The bible, science and explanation

Nature Physics recently devoted a special issue to Charles Darwin. Various articles tried to find some connection between the speculations of the Victorian guru and modern physics. (I guess in a random universe anything is possible.) I want to comment briefly on a comment made by the agnostic theologian Michael Shermer. He tells us that there's no role for religion to play in the modern world.

Quotes and comments;

A. 'This raises the question whether religion will retreat entirely from saying anything about nature. Shermer feels it should. “Why did religion not [not?] fall into disuse with the rise of science? The reason is that it is no longer the job of religion to explain the natural world. That is what science does, and it does so spectacularly.” [1.]

- This begs the question as to what religion is, but let's leave that aside.
- The idea religion has a 'job' is interesting. I don't see any warrant for it however. Religion is a word; not being a person it can't have a job. The bible doesn't explain the natural world, it gives us an account of its creation. i.e. it gives us a reason for its existence. It doesn't explain natural phenomenon, rather it looks at the creation and gives God the glory for it. Shermer seems confused on these issues. (If he's being honest that is.) Whoever said it was the job of 'religion' (whatever that is) to explain the natural world? No one that I know of.

- When a scientist describes what he sees in the world, he's not giving us an explanation for how the world (and living organisms) came to be. What he's doing is very different from what the bible is doing. The bible is giving us a history of major creation events; and of certain important historical events. It's not experimental or theoretical science, but history.

- Shermer is making a common mistake when he makes 'religion' into an abstract concept. The Christian is not defending religion; he's defending Christianity. Christianity is not an abstract concept. It's a concrete, historical account of God's covenant with man. Christian theology is historical; it gives us an account of how we (and the planet) got here. It's up to scientists to describe the world they find themselves in. The bible doesn't try to describe the natural world, or to explain physical operations in it. The bible is mainly concerned with man's relationship to god; and with man's relationships to other men within that larger (covenantal) relationship. We can simplify this and say that Christian theology deals [mainly] with the past and science with the present. (This is a gross simplification, but it might help.)

- Shermer seems to have been influenced by the 'higher' critics, who see the bible as mythology and not as history. (If it is just mythology then his comments have validity; if it's not they don't.)

Notes;
1. Physicists Bow to Darwin: Creation/Evolution Headlines 03/18/2009