Intelligence of (and from) the Creator

Last Thursday, I attended a lecture given by Dr. Gerald Schroeder and it was a good use of $10 for sure! Dr. Schroeder presented a clear-cut connection between the Torah's account of 'the beginning' and what scientists can verify and agree upon. He also discussed the flaws of the evolution theory and the method of education of science and it's deliberate omission of the suggestion of any metaphysical (divine') influence. So much to the point that they would perpetuate myths (such as evolution) instead to rule out the notion of there being a Supreme Being.

Now, me personally I have never doubted the existence of a Creator. I also (with the exception of 3 years of elementary school) always attended secular schools and universities. To be honest, I don't remember any distinct teachings that totally debunked the idea of a Higher Power. On the other hand, I studied mainly chemistry and physics and not biology or astronomy; those sciences are very grounded on what you can see and observe (at least on the level I was on). So I will be the first to admit that I am not very knowledgeable able the 'classical approach' to the instruction of these subjects.

On Friday night, I had the pleasure of having Shabbos dinner with Rebbetzin Toby Katz of Cross Currents fame and she offered some very interesting perspectives. She said that as Jews we have different approaches to coming to terms with science. There are some Jews who wholly accept the classical teaching of science 6 days a week. They are able to compartmentalize what secular science teaches us to believe and what the Torah teaches about the world around us. On the other extreme, you have Jews who believe that this 'secular science' with it's faulty logic should just not be taught.

Another one of the guests at the Katz's table inquired why scientists like Schroeder even struggle to validate the Torah scientifically. Having pursued technical subjects at the post-secondary level, I can understand Dr. Schroeder's goals. Scientists like to have something to work with; they are not philosophers. They see a resultant and want a formula and method that will adhere the confines of that resultant. For a Torah-observant Jew, the Torah has provided the skeleton framework for all that we know of as a part of our physical world. On the other hand, they can not discredit the scientific method, so the use it to show the validity of the Torah. But getting back to the guest's original question; a minority thinker in the scientific world never has an easy time. Plus the goal of many scientists is to use nature as a model to learn from; and [in their minds] once science has been perfected, they will be able to re-create or even surpass that which is readily found in nature. These sort of scientists have no room for G-d in their minds. To admit to the existence of G-d is an admission of sorts that they will never be able to attain their goals because we do not possess the infinite intelligence that G-d possess.

This makes me think of a phenomena I found out about while in New Jersey - from TV. There was a program on about chimerism. Today this is an accepted (although not widely known) aspect of DNA research and testing, however when the problem first emerged scientist had a hard time accepting it. A little bit of background to the program: two women had routine DNA testing performed between them and their children and with one woman 2 of her 3 children failed a paternity correlation between them, and the other had all 3 of her children fail. Which means, according to the DNA test (which is considered to be 'reliable'), these mothers we not the mother's of their own children!

Now here I am, pretty unlearned in biology/genetics - and my 1st thought would be that the DNA test itself is not so foolproof. In the case of these women, no one questioned the tests - but they in fact questioned them! We're talking about accusations of surrogate motherhood, baby swapping, and various other means of fraud. So much in fact, that when one of the women were expecting, they had a court appointed witness (she was involved in a civil case at the time) in the room when she delivered to verify the baby was hers. This is to the extent that we put blind, unwavering faith in science; we forcefully believe that we have it all 'figured out' and all anolmalies have a simple explanation.

In a few years, the realized there was not such simple explanation for these women. After many tests, it was found that these women had two different DNA patterns present in their bodies. The hypothosis is that they are actually a fusion of two people; meaning their natural children are a combination of the minority DNA (in the case of the children who failed the paternity test) and the father. This blew the mind of scientists; but why? To me, it seems perfectly logical. Just like science cannot explain why this sister is 8 inches shorter than the other, science can not expect to know all of the variables and occurances that go on at conception to make us into who we are today. Of course, the implications of such findings are much more severe. If you have a chimara who is a criminal out there murdering people, there is a chance that the hair they leave on the crime scene will not have the same DNA pattern as the blood sample given. Then you have others being convicted on the basis of a science that is not throughly understood...

And then from a statistical standpoint, what percentage of the modern populace has had a DNA test? And of that portion, have there also been tests performed among that sample's family to see all the possible links and/or expose the faulty logic?

Yet the modern, 'progressive' mind takes science to heart; even when it's obviously far from infallible. Yet the modern mind can't come to terms with the acceptance of Torah. Why?

I am thankful to Hakadosh Baruch Hu for the priviledge to be shown so much in the last year or so. Not nearly so much for the answers given to the 'tough questions' of existence, but a means to accept the sovereignity of a Higher Power and the pleasure to enjoy his creation.