A seminar on dialogue between Science and Religion : Two Christian scientists talk about how science supports the existence of a Creator

It is a popular belief that science and religion have little in common and often in conflict. Despite that, there are an increasing number of scientists and religious leaders working hard to establish a more compatible relationship between science and religious belief. To offer an opportunity to students and staff from EdUHK to better understand Christian faith, the EdUHK Christian Faith and Development Centre (CFDC), with the support from the Department of Science and Environmental Studies (SES), organised a seminar in November 2023, where two guest speakers from Reasons to Believe (RTB), a NGO dedicated to demonstrating the compatibility of science and the Christian faith, used latest scientific discoveries to answer questions related to existence and character of God. The seminar, moderated by Dr Chan Man-ho, Associate Professor from SES, attracted around 30 people, including Rev Benedict Shum Shu-kei, centre-in-charge of CFDC.

The first lecture was given by Dr Fazale “Fuz” Rana, CEO and senior scholar at RTB. Dr Rana holds a PhD in chemistry with an emphasis in biochemistry from Ohio University and authored several groundbreaking books, including Humans 2.0, Creating Life in the Lab, and Fit for a Purpose. Dr “Fuz” Rana said he was an agnostic when he entered graduate school. But when he studied biochemistry and understood the complication of biochemical systems of human cells more, he was compelled to believe that there must be a Creator designing human cells.

In the seminar, Dr “Fuz” Rana explained the watchmaker analogy proposed by William Paley in the 18th century. Paley’s watchmaker analogy argues that if people find a watch in the wild, they will assume that there must be a craftsman who made the watch and someone dropped it there, rather than believing that the watch was made by the force of nature. Like how a watch points us to a watchmaker, the complexity of intelligent beings such as humankind compels us to believe that there is an intelligent designer, the Creator, who designed and created human beings.

One of the missions of RTB is to use discoveries in modern scientific research to rejuvenate age-old pro-creator arguments. In biochemistry, an enzyme called ATP synthase is a protein complex which makes adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the energy storage molecule of human bodies, from adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and phosphate. Dr “Fuz” Rana said, “Designed with molecular components functioning as rotors, stators, drive shafts, cams, turbines, and universal joints, ATP synthase is a purposefully designed bio-machine with sophistication comparable with that of a state-of-the-art multiple-parts human-made machine. The astonishing similarity of ATP synthase to motors designed by humans further justifies Paley’s conclusion that life stems from the work of a Creator.”

In the 1950s, the ground-breaking Miller-Urey experiment proved that several amino acids could be created by simulating the primordial conditions of the Earth in a laboratory. In the years that followed, scientists conducted many similar experiments and started a series of scientific research into the origin of life. Dr “Fuz” Rana, however, said the argument that chemical evolution could lead to biological evolution, as suggested by the Miller-Urey experiment and others, is full of flaws.

In the hope of explaining how life could arise without divine intervention, many scientists have proposed different approaches, namely the replicate-first, the metabolism-first, and the membrane-first approaches, to explain the possibility of transformation from the inorganic realm to organic substances. Dr “Fuz” Rana said, “Although the ideas behind these approaches are ingenious, all of these arguments have serious problems. An exacting condition is needed for all of these hypotheses to work. That is to say, the likelihood that life could be created through the natural process as predicated by these hypotheses is akin to a miracle.”

In response to the claims that laboratory experiments have proved that chemical systems can produce biochemical systems, Dr “Fuz” Rana emphasised that these claims are dubious as such experiments were done in a carefully controlled condition in a laboratory setting. He pointed out that in these experiments, scientists chose reactants carefully, calculated the right concentration of chemicals, and mixed the chemicals with the right solvent. Factors like temperature, pH value, and timing—when to stop the reactions before they are going too far, are all meticulously monitored during the experiments too. “The laboratory is a highly controlled environment that is full of human interventions and resembles little with the original condition of the Earth,” Dr “Fuz” Rana remarked.

The second lecture of the seminar was given by Dr Hugh Ross, the founder and former president of RTB. Dr Ross, a famous Christian apologist who completed his PhD studies in astronomy from the University of Toronto, recalled he was once seated next to a German quantum physicist during a flight to Germany. In this “chance” meeting, the German atheist scientist challenged Dr Ross’ belief in God, saying why a Creator intent on designing a home for human beings would bother to create 200 billion galaxies averaging over 200 billion stars each and fashion them for nearly 14 billion years. And, if there is a God, why would a loving God subject the cosmos and inevitably humans to such an enormous amount of decay with all the natural disasters.

Dr Ross cited discoveries in astrophysics to defend his belief. Astrophysicists of the 20th century discovered that the amount of hydrogen fusing into helium during the first few minutes of cosmic history depends on the total mass of the universe. Dr Hugh Ross said if the universe is slightly less massive than what it is, the primordial hydrogen being converted into helium will be so minimal that future stars will be incapable of producing elements heavier than helium. There would only be hydrogen and helium in the universe. The universe would lack the elements necessary for making life. He continued to explain what the composition of the universe will be if it is more massive than what it is.

“If the cosmos has more mass than what it is, there will be too much hydrogen fusing into helium during the first several minutes of cosmic history. Consequently, stars will take all that hydrogen and helium and fuse them into elements heavier than manganese. This will lead the universe to only have elements heavier than manganese, but no hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen, hence no life. If the cosmic mass density was the tiniest fraction greater or lesser, life is impossible anytime or anywhere in the universe,” the astrophysicist rejoindered.

Dr Ross said the universe was created at the right time and the Earth was put at the right place in the universe that allows human beings to observe the entirety of its history. In our solar system, the Earth is the third closest planet to the Sun.

Image credit: ESA/Hubble, NASA and H. Ebeling.

Most of the helium in the universe was formed during the Big Bang, but the amount of helium is steadily increasing due to the fusion of hydrogen, releasing energy that powers the vast majority of stars to illuminate in the entire cosmos.

Dr Ross recalled that the German physicist went on to ask him why the age of the universe has to be fine-tuned as what it is now. Dr Ross explained to him that if the universe is slightly younger, there won’t be enough time for light from the time of the birth of the universe to travel the distance to reach our telescope. But if the universe is slightly older, light from the time when the universe was formed will never reach our telescope because the most distant parts of the universe will then move away from us faster than the velocity of light. Dr Ross put it succinctly, “The universe is at the right age and the Earth is at the right place in the universe that allows human beings to observe the entirety of its history.”

The mass and age of the universe are only two points of the fine-tuning argument. Dr Ross said there are many physical constants governing the physical world, such as the speed of light, gravitational constant, where physicists agree that if these constants change ever so slightly, the universe and human beings will have never come to exist. Dr Ross cited the time that the planet Earth was formed as another supporting evidence for the fine-tuning argument.

In the scientific theory of plate tectonics, the radioactive decay of thorium and uranium releases energy that contributes to driving the movement of the tectonic plates, and such movements account for the recycling of nutrients crucial for life and the deep oxygen cycle which pumped enough oxygen into Earth’s atmosphere for the possible existence of animals. The high heat flow in Earth’s interior played a crucial role in the creation of the Earth’s magnetic field which in turn shields us from solar winds and other deadly cosmic radiations. In other words, the amount of thorium and uranium that the Earth contains is crucial to the existence of animals.

Highlighting the importance of these two rare elements in relation to human’s existence, Dr Ross said our planet Earth was formed at the precise time when the amounts of uranium and thorium in the universe was at their maximum levels. This in part explains why Earth has 630 times more thorium and 340 times more uranium than other rocky planets in the universe. Earth’s exceptionally rich reserves of thorium and uranium account for the enduring movements of Earth’s tectonic plates and the enduring existence of the Earth’s magnetic field.

Dr Ross said the German quantum physicist then asked him why there is dark matter and dark energy making up 99.73 percent of the observable universe. Dr Ross told the physicist that the amount of dark matter has to be exactly what it is. Otherwise, no life will be possible. The exactitude of the amount of dark energy and dark matter in the universe implies that dark energy and dark matter were designed with a precision way far surpassing what human beings achieve in their designs. The level of design in the universe’s dark energy exceeds by a factor of 1097 times the best example of human design achievement, implying that the Creator of the universe is at least 1097 times more intelligent, knowledgeable, and powerful than human beings.

Besides giving speeches at EdUHK, Dr “Fuz” Rana and Dr Ross spoke at other talks about scientific evidence for the Christian faith during their visit to the city in November 2023. During the visit, they announced the plan of setting up the Hong Kong Chapter of Reasons to Believe. On the frontline of Christian apologetics, the two scientists travel around the world to present the case that science and religious belief is not incompatible, but rather God's existence is found in the design of the universe and of the human beings.

The EdUHK Christian Faith and Development Centre was founded in 2014 to provide a platform for educators, students, staff members, and the broader community to reflect upon Christian faith and values. It also supports Christian spiritual nurturing in local schools, and offers Christian perspectives in understanding economic, social, cultural, moral, and spiritual issues in the world.