Prof. Stephen Bar

SCS News:

The New Mexico Chapter of the Society of Catholic Scientists (SCS) is pleased to invite the local community to a public lecture to be given by Prof. Stephen Barr of U. Delaware, Physics, the President and founder of the Society of Catholic Scientists, on “Science and Religion: the Myth of Conflict”, at Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) Catholic Church at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 10, in the Karen McLaughlin Parish Hall.

This will be preceded by a Gold Mass for those in the scientific professions at 5:30 p.m. celebrated by the pastor of IHM, Fr. John Daniel. The SCS will provide dinner at 6:15 p.m. in the parish hall.

Please note: this event is subject to applicable state and archdiocesan restrictions and guidance regarding COVID-19 precautions.

Prof. Barr will argue that the supposed conflict between science and religion has really been a conflict between “scientific materialism” and religion. He will show that the science-versus-religion myth is based on misunderstandings of Christian belief, an outdated view of scientific history, and a skewed interpretation of what science has actually discovered about the universe. After clarifying some key theological concepts, he will tell the story of the relation between Christianity and science, including some dramatic facts that are relatively little known. He will then discuss several discoveries of the twentieth century, primarily in physics, and argue that they are more in line with the traditional Jewish and Christian view of the cosmos and of human beings than with materialist philosophy.

The Society of Catholic Scientists is an international lay organization founded in 2016 whose mission is to foster fellowship among Catholic scientists and to witness to the harmony of faith and reason. SCS hopes to answer the call of Pope St. John Paul II that “members of the Church who are active scientists” be of service to those who are attempting to “integrate the worlds of science and religion in their own intellectual and spiritual lives.” The Society does this through annual conferences, symposia and seminars, discussion groups, lectures, and other activities. In its first five years the SCS has grown to over 1400 members worldwide. The New Mexico Regional Chapter was founded in 2019 with members in Los Alamos and surrounding areas, the first regional chapter of SCS in the world. The SCS is listed in the Official Catholic Directory and is a 501(c)(3) organization under the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. For more information please visit catholicscientists.org or sites.google.com/view/scsnm.