God of the Gaps

"Science investigates; religion interprets. Science gives man knowledge, which is power; religion gives man wisdom, which is control."

–Martin Luther King, Jr. 

The Celestial City from John Bunyan's A Pilgrim's Progress

Sir Isaac Newton believed in a theory called God of the Gaps. In his Mathematical Principles of Mathematical Philosophy, Newton explained the theory like so, “This most elegant system of the sun, planets, and comets could not have arisen without the design and dominion of an intelligent and powerful being... And if the fixed stars are the centers of similar systems, they will all be constructed according to a similar design.”

Essentially, God of the Gaps means that any questions or unknown in science places God (or another divine being) as the reason for its existence. The theory describes God as a mystical hand, guiding along inner mechanisms or unexplained phenomena in science. God of the Gaps was Newton’s way of drawing together his two great loves: science and religion. 

The theory of God of the Gaps was extraordinarily revolutionary because many people today still believe that science and religion cannot meld. They believe writings like Sir Isaac Newton’s “A Letter of Mr. Isaac Newton” and John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress must exist separately. Newton’s laws completely negate Bunyan’s view of Christianity. It cannot possible to believe in the Big Bang while also believing in God’s immense power. It simply cannot happen. At least, that is what most people believe. 

Now, the God of the Gaps theory is considered a little outdated today simply because our advancements in science are different than those during Newton’s time. However, it's still important to understand that science and religion can be melded into one. They can coexist, and honestly, they should.

Today, people often think that Christianity explains everything. The Bible depicts the existence of the world through Genesis. Because of that, evolution must be blasphemous. I think what people fail to realize is Genesis was written by a human, Moses.

Following the creation of the universe, no one truly knows how much time had passed. It could be argued that God had set in the motion the process of evolution through the creation of the universe, so by the time Adam and Eve were created, evolution was already centuries underway. A human during Moses' time would not be able to explain the process of evolution, so it would only make sense that God simply placed humans there. This idea would bring the God of the Gaps theory into a biblical sense.

Biblically, God has also explained things to humans in a way that has made it possible for them to understand. An example would be the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These are all one being: God. It's hard for humans to manifest the idea that another human is divine while the same divine being still exists. It’s complicated, to say the least. However, God uses the Trinity to help humans wrap their minds around the existence of him in any form.

Let’s go back to the creation of time in Genesis. The concept of time is a social construct created by humans, and deities presumably do not follow this social construct. God’s (or any deity's) concept of time would be different than ours. There is no way to truly tell how many days passed from the creation of the universe to Adam and Eve. Again, this means evolution is possible in a biblical sense.

So, in a way, Newton’s theories of science can complement Bunyan’s view of Christianity. When I was younger, I once had a pastor tell me, “God is the greatest scientist to ever exist.”

The pastor went on to explain how God knew exactly how to tilt the Earth to create seasons. He knew how to create the ozone to protect us. He knew how close we had to be to the Sun to remain alive.

Unlike Newton’s God of the Gaps theory, which has been interpreted today as blind faith, I like to look at it more like God set in motion certain scientific phenomena. Science does not erase God. It celebrates him.

In fact, many scientists today think God can be found in the unpredictability of quantum mechanics. The outcome of an experiment can never be predicted, much like God.

Today, Bunyan’s view of Christianity manifests in a way that people often think science erases God. The battle between science and religion is also one of the reasons why people turn away from religion. If they believe in God, they cannot believe in science.

I believe these two can exist to complement and celebrate each other. Religion and science do not have to be enemies. Scientists can be theologians. Theologians can believe in science.

In fact, they should.

Sources:

Gleiser, Marcelo. “What The 'God Of The Gaps' Teaches Us About Science.” NPR, NPR, 8 Apr. 2015, www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2015/04/08/398227737/what-the-god-of-the-gaps-teaches-us-about-science. 

History.com Editors. “Isaac Newton.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 10 Mar. 2015, www.history.com/topics/inventions/isaac-newton. 

Polkinghorne, John. “Physics and Theology.” Euro Physics News, 2014, www.europhysicsnews.org/articles/epn/pdf/2014/01/epn2014451p28.pdf.