Has an evangelical ever made any type of scientific contribution or discovery?

Question

It seems to me that this group of radicals has never done anything outside of theology and perhaps biblical archaeology.

Answer 1

Gregor Mandel, the father of modern day genetics: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregor_Mend...

However he was a monk, not necessarily an evangelical.

Western Europe and it's children (US, Australia, Canada, etc.) have been and continue to be the leaders in science and technology since the modern age began (1500 AD).  Before that Western Europe was extremely religious.  So paradoxically the pioneers of science were also very religious (in almost every case).  Most scholars were monks or other religious individuals that spent more time in study then doing hard labor.  Some believe it was out of these institutions that science arose.  From within the very bosom of Christianity!

Another paradox is how during the middle ages the Islamic nations that occupied the vast territory of the Middle East, Turkey, North Africa, Greece, Spain and Sicily were actually far more advanced than the European countries in science and technology.  However those Islamic nations slowly regressed toward religious fundamentalism and away from science and logic.  The opposite of what happened in Europe.  Today you can see the ramifications from the divergence in ideology.

And while I'm on a roll, another paradox of a similar nature is that of the Roman Empire and Greece.  Greek were the founders of logic, reason and the early seeds of science.  No doubt they inherited much from their neighbors in the Near East and Egypt but they were the first ones to develop a real culture around such thinking, not just a few "scientific"-ish individuals.  The Greeks discovered how to harness the power of steam (it was used as a toy).  It was again re-discovered in Rome during Nero's day to even more refined specifications.  However, Christianity became Rome's official religion in the 300s AD and between that time and the 1500s Europe regressed into religious fundamentalism and away from science and logic only to reverse paths after the 1500s (which signalled the birth of the modern age).

Answer 2

With all the scientific breakthroughs made by man probability demands that at some time, some where a fundamentalist has made or will make some sort of scientific contribution or breakthrough.

It is possible for a very intelligent person to be a fundie but the reasons for this remote possibility is almost certainly psychological in nature.

I found jonathan d's reference to Newton's christinaity somewhat humorous.

I believe that Newton, who was a convenient christian for most of his life did get a bit fundie toward the end of his life.

He also hated that Leibniz published first and spent much energy and probably money trying to trash Leibniz's reputation. Newton had power in his top position in the Royal Society and used it against Leibniz. I suppose that vindictiveness is not new to fundamentalists christians, they seem to suffer from the same defects as the rest of us.

The fact appears to be that they developed calculus independtly but Leibniz version had differential equations.

Newton would have probably been in therapy if he were around today. It is not unusual for a person off his nut, so to speak, to not only be a believer, many such individuals actually speak with their deity and hear voices.

There is, of course, a psychological explanation for this condition.

Bottom line is: fundies are, for the most part, not untellectuals.

Answer 3

No, but they have done everything possible to r****d science & their followers. Luckily they have been less successful at retarding science than retarding followers.

Answer 4

It depends largely on how you define evangelical.  Isaac Newton, for example, was an extremely religious Christian- even considered something of a fundamentalist evangelical in his day (though obviously they didn't have quite the same concept of fundamentalist evangelical we have) and he invented calculus and is one of the most important figures in the history of scientific knowledge and discovery.

But more recently- science, not so much.  Many scientists have believed in God, some have been devout Christians who believe Jesus was the son of God, but you'll almost never find one who's a real evangelical.  Fundamentalists here and in Islam do not respect uninhibited free inquiry of the "Let the truth be known if it makes the heavens Fall!" variety, and that is the most absolutely essential requirement for scientific discovery and genius.

On the other hand, evangelicals didn't invent nuclear warheads  or chemical weapons (though some have used them).   Scientists not only have as much blood on their hands as the evangelicals, it's often the blood of the same victims.

Answer 5

AND WHAT HAVE YOU CONTRIBUTED TO ANY THING ? IF YOU HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING ,WHAT HAVE YOU TO COMPLAIN ABOUT ? AT LEAST THEY ARE TRYING TO SAVE PEOPLES SOULS . WHAT IF ANYTHING ARE YOU DOING ?