Article May 5, 2008 Issue

WHY SCIENCE NEEDS RELIGION

BY JOAN L. MITCHELL

IT'S BEEN ESTIMATED that the world's knowledge in all fields doubles at an incredible rate now—about every two years. It took 100 years for knowledge to double between 1800 and 1900; by 1940, it was doubling every 20 years. According to some predictions, by 2020 human knowledge will double every few months.

The sciences are generating this new knowledge by the hour. But the immediate challenge for the practicing scientist isn't how to find meaning in all this knowledge. Rather, it's to figure out which parts of it are important. With so much new knowledge inundating scientists and engineers, what do you do with it? Which parts are important, and what applies to the particular problem you're working on?

I've found, quite honestly, that the only thing that helps me sort through everything—to find the things I should care about and to let go of what I don't need to be concerned about—is prayer. Turning to God, using the spiritual abilities that He gives, helps sort it all out.

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