THE BIBLE AND SCIENCE

Introduction

Dear CRC Caroline Springs Family,

My name is Jim Talliopoulos. I have the privilege and honour of joining this special community at the start of 2024. I have been a teacher of Science for 35 years and a student of The Bible for 40 years. I once had a student who described to me her fear of losing her faith by studying Science at university. I was very quick to tell her the opposite was actually true; that studying Science would actually strengthen her faith as it has mine. It is my humblest desire to share aspects of two of the great passions of my life with The Bible being a clear first, then Science second. May these reflections help warm your hearts and inspire you as we enter the colder period of the year.

St. Ambrose

Bishop Ambrose of Milan was born in Trier, Germany at around 340 AD (his birth date is unclear from history). He pursued a career as a lawyer and provincial governor before the people of Milan chose him as bishop in 374. He was one of the most influential people of his time acting as an adviser to three Roman Emperors defending the freedom of the church from government interference. “Ambrose of Milan” preached widely and wrote essays promoting Christian ethics and upholding the ideal of virginity. He defended the belief in the divinity of Jesus Christ against the ideas of the Arians, who believed only God the Father was completely divine in “Concerning Faith” published 377. Historians believe that Ambrose popularized the singing of hymns in church. His sermons and piety inspired St. Augustine to convert to Christianity and Ambrose baptised him in 387. Ambrose died on 4 April 397 and his Feast Day is on December 7.

Gregor Mendel

Gregor Johann Mendel was born on July 22 1822 in Heizendorf , Austria (now Hyncice, near Krnov, in the Czech Republic). His parents were peasants. He entered the monastery of St. Thomas in Brunn, Austria (now Brno in the Czech Republic), became a priest in 1847 and then went to study Science and Mathematics at the University of Vienna in 1851 after being sent there by the monastery. Returning to the monastery in 1853, he taught Physics and Biology at a local high school for 14 years. However, it was in the monastery garden that Mendel’s fame grew when he began his study of his now famous pea plants. He realised that what he referred to as “factors” (now genes) were passed on from parent plants to their first generation offspring with some “factors” being dominant and some recessive. In conclusion he discovered the “Law of Segregation” and the “Law of Independent Assortment”. His results were published in some obscure journal and went unnoticed. He died on 6 January 1884. Gregor Mendel displayed gentleness and modesty throughout his life. His results were finally noticed in 1900 when he was then rightfully acknowledged as the “Father of Genetics”.

“And the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are.” (1 Cor 1:28)

Trivia questions

1.What do the Whitsundays in Queensland have to do with Sunday 19 May?

2. (a) Which colour in visible light did Sir Isaac Newton predict existed even though he managed to discover 6 colours?

(b) How was he able to predict one more colour existed?

(c) What is the significance of the colour produced when all 7 colours mix together?

Answers will be shared in the next College Street News.