YALE SCIENTISTS PROVE
C.S. LEWIS RIGHT –
Objective Evidence of God.
The Knowledge of Good and Evil – (1942)
C.S. Lewis was a
professor at Oxford and Cambridge Universities, a novelist (whose works of
science fiction have been adapted for stage and films) and a convert from atheism
to Christianity. Called “the Apostle to the Skeptics” Lewis’s most
influential works (including Mere
Christianity) offer a rational basis for Christian faith. Seventy-two years ago, when the Evil of
Nazism appeared about to triumph over all that was good, the BBC asked C.S.
Lewis to explain to the people of the British Isles exactly what Christians
believe and why. In the midst of
breaking news of death, unspeakable destruction, and spreading human suffering,
millions tuned-in to hear this gentle, humorous, scholar speak of decency,
fair-play, and the innate morality instilled in human beings by their
Creator. The first series of talks was entitled
– RIGHT
AND WRONG AS A CLUE TO THE MEANING OF THE UNIVERSE.
In these talks,
which were later published as the first section of Mere Christianity, Lewis argues that mankind’s innate sense
of Right and Wrong (our universal internal standards of good and evil) are
evidence of God’s existence and reveal God’s essential nature. His premise is simple; only the existence of
a fair, loving, and just Creator can rationally explain this aspect of human
nature. Those who sought to refute Lewis
did not attack his premise; but rather objected to the evidence he sited as
proof of a universal, innate standard of right and wrong. The critics argued that Lewis was mistaken,
that right and wrong are not “universal”
but differ across cultures, and that our “moral”
values are “learned” not “innate.”
They concluded that since morality is learned and differs between
cultures, there is no evidence of God.
The Origins of Good and Evil
-- (2013)
Last year, Paul
Bloom, professor of psychology at Yale University, published a non-fiction
review of the results of over a decade of research into the ability of babies
to discriminate between right and wrong (good and evil) – Just Babies: The Origins of Good and Evil. After studying hundreds of infants as young
as 3 months of age, Bloom and his colleagues concluded that human infants are
born with:
- Ø a moral sense – some capacity to distinguish between kind and cruel actions
- Ø empathy and compassion – suffering at the pain of those around us and the wish to make this pain go away.
- Ø a rudimentary sense of fairness – a tendency to favor equal divisions of resources.
- Ø a rudimentary sense of justice – a desire to see good actions rewarded and bad actions punished. (quoted from the Preface).
These are
astounding and revolutionary assertions, as evidenced by reactions of
the general public, and journalists (including CNN’s Anderson Cooper, who ran
four segments on the Yale research in Feb. 2014).
Scholars, including Lewis (1942), Thomas Jefferson (1787), Adam Smith (1759), Robert Wright (1994) who
strongly believed in man’s innate sense of morality, are vindicated by
empirical studies, that support their observations and conclusions.
Explanations –
Scientific and Theological
As a scientist,
I know and respect Prof. Bloom from his earlier work in cognitive and linguistic development. When he discusses the
evolutionary sociobiological advantages that might be derived from a moral
sense that supports “good” assistive,
compassionate, positive interactions and avoids “bad” negative, obstructive, rude interactions, I respect his explaination. In contrast, Bloom
oversteps his evidence when he rejects possible interpretation of his data as
evidence of a moral code, implanted by God.
This explanation cannot be
rejected on the basis of Bloom’s research.
While Lewis is
no longer able to defend his position, Francis Collins (physician, scientist,
and Director of the National Institutes of Health) advances essential arguments. In his 2006, book, The Language of God: A Scientist Presents
Evidence for Belief, Dr. Collins seeks to bridge the chasm between
science and faith (Part One). This book
is a must-read for all interested in the great questions of human existence
(Part Two); faith in science and faith in God (Part Three); and the moral
practice of science and medicine: bioethics (Appendix).
Francis Collins
is the leader of the international Human Genome Project, and possibly the
world’s most distinguished living scientist. He
announced the completion of the mapping of the human genome in a joint, worldwide,
satellite-carried conference with President Bill Clinton and Prime Minster Tony
Blair. He concluded his announcement of
the most significant scientific accomplishment of our lifetime by saying, “It is a happy day for the world. It is humbling for me, and awe inspiring, to
realize we have caught the first glimpse of our own instruction book,
previously known only to God.” As Dr. Collins directs the course of our
nation’s medical research, he receives his direction
and guidance from the Creator. His book is a must read, especially for young people of faith, struggling to reconcile science and religion.
As a Christian,
I find the Yale research exciting.
Knowing that the tiny, sweet baby, who is brought before the
congregation for Christening or Blessing already possesses moral sensitivity,
empathy, compassion, fairness, and justice, is overwhelming. God has placed these sensibilities within the
soul of His youngest Creation, and our responsibility is to encourage the development of what God has already endowed. God gave each of us the “Knowledge of Good and Evil.”
She gave us an internal guide to right and wrong, and that which we call
a conscience to alert us when we depart from right. However, as Dr. Bloom’s research indicates, even
babies sometimes choose “wrong” over
“right.” God gives us the guide, but allows us to
choose the way we will follow.
Based on the following Books:
Bloom, Paul Just Babies: The Origins of Good and Evil. Crown Publishers, New York (2013).
Collins, Francis S. The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief.
Free Press, A Division of Simon & Shuster, Inc. New York. (2006).
Lewis, Clive Staples. Mere
Christianity, HarperCollins (1952) (1980) (2009).
Smith, Adam. The Theory of Moral Sentiments, Multiple Editions (1804
original).
Wright, Robert. The Moral Animal: Evolutionary Psychology and Everyday Life
Vintage Books, A Division of Random House, New York. (1995).
