Why I Wrote a Science Primer,
And What It’s All about

“It is also necessary—may God grant it!—that in providing others with books to read I myself should make progress, and that in trying to answer their questions I myself should find what I am seeking. Therefore at the command of God our Lord and with his help, I have undertaken not so much to discourse with authority on matters known to me as to know them better by discoursing devoutly of them.”— St. Augustine of Hippo, The Trinity I,8.

INTRODUCTION:  HOW I BECAME A CATHOLIC

When I became Catholic some 37 years ago, I had to reconcile a worldview that was (I thought) entirely rational. As a secular Jewish physicist, I accepted that which could be explained scientifically as true and all else as conjecture, to be judged in terms of aesthetic and utilitarian standards. However, treading on the first three of the 12 Steps, I became convinced that there was indeed a Higher Power. Moved by the Holy Spirit, I sought to make that Higher Power more explicit, more defined. So I read “Who Moved the Stone,” by Frank Morison. The author gave convincing arguments that the Resurrection did occur, arguments convincing to an impartial jury.

If, as I then believed (and do now), the miracle of the Resurrection did occur, I should conclude that other parts of the New Testament were true. Jesus did give the keys of the kingdom to Peter, and I should convert to the true faith, the Catholic. (A happy decision, since my wife is a cradle Catholic.) And thus the catechetical process began. I began to believe that miracles, articles of faith were possible as I fell away from the religion of “scientism,” the belief that science could explain everything.

SPREADING THE WORD

Like all converts, I wanted to spread this message. So I began to write blog posts about science and Catholic teaching. I also taught adult education classes about science and the Church in my parish and diocese. To put it kindly, these classes were not altogether successful. I failed to realize that these Catholic adults knew very little about science, and had no math background to appreciate science as I taught it. Although I had received a state-wide teaching award (SUNY system), I was not reaching my audience. So, I decided to write a book, “A Science Primer for the Faithful,” that would reach both faithful Catholics with little background in science, and those who had left the faith because they thought science contradicts Catholic teaching.

In this book I would use a historical approach. (As my wife, knowledgeable in medieval history, has told me: if you want to understand something, look at its history.) I wanted to cover the following topics:

• The medieval Roman Catholic Church was the midwife and nursemaid for science;

• How science works and changes—the truths of science are mutable, but the method fixed;

• What science says about “Creatio ex Nihilo,” the Big Bang;

• No conflict between Catholic doctrine and what science truly says about evolution;

• Can computers have a soul?—the different views of philosophers and that of the Church;

• Miracles do happen, and their truth lies outside the domain of science;

• How to recognize fake science;

For those who want to delve more deeply into science, I’ve added a Science Background appendix. This covers some elements of physics—dynamics—and thermodynamics.

FR. SPITZER’S TESTIMONIAL

In this effort to spread the word that there is no war between science and the Church, I’ve used a historical approach and minimized mathematics. Let me expand on what I’ve been trying to do by quoting from Fr. Robert Spitzer’s foreword to the book. (He says it better than I could.)

“Kurland begins by patiently explaining the reach and method of faith and revelation as well as the method and limits of science, revealing why there is no inherent conflict between them. He observes that science can explore how the world works, but faith is the only way to answer the question of why we and the world exist. While science is limited to the explanation of the observable world, faith reaches out to the revelation of the creator, which necessarily entails belief – not blind belief, but one that can in many ways be justified.” Fr. Robert Spitzer, Foreword, A Science Primer for the Faithful.

For those who will read the book, let me add one other comment. No book (except perhaps the Bible) is an end in itself. I hope that readers will go further in exploring science. There are many internet resources available to do this, many of which I have linked to in the book. I hope readers will further explore these internet resources.

I’ll end this blurb with a testimonial from Fr. Spitzer:

“Dr. Robert Kurland has truly brought the domains of Catholic faith and science together in an accessible way that respects the integrity of both areas. Some scientists and Catholics believe that the domains of faith and science are irreconcilable, but Dr. Kurland shows that nothing could be further from the truth. Using some of his research presented in blog posts as well as the research of outstanding scientists, he weaves together a tapestry in which faith, philosophy, and science complement, instead of contradicting, one another. This foreword is only meant to be a foretaste of the many points of intersection he explores. The evidence and his expert interpretation of it are found in the pages of this fine survey. As I hope to make clear, this book is really worth the read.” Loc. Cit

I hope to do a second edition, in which I’ll add sections on basic astronomy and molecular biology to the Science Background appendix. And thank you, future readers.

NOTE:

This article is also published on Catholic Stand.