Challenging People of Faith

June 14, 2007

Dear Bill O'Reilly -

In your column on your debate with Richard Dawkins you say “People of faith should be challenged and think about their beliefs.” I accept that this important point and hope that you will accept my challenge by responding to a serious question. 

When saying they can’t explain the origin of the universe, scientists are merely stating the obvious: Our current knowledge is limited;  we are looking into this problem, but like many others, we have not yet solved it, and may never. That would have been the scientific position on the question of a flat earth prior to Columbus, a heliocentric universe prior to Galileo, or an expanding universe prior to Hubble. (Each of these men presented evidence not previously available.)  Scientists are not suggesting that the problem is unsolvable, nor are they suggesting it should not be explored further. 

As I interpret the position of most religions on this issue, they seem to maintain: We can’t explain the origin of the universe and we can’t abide not having an explanation; therefore, we’ve decided to believe, with no evidence to support our conclusions, that it was created by some type of Master Universe Designer whom we shall call God.  On this subject, no further discussion will be entertained. Then they built cherished belief systems around this concept and contended vigorously and violently with others who came to different conclusions.  These contentions frequently led to misunderstandings, intolerance, and, all too often, to wars and mass killings.

To the best of my knowledge, scientists wish to contend only with those whose evidence is not clearly substantiated, and they seldom or never cause armed conflicts.  Which would you regard as the more intellectually honest and socially effective of these two positions, and why? Have I stated the two positions fairly?

By way of autobiography, I spent most of my life as a tepid believer.  Since using my waning years to examine the evidence more closely, I feel that I see the world more clearly than ever before and am no less awed by its majesty and beauty.

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