist Jabir ibn-Hayyan.
The work of early Christian
chemists such as Roger Bacon and Robert
Boyle has also informed modern science.
Bacon believed Christianity and experimentation
went hand in hand because God created everything
and imbued it with his order and harmony.
Boyle saw the world as a marvelous creation
of God, and also believed in objective observation
in research. While experimenting with air,
Boyle began promoting his atomic theory,
the foundation for modern understanding
of matter. He formulated what is now known
as Boyle's Law, that the volume of a quantity
of gas varies inversely with the pressure
when the temperature is constant. In 1661,
he overturned Aristotle's concept of the
four elements (everything is composed of
earth, air, fire and water), replacing it
with the modern idea of an element as a
substance that cannot be separated into
simpler components by chemical methods.
He believed that the study and dominion
of nature is a duty given to man by God
-- based on the scriptural mandate in Gen.
1:28: to "rule over the fish of the
sea, the birds of the sky, and over every
living thing that moves on the Earth"
- and that the universe works in accordance
with the laws of nature, established by
God for its order and control.
By the late 19th century,
scientists pondering faith and new theories
about the natural world such as Charles
Darwin's theory of evolution, found evidence
both of God's plan in the elements and chemistry,
and support for their faith in the sciences.
Writing in "Religion and Chemistry"
in 1880, Josiah Parsons Cooke, founder of
the Harvard Chemistry Department, based
his belief in proof of God's plan on the
premises that "everything which begins
to exist must have a cause;'' "that
a combination of means conspiring to a particular
end implies intelligence;" "that
design may be traced from its effects;"
and "that there are evidences of design
in the universe." Cooke believed in
both the scriptural truth of Gen 1:1: "In
the beginning God created the heavens and
the earth" as well as that there is
"evidence of design in the properties
of the chemical elements alone." He
also marveled at the attributes of the atmosphere,
whose properties seemed uniquely to serve
"the welfare and happiness of mankind."
He believed that the evidences of God in
nature, including the human soul, "are
the only proof we have or can have of his
existence."
Chemist and author Primo
Levi tackled chemistry, faith and human
nature in several of his writings, most
notably, "The Periodic Table,"
published in 1975, in which he used Russian
chemist Dmitriy Mendeleyev's periodic table
of elements as the basis of autobiographical
meditations, including on his experience
as a Jew imprisoned at Auschwitz during
World War II. The books' 21 pieces are each
named after a chemical element, through
which Levi assessed his life experience.
"The properties of elements often reflect
the properties of life itself -- volatile,
inert, lustrous, precious, poisonous, brittle
…," he wrote. "Argon"
is an homage to the author's Jewish ancestors.
"Vanadium" represents Levi's encounter
with a former official in Auschwitz, who
was the chief of the laboratory. "Zinc,"
a "boring" metal, explorers the
fascist myth of racial purity.
Levi was not religiously
observant, but Fascist race laws and the
Nazi camps made him identify with his Jewishness.
Chemistry was of genuine spiritual importance
to him. In "Hydrogen," Levi wrote,
"For me chemistry represented an indefinite
cloud of future potentialities which enveloped
my life to come in black volutes torn by
fiery flashes, like those which had hidden
Mount Sinai. Like Moses, from that cloud
I expected my law, the principle of order
in me, around me, and in the world... I
would watch the buds swell in spring, the
mica glint in the granite, my own hands,
and I would say to myself: 'I will understand
this, too, I will understand everything.'"
Debate will continue
over the role of religious origin of life
and the universe and how it ought to be
taught. Polls show most Americans believe
God was involved in the creation of Earth
and the universe, and that they are dismayed
that biblical perspectives on creation are
not taught at many public schools. Researchers
can understand the perspectives of religious
believers, the role religious and philosophical
thought has played in development of the
science, and the perspectives of researchers
who come from a religious perspective. Chemists
also can be aware of ethical concerns in
their field, such as the integrity of the
research process; the environmental consequences
of their work; and the health and welfare
of co-workers, consumers and the community,
to advance science while also protecting
the environment and human life.
Zygon:
Journal of Religion & Science
American
Academy of Religion Syllabi Search
American Scientific Affiliation: A Fellowship of Christians in Science
Association of Christian Engineers and Scientists: (503) 228-0779
Association of Muslim Scientists & Engineers
Christian Academics
Christian Nuclear Fellowship
Fellowship of Scientists
Canadian Science and Christian Affiliation
International Muslim Association of Scientists & Engineers
• See a full list of professional associations and resources here.
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