Denis Alexander - Science and Religion

Science and Religion

Alexander has written on the subject of religion and science since at least 1972, when his book 'Beyond Science' was reviewed by Hugh Montefiore, then Bishop of Kingston upon Thames in the New Scientist, in which Montefiore noted that Alexander never came out in that book explicitly in support of evolution.

Alexander has stated that he believes "that the Bible is the inspired Word of God from cover to cover" and that this position is consistent with his support for evolution, writing that intelligent design is not science and should not be taught as such.

He says the idea that evolution is an atheistic theory is misguided and has arisen "because the ideas and scope of evolutionary theory are frequently misunderstood by Christian non-biologists, whereas atheists on their part often have little knowledge of the biblical doctrine of creation" while "many people have tried to hijack the theory of evolution to support all kinds of ideologies. Evolution has been used to support racism, communism, capitalism and other ideologies, many of them mutually incompatible" He argues that "attacks by well-meaning Christians on evolution cause a serious hindrance to evangelism within the scientific community and, as a matter of fact, promote rather than counteract atheism."

Alexander responded to Stephen Hawking's The Grand Design by stating that "the 'god' that Stephen Hawking is trying to debunk is not the creator God of the Abrahamic faiths who really is the ultimate explanation for why there is something rather than nothing", adding that "Hawking's god is a god-of-the-gaps used to plug present gaps in our scientific knowledge." "Science provides us with a wonderful narrative as to how may happen, but theology addresses the meaning of the narrative".

Alexander has been quoted in such books as Dawkins' God: Genes, Memes, and the Meaning of Life by theologian Alister McGrath. He also makes an appearance in the documentary film The Trouble with Atheism, where he discusses his views on science and religion.

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