In This (Christian) House We Believe Science is Real

If you are a parent to multiple children: You’ve likely uttered the phrase: “Just because you felt like clocking your sister, does not make it right. Parents recognize that when our children make choices based on their feelings, it doesn’t always match up with what is right or true.

However, a strongly promoted idea in modern culture is that “following our hearts” is the supreme way. Only we know our hearts so only we can determine what feels good. Thus, our hearts should lead us. Celebrities, shrinks and pretty much everyone makes it known that how we feel is the primary compass in life. I’m sure you’ve seen the quotes, from home décor to coffee mugs to yard signs to t- shirts. Following your heart is truly living.

Another popular (albeit conflicting) narrative is that science is our only source of knowledge and truth.

 You know, science is real.

Science is real? I mean who doesn’t believe that?

But given the common context of this ideology, the hidden message is more like: Those who think with their heart and not their head, really have no clue about reality. Or the old religion versus intellect debate. If you are a person of faith, you aren’t operating your brain.

Um so yeah, thanks modern world, that’s confusing. Emotion vs. Intellect? Our hearts vs. our minds? Which is it? What do we emphasize and teach our kids?

I can see how recognizing and empathizing with feelings is needed. I certainly want my kids to be able to manage their emotions and form healthy relationships. And there seems to be a boundless amount of well researched books on emotional intelligence. But what about science and our minds?

Let’s break this down together.

 I would argue our babes (and us doing this adult-ing thing), really need both. Heart knowledge and head knowledge. Faith and good thinking.  Or more so, good science and emotional intelligence.

It’s becoming increasingly clear that it’s imperative for parents to raise kids who don’t question that they are loved. Unconditionally. We nurture this desire and need. But there is also a strong requirement to help them develop the practice of thinking well. To teach our kiddos what it looks like to make decisions rooted in logic and facts.

To help them become critical thinkers.

To do this effectively, we may have to consistently relay to them that what is true, may exclude what we want, (or feel) or even what is most popular. Even (gasp!) what we think our hearts could be telling us.

This modern, information-driven world is screaming certain ideologies. But not everything we hear is accurate or sensible.

So honestly, it isn't always easy for me to model critical thinking. I tend to land in the feeler camp. By that, I mean sometimes my emotions take over, I don’t listen well and have a tendency to hurl reason out the window. It’s especially “heartfelt” and may even be irrational if any of my four munchkins are involved.

But in a rare parenting moment, I can recall how effective it was to demonstrate love but also prompt my kid to look for what was evidentially true.

My youngest girl had no hair until she was like 5. As a four year old, some slightly older boys at a playground once called her a baby. She was crushed. She came to me bawling. I picked her up, hugged her tight and whispered a reminder that babies don’t ride bikes or jump off the diving board. Both things she had recently accomplished. She jumped up and went back to life. She just needed someone to explain why and the remaining year she never once believed she was a baby again.(And I didn’t get all fiery that day and scold some little grade school boys so that’s always good).

So as moms and dads, we can validate feelings and help our kids come to good conclusions. Good conclusions result from recognizing what is credible. From practicing good science.

 Not everyone is a scientist, but we are all philosophers and to practice good science we need to think objectively.

Often, emotions or desires can be so strong it is difficult to be objective. My husband knows there are times he sure as heck cannot speak reason to me (while I’m throwing a tantrum, which um, rarely happens) and I don’t think I ever get through to my kids when they are screaming, crying little banshees.

So we evaluate when to teach critical thinking. But it’s all under an umbrella of regularly communicating unconditional love. Generally, we are all more open to learning when we feel loved and seen.

Hopefully no one is all fired up yet, but let's do some careful examining.

The funny thing about all this “science is real” notion is that science itself does not tell us anything. Scientists and people do. That’s why there can be varying conclusions about a body of facts.

It can be hard for all of us to rightly decipher what is true because of our pre-conceived ideas, what society is telling us or what we think we may want. All of this may hinder us from finding the best answer.

This idea that intellect is not for those with faith is unambiguously false. Faith is not blind. We place our faith in what we have good reason to believe as true.  

And ironically, the mainstream, scientific data actually strongly points to the existence of a creator God.

The cosmological and teleological arguments convey that the universe had a beginning point and it is finely tuned to where if the earth was a razor edge closer to the sun, it would be uninhabitable. The way the world is so precisely ordered paints a picture and implies a mind.

Even popular atheists such as Richard Dawkins have conceded that the fine tuning of our universe indicates a creator/intelligent design.

Intelligent design does not necessarily determine it’s the God of the Bible but that’s why we look to further sources of knowledge and truth.

So why are atheists seemingly waiting and hoping for a different explanation? Because science is real?

I’m not certain but I think it’s a fair guess that maybe what they feel like they want to be true could be getting in the way. A lack of objectivity.

(To look in depth at how science points to a creator, resources are provided below on the cosmological and teleological argument)

Also, if science was our only source of knowledge and truth, guess where that leads us? Former atheist CS Lewis said it well: “Supposing there was no intelligence behind the universe, no creative mind. In that case, nobody designed my brain for the purpose of thinking.

So if science is going to explain everything then we really don't need philosophy, logic or critical thinking.

And what else is irrelevant?

Yes you guessed it. Our hearts, emotions, love and even free will. In an atheistic society, there is no basis to say that love exists, and free will is ultimately an illusion.

That seems nonsensical as a parent. I swear my little red-headed spitfire looked me in the eye yesterday when I said:"no" and smirked and willingly chucked the golf ball at my face anyways.

And this little dude that my husband and I questioned beforehand if we should do "our part" to bring him into existence has not been an easy kid.

Just last night (as a 19 month old) he was up for three hours yelling off and on. But my husband and I would do it all again in a heartbeat. Because no doubt, we love him.

Science can't explain love.

Let me be clear though, I am not saying atheists can’t be logical, moral or loving. I am saying without a moral law giver, right and wrong would all boil down to our opinions of what is right.

If right and wrong is determined solely on human opinion, then how can we claim that certain acts are objectively evil?

This is decidedly not self-evident. Because dictators have opinions and they have utilized whatever is at their disposal to promote conformity, commit heinous acts (of objective evil) resulting in ultimately, the devaluing and loss of human life.

Objective morality is real. Objective moral laws imply a law giver and a standard of good.

Morality can be discussed with our children, even from a pretty young age. Ask them what if someone’s heart tells them it’s alright to punch a baby? In all seriousness, no one is ok with babies being hurt physically. We can obviously take this further but I won’t.

Heart knowledge is needed.

Science has revealed so much to us but to say it is all we need, is illogical. It's self-refuting because it's a philosophical matter.

Thankfully there are additional sources of truth and knowledge.

This is out of the scope of what I can talk about in this post. But, the historical facts surrounding the life and death of l Jesus of Nazareth are worth impartially examining.

Jesus made some pretty extraordinary claims and yet historical scholars(skeptics too) agree that he died by crucifixion, the tomb was empty, and his followers believed he appeared to them alive.

Parents/Readers, I don't know what you believe and why but here's where I am going to ask you to decode your own possible, negative feelings. And whatever you may have adopted as truth or whatever preconceived bias you may hold to, hear me when I say:

The Bible is worth thinking critically about.

Suppose for a minute that the Bible is truthfully based on historically, archaeologically and scientifically corroborated events. Not perfectly, but reasonably sound.

That these details make the bible stand out more than any other religion or worldview. Then this is the good news…

It means we can help our kids test everything and hold fast to what is good.

It means above all else we guard their hearts for it is the wellspring of life.

 It means the God that perfectly situated the earth, moon and the sun in the sky, deemed us worthy of being made.

It means that our kids and us can lovingly help others develop good, credible beliefs. Beliefs about themselves and the nature of reality.

It means this life is not all there is and there is good reason to embrace true hope.

It means our kids can develop confidence and practice compassion and empathy to all humans but they don’t quickly give in to conformity. They can choose to live a life caring for people but they don’t live and die by what others think.

Because it means they can powerfully grasp what God thinks. That He not only created them, He loves them with an everlasting love and died in their stead.

Parents, let's not let popular narratives do our minds and our kids' minds dirty. Let's educate them in the school of critical thinking. So we can powerfully exemplify why they are loved.

Not feeling me? Don’t presuppose my words as truth. Look at the evidence. Then teach it to those babies that are going to grow up way too fast. And use that big old parenting heart of yours and tell them they are loved. Over and over again. By the Creator God and You!

Further Reading:

• Astrophysicist Hugh Ross's website: www.reasons.org
• Eric Metaxxas, Is Atheism Dead?
• Dr. Frank Turek and Dr. Norman Geisler, I Don't Have Enough Faith to be An Atheist
• Natasha Crain, Talking with Your Kids About God: 30 Conversations Every Parent Must Have

Teaching Kids 5-10:

JD Carmolinga's Pig and the accidental Oink or Why God? by Dan DeWitt

Read either book and scatter puzzle pieces on a table. Have them complete the puzzle and ask: When we look at the world and the way it is designed it is similar to a puzzle. Could the scattered pieces come together on it's own? Or is a purposeful mind more reasonable?