It sounds a bit like a science fiction novel title. Its not
that I am anti-science, though some might suggest it because of the title of
this post and because I am an evangelical-reformed Christian. It is assumed by
many in our modern era (certainly since the days of Immanuel Kant) that faith
is outside of the realm in which we live. It is precisely that assumption and
all that is carried with it that I am writing this. We all are living under the
threat of a pandemic and the reactions of government in response to it.
Scientists and science have been the main voices in directing governments how
to deal with in this crisis. I am not questioning science as a discipline. I am
questioning the assumptions behind making the scientists the main voices for
everything done in response to this situation we find ourselves in.
Some would say, “It’s a health crisis. Of course, we need
the direction of the medical scientists.” I agree that science has vital role
to play, especially in a health crisis. My concern that grew after a couple of
weeks of home quarantines and the closure of economies is that the public health orders made this more than a physical health crisis. It
quickly became an economic crisis. At least 701,000 jobs were lost in March but
some estimate that number to 10 million (https://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-us-officially-lost-701000-jobs-in-march-but-in-reality-millions-vanished-2020-04-03).
Medical scientists can’t answer the serious economic crisis their
recommendations have created. I’ve personally watched people in my church lose
their businesses and they may well not be able to recover. The federal and
state governments have spent trillions of dollars that they didn’t have. We
have added to our federal debt and endangered state budgets and solvency on the
advice of our health scientists.
The scientist recommendations to COVID-19 have also created
a whole host of mental health concerns. It is reported that nearly 45% of
American adults have stated their mental health has been negatively impacted by
the orders of governors (https://www.kff.org/health-reform/issue-brief/the-implications-of-covid-19-for-mental-health-and-substance-use/).
Loneliness and isolation are not good things. Maybe this is a call for more scientists
from the mental health sphere but again they don’t really have any answers.
Related to mental health issues such as depression and effects of isolation are
the spiritual issues. My marriage counseling has increased. The Church is
unable to meet and all this “social distancing” has created an extremely
difficult situation for ministry to people in need. Human beings, made in the
image of God, are by nature social creatures. The church functions, spiritual health is encouraged, and moral values are reinforced by the Church being in fellowship. “Social distancing” is a created
term that has torn apart the natural bonds that bind humans together, all
because the scientists say so.
The science based recommendations to combat COVID-19 have
also created a legal crisis with governors releasing incarcerated felons into
the public, civil unrest with protests against hard measures, and legal
challenges to the infringements of constitutional rights that will take up
countless hours in the courts for some time. It appears the health scientists
have trumped the political scientists. Again, medical scientists are in a weak
position to answer the legal ramifications of their recommendations.
Why do the health science guys get to trump everyone else?
The answer is of course that we have to save lives. That is most important they
say, meanwhile many of these medical scientists also believe abortion is a
necessary and good thing (https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/10/politics/virginia-abortion-protections/index.html).
Its triage. You do the important first and work out the other need later. It
sounds nice but I submit that it is a false analogy with a false premise.
It’s a false premise because there
is more to life and physical life. People cannot live without jobs and economic
activity. We can’t buy or transport food, process food, supply medicines, etc. without
it.
People need jobs and all business are essential (https://fee.org/resources/i-pencil/).
More than the physical things there are spiritual realities. People are not
machines that you can store in homes or move from place to place like parts of
a greater machine. They form relationships. People are spiritual beings. There
is more to a person than his/her physical body. Ruin his spiritual life and you
ruin his physical and mental health. Saving life is a laudable goal. Christians
believe in the importance of life but there is more to life than physical life.
That is why many have been willing to die for ideas, principles, and freedom.
It’s a false analogy because we
are not dealing with a single living organism or patient. We are dealing with the
multifaceted and complex interconnection of human beings and their
interrelationships as noted above. My gravest concern about the assumption
behind the scientists running the show is that we have bought into a purely
materialistic worldview or scientism. Life isn’t a mechanism or result of
chemical reactions. We have always had to balance the risks to life in a world
of sin and death. Its all tied together. If anything, the spiritual trumps the
physical for Jesus taught us, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot
kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in
hell,” (Matt 10:28) and “He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses
his life for my sake will find it,” (Matt. 10:39)
I think we need
health scientists. I don’t think they make good social or economic policy. If
we leave the scientists in charge, if the scientists become our overlords, we
will be deprived of many of the good things that make life worth living.
Science doesn’t hold all the answers. Scientism isn’t good science for any of
us.
