A Science Primer for the Faithful is a book that explains how science developed, demonstrating how the “truths” of science change as new data appears and new theories arise to explain that data. Unlike the truths of Catholic teaching, there is no eternal dogma for scientific theories, only a consistent methodology for the practice of science.
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In his book A Science Primer for the Faithful, Robert Kurland firstly makes the point that the Catholic church has historically been a midwife and nursemaid to Science, thus facilitating its birth. So, in understanding science, the faithful Catholic is able to combat “Scientism”– the belief that science explains everything you need to know – as well as guard against science intersecting moral issues. Example: when does life begin? His book discusses creation – God and infinity – and affirms that the Church does not deny evolution as a scientific explanation for the diversity of species, although it does emphasize that Darwin’s model for how evolution occurs, namely through Survival of the Fittest, is not the only principle. In “Rational Inquiry” Kurland affirms that science is not an eternal truth, but a methodology. The truths it determines are subject to change as new data is uncovered. In that respect, he contends that science differs from the Catholic faith, which is not subject to change, founded as it is, on eternal truth. Scientists are slowly waking up to an inconvenient truth. Physicists and cosmologists have, over the last forty years, been collecting examples of all-too-convenient “coincidences” in the underlying laws of nature that seem absolutely necessary for life to exist. This is the cornerstone of our belief in the supreme Creator. Kurland points to the “just right” weak and “just right” strong nuclear forces; the “just right” ratio of electrical and gravitational forces; the “just right” goldilocks zones for planetary systems, the control of radiation, the chemistry necessary for the earth to be hospitable to life. These are obviously no coincidences. As Sir Fred Hoyle, the British astronomer, is known to have pointed out: “A common sense interpretation of the facts suggests that a super intellect has monkeyed with physics as well as with chemistry and biology and that there are no blind forces worth speaking about in nature. The numbers one calculates from the facts seems to me so overwhelming as to put this inclusion almost beyond question.” – Robin Arthur, author of Science and the God Elusion: A Reflection on the Conundrums of Life
“A lot of people have heard about the anthropic coincidences in physics, but the anthropic coincidences in chemistry & biology are far more ‘relatable’ to ordinary people. In water, for instance, the angle of the bond linking the two hydrogen atoms to the oxygen atom is 108°, and that has all sorts of ramifications, notably that a lake will freeze from the top down, with the consequence that fish can survive all winter long, even when very thick ice forms. It keeps on going, with lots of biology-to-chemistry connections that are necessary for human evolution and civilization. In the broad categories of ‘science points to God’ and ‘the heavens declare the glory of God,’ Kurland’s emphasis on these other anthropic coincidences is important to us.” – Dr. Thomas P. Sheahen, author of Everywhen: God, Symmetry, and Time
“Dr. Robert Kurland has truly brought the domains of Catholic faith and science together in an accessible way that respects the integrity of both areas…. This little volume gives an incisive, accurate, balanced overview of everything you need to know to encounter skeptics in the modern world. More than this, it opens upon a more comprehensive appreciation of the psalmist’s exclamation: The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour fourth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. (Ps. 19:1-2).” – Fr. Robert Spitzer, President of the Magis Center of Reason and Faith
“A great resource for students!” – Dr. Gerard Verschuuren, author of Can Science and Religion Live Together?: What Science Can and Cannot Do
Bob Kurland is a retired, cranky, old physicist who converted to Catholicism in 1995. He is a Graduate of Caltech (BS, with honor, 1951), Harvard (M.S. 1953, Physics; Ph.D. 1956, Chemical Physics), academic career, Carnegie-Mellon, SUNY/AB, MRI (Geisinger), best scientific work: search Kurland-McGarvey equation. He also served as a volunteer to federal prison and hospital; lector, EOMHC, and is a sometime player of bass clarinet, alto clarinet, clarinet, bass, tenor bowed psaltery for parish instrumental group and local folk group. He has been married 54 years and has 5 children, 11 grandchildren (eldest to graduate from Penn State Schreyer’s Honor College (grandfathers are allowed to brag!). For the story of his conversion, click here. For other blog posts about his faith as a convert from Judaism and a scientist, see here, here and here. His current effort is to show that there is no contradiction between what science tells us about the world and our Catholic faith. Intermittent blogs and adult education classes to achieve this end are available at http://rationalcatholic.blogspot.com/ and http://home.ptd.net/~rkurland)
Bob’s motivation comes from St. Augustine of Hippo, who wrote in The Trinity, 1.8:
It is also necessary may God grant it that in providing others with books to read I myself should make progress, and that in trying to answer their questions I myself should find what I am seeking. Therefore at the command of God our Lord and with his help, I have undertaken not so much to discourse with authority on matters known to me as to know them better by discoursing devoutly of them.
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“There is nothing more devastating to parents than the loss of a child. The Deacon and the Doctor is a light in the darkness, providing much needed practical wisdom, refreshing insights, psychological tools, and spiritual consolation on a topic that is finally receiving the attention it deserves. This book will undoubtedly encourage parents to place their bruised and broken hearts into the pierced soul of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Deacon and the Doctor is simply the best resource available for dealing with the incredible grief of losing a child in the womb.” – Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers, Author, Behold the Man: A Catholic Vision of Male Spirituality
“This book was tremendously moving in its content and analysis of miscarriages and stillbirths, from both the psychological and spiritual point of view. Having experienced a miscarriage in the 1st trimester of my first pregnancy, it was truly a sad time, as we had been waiting three years for pregnancy to occur. The content and guidance given in this book would have been a welcomed help in overcoming the sadness felt, at that time. I commend Dr. Heisman and Deacon Anthony for their knowledge, insight and direction to put together a comprehensive set of “prescriptions to breathe again and ACQUIRE peace” as God, our loving Father, intends for all mankind. May God bless all those “little one’s”, lost to this sad ending of life.” – Ann Sadone Alisuag, LOM
“I have known Deacon Gerard-Marie Anthony before and after ordination. He is a Deacon who has a profound love of Catholic doctrine. Deacon Anthony’s research into this great need of the Church will help heal those families who have suffered the loss of a child. I highly endorse his book.” – Deacon Cody Miller
“The subject covered in this book is one of the least discussed topics in the medical and psychiatric community. From my experience as a healthcare provider, I cannot recall any conference or discussion among my colleagues relating to the impact of miscarriage/stillbirth. This book is an invaluable resource for both the physician and the clergy in helping the mother, her family and the community to recover from this traumatic experience.” – Andres Alisuag, MD
Gerard-Marie Anthony is a Deacon of the Catholic Church and Spiritual Director of A Mom’s Peace, an organization that helps families experiencing miscarriage/stillbirth. He has an M.A. in Theology, as well as Green Cross Trauma certifications including H.E.A.R.T. Model training for Treating Complex Trauma. He has recently authored Walking Humbly with God (En Route Books & Media, 2023). His website is: www.jmjgerardmarie.com.
Cry Oneness by Joe Avalos I was spiritually dead, despite all the things I was doing with my life. I don’t think there’s a worse death that can happen to any human being. Now I have a Life beyond my dreams. Full of Miracles, Poetry, and Locutions. This book...
Diamonds in the Rough: Homilies and Reflections on the Mystery of Suffering Sister Paula J. Miller, FSE, Editor Theologians in their final months at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary, Boynton Beach, Florida, reflect on the meaning and purpose of human suffering in...
Escaping Anxiety: Along the Road to Spiritual Joy by Albert E. Hughes and Ronda Chervin Escaping Anxiety: Along the Road to Spiritual Joy is not a “simple” book of advice, which could turn out to be ineffective because too “pat.” Instead it evolved into something that...
The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri has captivated the imagination of its readers for over seven centuries as Dante, a pilgrim on a journey to God, is called by Our Blessed Mother through the supernatural realms of the afterlife to witness the state of the souls of...
Weeping with Jesus: The Journey from Grief to Hope by Dr. Ronda Chervin In the past the word grief was used only to describe the sorrow of loss through death. Nowadays pain coming from other kinds of losses such as rejection and divorce are also seen to involve...
In Praise of Life by Dr. Donald DeMarco This book illustrates how ten different factors can improve our appreciation of life: Evolution prepares it, Meaning justifies it, Love enhances it, Truth directs it, Freedom crowns it, Virtue strengthens it,...
The Way of Love: The Path of Inner Transformation by Dr. Ronda Chervin A reprint of Dr. Ronda's The Way of Love: The Battle for Inner Transformation, this new edition under a new subtitle puts back in front of the world the nature of human love alongside human passion...
How can a Catholic scientist speak about “a beautiful mind and soul”? Dr. Gerard Verschuuren does so as a Catholic who knows that science has nothing to say about mind and soul, but also that science has nothing to say against it. Using a lively, conversational dialog between a skeptical scientist and a religious scientist, this book provides an enlightening tour through the pivotal questions raised by our human minds and souls, which were created in God’s image.
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“An important demonstration of the methods by which a scientist may speak with the authority of his Catholic faith tradition about the human mind and soul, created as they are in the image and likeness of God.” – Dr. Sebastian Mahfood, OP, Interim Director of the Institute for Theological Encounter with Science and Technology
Gerard M. Verschuuren is a human geneticist who also earned a doctorate in the philosophy of science. He studied and worked at universities in Europe and the United States. Currently semi-retired, he spends most of his time as a writer, speaker, and consultant on the interface of science and religion, faith and reason.
Currently, while semi-retired, he writes about issues at the interface of
All his books can be found at: www.where-do-we-come-from.com
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This book is an attempt to trace the footprints of the Creator since the event of the Big Bang. It is a snapshot in one volume of the movement and work of God in the world of our experience, especially illustrating the divine face of evolution since the beginnings of Creation.
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“An excellent demonstration of the complementarity of our science and our faith!” – Dr. Sebastian Mahfood, OP, Interim Director of the Institute for Theological Encounter with Science and Technology
Roger Skrenes studied science as an undergraduate and history as a graduate. He holds a master’s degree in religion and has taught high school in Los Angeles, California, for over thirty years, including six summers in the California Youth Authority (a prison for teenage boys in Whittier, CA). He is the father of three adult children, Mary, Mark and Therese.
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This intelligent and wise book demonstrates that the so-called conflict between science and religion is fundamentally misconceived. Seen in their proper complementarity, they jointly illumine life’s mystery and many conundrums.
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“Religion and science are two different and complementary avenues to knowledge and truth. Science aims for an explanation of how things work, but religion, for the most part, aims at trying to understand the meaning and ultimate purpose of life. Methodologically, explanation and understanding function differently, but have a lot to learn from each other. It is to Robin Arthur’s great credit that he sees and illustrates this important insight with great charm and in fine detail.” – Joseph Prabhu, Professor of Philosophy and Religion (Emeritus), California State University, Los Angeles, Trustee Emeritus and Adviser, Parliament of the World’s Religions
Robin Arthur is a newspaper editor and a journalist who won the Pan-Asia Journalism award in 1995. This book is a sequel to Science and the God Elusion, which he released in June 2019. He has written several other books including Can the Poor Inherit the Earth, which is an opinion on Third World development paradigms and which won acclaim from UN organizations including UNESCO and UNDP. His first novel, The Island of Habarra, provides a glimpse into the sad narrative of expatriate workers who leave families and home behind to work in the oil-rich Persian Gulf. In Canada, Arthur worked to develop an appreciation of interfaith dialogue, and between 2011 and 2016 convened three very successfully staged Spiritual Diversity Conferences, paving the way for the establishment of an Interfaith Council in the city of Halifax.
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“The eternal now of God is definitely the underpinning of the Eucharist and your theory in Everywhen – absolutely correct.” – from a personal email to Dr. Thomas Sheahen from Fr. Robert Spitzer, SJ
Have you been told that science and religion are incompatible? Do you think you have to give one up to be consistent?
You don’t. In this book, MIT-trained physicist Thomas Sheahen explains how you can:
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I really enjoyed reading this book. The author has forty-five years of experience as a research physicist. His love of science and the Catholic faith shines through.As we advance from Newton to Einstein, what we see is the development of a symmetrical pattern. Time and Space have a relationship that earlier scientists were not aware of. The laws of physics have a beautiful symmetric pattern. Science is not something random. Everything is ordered. There is something stupendous going on here because it could have been otherwise.But if everything was random, it would not have been possible for us to have such things as the laws of science. The very fact that the universe is so splendidly ordered suggests the existence of God who created space and time.When atheists like Dawkins asks the question: “who created God?”, the assumption is that God himself is in time. This suggests the superiority of time over God, and this is not the case.The Bible teaches us that God is superior to space and time. The world of physics has shown that there is a starting point to creation. This was deeply embarrassing for the atheists! So, they decided to create a fiction: the multiverse. That is one way to come up with one random universe that could sustain life. There is no proof whatever for the existence of this multiverse.Although science and faith complement each other, science is not rooted in religion. The Bible teaches us how to go to heaven, not how the heavens go. Our limited minds cannot understand the mind of God. Stephen Hawking famously tried doing so and came up with the idea that gravity could explain everything. Which explains nothing. For Hawking, we are in existence by accident. There is no purpose in life.Can we turn science in an idol? I attended a lecture many years ago given by the distinguished priest-scientist Stanley Jaki. The take home message was that science is limited to measuring quantity. You cannot derive a set of moral beliefs from science alone. Love, beauty, truth, and goodness are beyond science but not opposed to it. In the ninetieth century, classical mechanics appeared to say that everything in nature is determined in advance. Science, it was suggested, can explain everything. How wrong they were. As science advances, the more we come to realise how little we actually know. They are surely wise who, like Socrates, recognize their limitations. “I know nothing” said the Fawlty Towers character Manuel. Such is the wisdom of fools.I do have some reservations. The author appears to suggest that Teilhard de Chardin was someone who showed that science and theology complement each other. Unfortunately, Teilhard appears to have fallen into the errors of pantheism and the denial of original sin. There are other problems with Teilhard. The great Catholic philosopher Dietrich Von Hildebrand was scathing of his theories.Having said that, I think this book is very good indeed. We have one more highly qualified scientist telling us that Christians have nothing to fear from science. Indeed, science and religion complement each other beautifully.
Everywhen. Beyond Everywhere.
God is smarter than Science.
While most will nod agreement without even thinking about it, a few may squint at the statement, not able to pit a known against an unknown entity. They know this fellow called Science; they have seen him and have marvelled at his revelations; The Other (whom they see mentioned in capital letters) is that unseen conjurer who is said to have pulled those rabbits out of this hat called Creation. To some, like Richard Dawkins and my mathematician neighbour, He does not even exist.
Thomas P. Sheahen, in his gently compelling book, Everywhen, convincingly presents an almost conjugal compatibility between Science and Religion; both confessing to a dependence on Faith. The scientist and physicist has as much faith in E=MC2 as the Christian in the Trinity and the Hindu in an elephant god. He needs to believe in the heritage of science to move on. This faith among physicists embraces an appreciation of the “fearful” symmetry and beauty of God’s creation, the symmetry of a multi-dimensional universe that challenges the boundaries of thought. For anything to be accepted by science, it has to be tested and subjected to measurement, but Sheahen states that “believing that a computer model equals truth is a unique new variety of idolatry.”
Everywhen: God, Symmetry and Time is wide in its scope of inquiry, bringing into focus those blurred images of Infinity and eternal life, which sit easy within the mind of the believer but can never be defined under the proud lens of even the most powerful of Science’s instruments. God is omnipotent and omnipresent, occupying the infinity of both space and time; not just everywhere; Everywhen. This is a book that has insights for everyone, presented in the vocabulary of vectors and matrices for scientists and physicists and clearly articulated for the theologian and layman. Everywhen is for everyone.
“I am impressed with Dr. Sheahen’s explanation of how God is not only everywhere but also ‘everywhen,’ not dependent on time. God is real; let’s stay Heaven bound. Cheers for eternity! ‘I knew you before you were in your mother’s womb.’ ~ Jer1:5” – Dr. Pat Castle, co-editor with Bernadette Costello of LIFE Runners Daily Devotions
“The author develops a model for the higher dimensional existence of God based on the symmetry laws and special relativity relations of physics, and very clearly explains it using the dimensional model published by Abbot in his book “Flatland”. Very well written and easy to understand, especially for scientific readers.” – Phil Cassady, Physicist
“If one accepts the premise that an intelligence created the universe, I am convinced that He would have to be close to what Tom describes.” – Dr. Steven I. Parks, Washington, D.C.-area physicist
“I think Everywhen: God, Symmetry, and Time will be very valuable for helping people see how science points to faith and to recognize the false dichotomies between faith and science imposed on many minds within the popular culture by those who dislike religion or champion scientism. I also think that this book, particularly the multi-dimensional parts of the last chapter, will help people recognize the possibility of God free from the constraints of time, and a Heaven that may transcend some of the constraints of time. There are many other wonderful insights that will bring people closer to God and the unity between faith and reason.” – Fr. Robert J. Spitzer, SJ, Host, “Fr. Spitzer’s Universe”
“Dr. Sheahen has written a very insightful and at times provocative book, addressing the often-forgotten issue of Time in regard to the Omnipresence of God. He points out that Catholic belief in God’s creation, both visible and invisible, includes not only the realm of space and particles, but also the very space-time fabric of reality. He applies the concept of God’s independence from time to discuss the ramifications in the physics world, the meaning of eternity, and even the existence of Hell. I am sure you’ll find this book to be interesting and thought provoking.” – David J. Keys, PhD, author of Discovering the Fullness of Reality and Exploring the Belief in the RealPresence
“…I was hanging on every word he said because it was so utterly mindblowing….When he explained the term ‘Everywhen,’ he got me imagining how to see God in a different light.” – an anonymous listener to Leighton Smith’s New Zealand-based Podcast
Thomas P. Sheahen earned BS and PhD degrees in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. During his 45-year career as a research physicist, predominantly in energy sciences, he worked for Bell Telephone Laboratories, the National Bureau of Standards, various research corporations, the U.S. Department of Energy, Argonne National Laboratory, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. He was chosen as a Congressional Research Fellow by the American Physical Society, dealing with energy-related national legislation. Dr. Sheahen wrote the textbook Introduction to High-Temperature Superconductivity.
Dr. Sheahen, a lifelong Catholic, is director emeritus of the Institute for the Theological Encounter with Science and Technology, which focuses on demonstrating the compatibility of faith and science as paths toward knowledge.
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