Kathryn Applegate is the program director at BioLogos. BioLogos is an organization dedicated to showing the "harmony" between faith and science. In a recent article by Jesse Carey in Relevant Magazine, Carey quotes Applegate as she discusses the intersection of science and faith. "People have felt worried that if they go in one direction or the other; they're going to lose their faith or have to just stop thinking," Applegate says at the age of science versus religion debate. She continues, "I feel like it's a false choice between excepting the Bible or excepting science." Wait, so is she suggesting that these two things can be harmonious? Most people would tell her to come off it. But the truth is that there are a lot of truths intertwined in our world. The belief that science goes hand-in-hand with religion isn't a new idea but one that is currently taking force. Relevant Magazine strives to cover faith, culture, and intentional living and they certainly do that with Carey's masterfully crafted article.
Relevant Magazine isn't the only media form driving to bridge this gap. Another media form striving to bridge the gap is the Liturgists podcast. The podcast consists of Michael Gungor, Lissa Paino, and Science Mike as they discuss creativity through the lens of science, art, and faith. The program does a great job at breaking down barriers without insulting a particular group of people on the way and it strives to ask questions that make us uncomfortable.
But can a text or a podcast, or any media for that matter, that isn't aiming to discuss this topic teach us something about said topic? Let's find out.
I mentioned above that truths can be intertwined. Connections can be made anywhere and out of anything. Our world literally revolves in a circle, physically and metaphysically. That book you read last week resonates with the piece of you that reveals knowledge about certain history that connects to Galileo that connects to your crummy day job, etc. Here is an example. Harry Potter makes me very nostalgic for my days of youth group which is where I learned a lot about my faith and that Jesus loves us all which is also reiterated in Harry Potter when Harry fights for those who are oppressed by Voldemort who greatly resembles Hitler in his want to destroy those who he feels are below him, etc. See my point? Full circle. And speaking of Harry Potter, I found a very interesting connection which I believe can shed light on the science vs. religion debate.
I want to pick apart this quote from Granger to connect it to the debate at hand. I trust you already noticed some sort of connection already. First of all, fiction itself is a reveler of truth. The concept of fiction being truthful sounds like crazy talk to many but take a look back at our ancestors who told the story of Pinocchio to their little boys to keep them from misbehaving or the Little Red Hen to encourage children to help. Yes, fiction is a great teaching tool although the examples I gave are stories written purposely to teach. But what about stories that don't aim to teach? Can they teach us on the same level as didactic stories? I'd argue these stories are more powerful because the reader is letting their guard down. It is when we let go of our preconceived beliefs that we absorb the most.
But back to Granger's quote...he frst discusses the Founder's Myth and states that all cultures contain something of the story. For Christians, this story is the Creation story and for others it is the Big Bang Theory and Evolution. These two ideas clash all of the time and it seems to go that you either believe one thing or you believe another. That simple. And in the Hogwart's Founders Myth, many people choose sides as well. The Gryffindor's side with Godric and the Slytherin's side with Salazar. They do this with no particular reasoning in mind other than pride and preconceived ideas.Granger then talks about Rowling's intent with this story. He explains that right away, Gryffindor's and Slytherin's can not be friends or have the same morals because at the end of the day, Salazar left. This is very reminescent of the Capulet's and the Montegue's from Romeo and Juliet. Salazar Slytherin left Hogwarts and never mended his relationship with Godric Gryffindor which implies that the same will continue to happen. This very much mirrors a person's struggle with which side of the debate to be on. Do you go with the Creation story or do you go with scientific evidence? We are taught we can only choose one or the other and like Salazar we must leave one behind. Thus there seems to be no alternative. And as Granger states, we forget to celebrate the whole.
The entire Harry Potter series is about acceptance and I think it is important that we keep open minds
These two characters are always at odds. When defining them, Hermione would easily be the side of science and Luna the side of faith. Luna is constantly believing in things she cannot see or things that are said to not exist. Hermione relies completely on logic, especially in the final book when she doesn't believe the objects of a children's story could actually exist (these objects being the Deathly Hallows). Both of these characters mean a lot to Harry and both stand on opposite ends of the spectrum. The war calls them to come together and embrace their differences and try to learn from each other. As readers we are seeing through Harry and because Harry likes Hermione and Luna, we tend to agree. Why can't the same be said of science and religion?
There is a character in the series that is mentioned only briefly in the books and his name is Graham Montague. He is in Slytherin house. In the fifth book, Montague is stuffed into a broken vanishing cabinet (for those who don't know, a vanishing cabinet is always made as a set and when something/someone enters it they should be able to teleport to the other one easily) by the Weasley twins Fred and George. This is done because he joins the Inquisitorial Squad and as if this "privilege" isn't enough, he tries to abuse his new found power by docking rival house, Gryffindor, of house points. Fred and George take matters into their own hands and stuff him into the broken cabinet and feel not a drop of guilt. A moment like this could easily be passed off as house rivalry or the good guys (Gryffindor) triumphing over the stupid bad guys (Slytherin). But I think it is important to notice this Slytherin's last name...Montague. Ring a bell? Montague is the last name of the classic romantic character, Romeo from Romeo and Juliet. How coincidental this Slytherin is named after a character from a text that is promoting unity between arguing houses. It only makes sense that Rowling purposefully put this in her books. She did not randomly name this character. The entire series promotes unity between houses and this is a brilliant way at using subtext to establish a point. We are called to learn from these stories as they are allegory for our own lives.
The Harry Potter books are classics in their own right and what they can teach us knows no boundaries. I think it is important that people see this connection. Of course there are many other connections I could make such as the lion vs. the snake but I will end my blog here. It is important to connect Hermione and Luna and the Founder's Myth to this pressing issue because it will hopefully help us understand our own problems and put them in perspective.
What do you guys think about the science vs. religion debate? Do you see the connections I made? Can you make any other connections with other works of literature?
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