I recently finished a book called “Einstein’s Cosmos” about the life of Albert Einstein and his theories.  I am fascinated with the man and his understanding of the unknown.  How he was able to see scientific theories without having the means to test them.  He loved to consider and solve issues about the Cosmos and Relativity.  He was not much into religion, but he did have a respect for it.

He was a master at one liners and come backs.  As I learned about his life and history, there was one quote that stood out in my mind:

As I thought about the logic behind this quote, it started to make sense to my feeble mind.  In reality, we need both science and religion.  If we go into science not believing in a higher power, we could lose our way.  Einstein believed in the order of the cosmos and had respect for that.  No matter how deep he went, he found order.  For Religion, the science brings reality.  Those that believe religion and remove science are blind to the reality in which we all live.  They don’t understand that there are laws that God works with and obeys.   They can become blind to the order that exists in the universe and how God uses this order in his creations.

I believe that religion without the science, renders less understanding and a more disapproving nature.  People have been imprisoned and/or killed because they have gained an knowledge of something that religion cannot explain.  They become heretics.

Science explains the reality of things as they are, where Religion is about having faith in things we can’t see.  Here is the best explanation I have read about faith;  it is a “hope for things which cannot be seen, which are true”.   Religion has a hope in God and that life continues after death.  Scientists have a hope that everything will be explained within the sphere in which we live and generally don’t have a firm belief in a God.  There are a lot outstanding questions in both arenas and because of this, we need both areas to bring balance into our lives.

Some of Einstein’s theories were not actually proven until after his death, when better ways of testing were found.  In his mind’s eye, he could see and understand the concepts, without having the means to test them.  He didn’t believe he was the only source of knowledge, but used the many findings of other scientist to add or detract from what he understood.  With time and as the means to test his theories became available, scientists have been amazed at how close his theories are to reality.  He would have been the first to tell you that he made errors, but then he would refocus and change direction.  But, he never gave up and continued until his dying breath to understand how it all worked.

Here is how I see it.  There are things in our lives that we may not understand, but with time and knowledge they will be revealed.  This is where faith comes in; we have to believe there is a solution.  We question why, then we work to gain that understanding.  As with Einstein, we may have to alter our thinking along the way, but the solution will present itself and with that new understanding comes growth and more likely than not, more questions.

The sad part would be if we decide there is no answer and so we quit trying, which then impedes  our progress. Like a stream that stops flowing, we become stagnant.  Growth only happens as we move forward, having the faith that there are answers and then doing the work needed to come to a solution.  

Just don’t stop believing.