Does God Exist? - Great Scientists and God - Ian Hutchinson

IAN HUTCHINSON

Ian Hutchinson There are skeptics in our world today who maintain that most scientists do not believe in God, and try to convince the public that science and belief in God are opposed to each other. This column provides quotes from outstanding scientists of today and the past that reflect their belief in God, and in many cases, their faith in Jesus Christ. The scientist we are quoting this month is a professor of Nuclear Science and Engineering at M.I.T. He designed, built, and operates the Alcator C-Mod tokamak fusion device.

“Today, … Christian commitment informs, influences and motivates the activities of many scientists. Among academics, scientists are, if anything, more likely to be Christians than non-scientists. At my university (MIT) I know dozens of Christian faculty members. And the number of Christians in its academic leadership is remarkable. The previous president was a Christian, and over the years I've noticed on many occasions how active Christian faculty are in the running of the Institute. Perhaps this is because, at its best, academic administration and committee service calls for a selfless effort to assist the achievement of others — a trait that does not come naturally to anyone, least of all ambitious academics, but that does come from Christian teaching (Philippians 2:3). Certainly in my own career, I've come to appreciate that scientific leadership calls for many skills that go far beyond the knowledge of scientific phenomena and the detached impersonal interrogation of nature that we learn in the classroom and at the lab bench. For me, Christian spiritual study and growth have been the most important source of those other vital skills.

“Finally, at church we want our children to hear the gospel in a way that, with respect for both God’s word and God’s works, will not alienate them either from the church or from science.”

Picture credits:
http://www-internal.psfc.mit.edu/~hutch/top_resting.jpg