Science vs. Faith: A Question of Understanding

 Science vs. Faith: A Question of Understanding

By: Jack Harrington

Last week, I met a scientist raised by an ex-Catholic priest. His name is Christopher Search, a physicist in the field of quantum optics. Though his father was not a practicing priest during his childhood, this played a significant role in his critical mindset toward both science and religion. To an extent, it prompted me to question my own beliefs.


Before Search was born, his father was formally inducted by the Catholic Church into priesthood where he practiced and preached his faith. Only upon the prospect of having a family he asked to leave the priesthood. Once his request to formally leave the church was approved, he started a family. Maintaining the beliefs he was exposed to as a member of the clergy.


Christopher Search’s childhood was filled with both a religious family and scientific inquiry. Interestingly, both were introduced to him through his father. As Search explained it, his father was interested in science and religion alike; however, he believed that religion and God could explain gaps within science. 


As Search grew older, his scrutiny of religion intensified. He debated the existence of a divine creator and the creation of the universe with his father. Search said, “he was likely just humoring me at the time,” but encouraged debating on the convergence of science and religion. Search openly accepted the idea of the Big Bang Theory as an explanation for the creation of our universe and everything within it. 


Currently, the Big Bang Theory is nearly accepted as fact for how the universe was created. According to Universe Today, a publication covering space discoveries, the Big Bang Theory is the idea that “the Universe as we know it was created in a massive explosion that not only created the majority of matter, but the physical laws that govern our ever-expanding cosmos.”


Search believed in this theory and that science could explain all observed phenomena within our universe. That everything was bound by undeniable, scientific laws.


His rebellious, agnostic teenage years drove him to attend university where he deepened his understanding of the sciences. In 1996, he attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to study physics. Later, his graduate education at the University of Michigan to study physics (1999) and applied physics (2002). He now is a researcher in the field of quantum optics as well as a professor at Stevens Institute of Technology where he has lectured physics for around twenty years. 


Through his studies, his perception of the sciences and religion has changed. In our conversation he exposed that he is not a practicing member of the Catholic Church, but religion still dictates how he views some issues within science.


We revisited the idea of the Big Bang Theory, where he surprised me with his openness to a religious explanation for the creation of the universe. He stated “the Big Bang Theory is just that, a theory.” Leaving room for interpretation of the events that transpired to create our universe. 


Physics discoveries often occur in a repeatable lab environment with empirical evidence. The lack of concrete evidence for the Big Bang Theory left him skeptical. Search stated, “We know one and a half facts about our universe. It is at least as old as the Earth and it is believed to be expanding due to the redshift of light we observe.” Our knowledge other than that relies on theories, which allows for religion to fill in the gaps. 


He implied that the existence of a divine creator cannot be denied with only a theory and physics cannot offer all the answers about our universe. Search stated in a previous interview published in the Stute, a Stevens Institute of Technology newspaper, “Ironically, it was by studying physics that I stopped being an atheist because physics is so perfect and harmonious that it had to come from something.” 


I found this incredibly interesting as I have never met a scientist who allows religion to explain something we do not comprehend. I am a student at Stevens Institute of Technology studying computer science, so I am deeply ingrained in the sciences myself. Despite being a practicing Roman Catholic, I have not acknowledged the potential intersection of science and my faith. Engaging with Christopher Search sparked a newfound curiosity within me. I aspire to approach both science and religion with greater scrutiny, in order to acknowledge the complexities of their potential interactions.






Works Cited


“Christopher Search.” Stevens Institute of Technology, www.stevens.edu/profile/csearch. 

Horgan, John, and Christopher Search. “Guest Lecture With Christopher Search.” 

Horgan, John. “Stevens Physicist Chris Search Critiques His Field - the Stute.” The Stute - The Independent Student Newspaper of Stevens Institute of Technology, 7 Feb. 2020, thestute.com/2020/02/07/stevens-physicist-chris-search-critiques-his-field/. 

Williams, Matt. “What Is the Big Bang Theory?” Phys.Org, Phys.org, 18 Dec. 2015, phys.org/news/2015-12-big-theory.html.

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