Jamaica Journals 2002
Monday
Devotions: Are Theism and Science Compatible?
 Dr. Carney and the students enjoy breakfast before devotions. |
Q. Does holding religious beliefs impair one's involvement in scientific pursuits? - Modern advances in science have caused some to conclude that the concept of god was merely something formerly used by people less enlightened than ourselves. - Have we taken God's place as the ruler of the universe? |
Q. Faith or Science?
- The above question is what is known as a logical fallacy, meaning that the "either-or" implication is absurd. Nonetheless, this mentality is all-too-prevalent in our current society. Everyone approaches life from the perspective of unproven, but very strongly held, presumptions; in this sense, everyone is "religious."
- For example, one's beliefs concerning the origin of the universe will greatly influence the way one would interpret fossil records. The scientist who has forsaken the Lord will be inclined to propagate a mechanistic mentality of origins, and any data that doesn't fit the "current" mode of thought will either be dismissed as an anomaly, or else it might add a few million or billion years onto the age of the universe. Notice how many evolution articles contain the worn-out phrase, "science NOW believes..." What did they believe last week? What will they believe next week? In summary, there is no such thing as a purely "scientific" approach to the origin of life. Every scientist takes their presuppositions with them wherever they go.
- The same type of arguments could be made with respect to issues such as life in the womb, life after death, morality, etc. Our positions on these issues will inevitably be determined by our faith. The only variable will be, faith in what, or faith in whom?
- Contrary to conventional wisdom, all faiths are not equally valid. For example, just think about how you would have felt if on the flight here if you were sitting in a crowd of 15 fundamentalist Muslims... (not picking on Islam; every religion has its sinners. However, what we believe will be the biggest single factor in determining how we will live).
- Prov. 23:7 - "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he."
- Conclusion: Psalms 19:1,2 - "The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge." This is either true, or it's not. Whether or not we believe it has profound implications.
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| This morning we began the day with breakfast at 7am, followed by devotions at 7:30. We started setting up the clinic at about 8am, and saw patients from 9am till about 7pm. Patients would check in at the front of the clinic with the government-employed medical receptionists, who would fill out an admission slip for each patient. All the admission slips were given to my son Will, |  Marvis Bank Medical-Dental Clinic |
 Will working frantically to keep track of all the treatment rendered. | Of the fourteen dental students at the clinic on Monday, eleven had just completed their first year in dental school. Though they were looking forward to treating patients for the first time, there was also a certain degree of apprehension, as this represented their first hands-on oral surgery experience. They began by assisting the two dentists and three fourth-year dental |
I filled four cavities with silver amalgam, which was more silver fillings than I had previously done all year in my private practice, since tooth-colored fillings have become so popular in the United States. Almost all the cavities that we found were past the point of filling, however, and required extraction of the involved teeth. The 7-chair clinic was humming constantly, and about 10 patients |  Brian removes a bad tooth under Zach's watchful eye. |