Faith and Science 

A common perception is that faith and science are in unresolvable conflict. Science is seen as based entirely on empirical evidence, whereas faith is largely wishful thinking and fantasy without any logical foundation. Indeed, Richard Dawkins somewhere comments that faith actually glories in its lack of evidence. But nothing could be further from the truth. True faith is always based on evidence, whether drawn from scientific, historical or experiential sources. It is also often forgotten that modern science developed in the West in a culture directed by Christian faith where the proposition that the universe is rational and predictable became acceptable. It is a matter of some irony that modern science has now placed its faith in what Karl Popper calls ‘promissory materialism’ – the idea that purely natural explanations will eventually be able to provide a comprehensive explanation of the origin of the universe and of life without resorting to the hand of a Creator. Intelligent Design, however, based as it is on scientific data, provides a compelling reason for recognising that the universe shows evidence of a supreme intelligence at work.