Scientific Debates And The Role Of Faith In Scientific Theories

Chapter six discusses scientific debates and the role faith and Christianity had in theories that were conceived. Educated Englishmen viewed the study of science to be a sort of religious pursuit. These scientific debates, which today would be considered pseudoscience, worked towards explaining scriptures in the bible scientifically. Those who presented theories were devout Christians whose purpose was never to disprove the scriptures nor the bible but to find scientific theories that brought historical authenticity to it. It begins with the concept of William Paley relating science and religion to a watch, while it seems the interference with religion could limit scientific development, William Paley counteracts that “a watch does not come to exist by chance; its intricacy suggests construction, intention, and function” arguing that trying to understand the creation of the watch doesn’t have to conflict
Frith began to experiment with photography during a retirement, his goal to to reach out the conservative Christians and wanted his spectators to be considerate to the mixture of the secular and religious. Frith’s understanding of religion and history played a role in how he chose to approach his subjects and in return how he portrayed them to this western audience. Through his photographs Friths intention was to bring reality to places and events taken place within the scriptures of the bible. To deliver historical validity to the people and events connected and to further contemplate their religious meanings. Frith directed the view not only through photography but with text as well to heighten his photography’s effectiveness. These tools aided him in portraying a convincing reality of the scene being