Written by: CampUs4
2/3/2010 2:32 PM

 Why Is The Sky Blue?

by T. Brian Cavitt

“Mommy, why is the sky blue?”  

This is one of the infamous questions that children ask, one with which parents fumble and for good reason.  The difficulty with the question resides in the interpretation of the question itself.

Science and religion, specifically Christianity, have been battling it out since the Middle Ages with people like Galileo, Da Vinci, Newton, and many other scientists voicing scientific theories that “go against the creative order.”  Perhaps, the theories don’t go against the creative order in the first place, but how?  How do we as Christians reconcile science and our faith?  The answer lies in our hermeneutics, or interpretations.

Let me propose this:  questions such as who, what, when, where, why, and how all provide different perspectives of the world with the most difficult questions of how and why rising to the top.

Science is in the business of answering how.  How do plants grow?  Well, chlorophyll absorbs radiation from the sun and converts it into usable energy for the production of the basic nutrients for plant growth using water, carbon dioxide, and many other components.  How do stars produce their energy?  Fusion of tritium (³H) and hydrogen (¹H) form helium (⁴He) and produce an incredible amount of energy spanning the entire electromagnetic spectrum.  How do earthquakes occur?  The grinding of the plates of the Earth’s crust can build up a large amount of potential energy that can occasionally be converted into kinetic energy causing a localized shaking of the crust.  How can high density polyethylene (HDPE) be formed?  Repeatedly reacting ethylene molecules with one another on a solid catalyst can form relatively linear polyethylene that can pack very tightly, thereby promoting a very dense material that in some cases (i.e., Spectra) can even result in a material that is “bulletproof.”

The basic tenet of science, to theorize how the physical world behaves, only answers the question of how.  Theories are theories because they cannot be disproven by physical and observable methodologies.  Science in its purest form does not directly address religion.  We are mistaken in transposing all aspects of science into anything religious.  We are wise to see how science reflects the creative genius of God in every physical thing.

Conversely, religion (i.e., Christianity) only answers the question of why.  Why did God create man to have free will?  God did not want puppets who love Him; He wanted people to choose to love Him.  Why did God tell Joshua and the people of Israel to walk around Jericho for days, culminating in a great trumpet blast to bring down the wall?  He did this to provide a demonstration of His power to both the Israelites whose faith was weak and to the Canaanites to show that He is the greatest and only true God.  Why did He send His Son to Earth?  He did this to remind us that He loves and cares for us so much that He sacrificed His only Son on a cross (John 3:16), though most of us deny that love, even as Peter did (Matthew 26:69-75).

Recognizing the difference between the questions of how and why should allow us to reconcile science with Christianity in a very tangible way.  God has allowed us insight to several things in this world, but most are still very foreign to us (Deuteronomy 29:29; Job 38ff).  Answering both how and why helps us to gain perspective on the world about us.  In college, we actively pursue education by answering the big six questions; we just need to become more aware of the interpretation of those questions.  

So, let’s go back to the original question:  why is the sky blue?  This is a religious question with a religious answer.  The sky is blue because God designed it that way.  Maybe blue is God’s favorite color; maybe He thought we needed more blue in the world; maybe He thought we might appreciate a blue sky more than having another aspect of creation being green.  We may never know God’s motivation for making the sky blue, but we can appreciate it and praise Him for it.  “How is the sky blue?” can be answered via science through discussions of diffraction and absorbance of certain colors in the visible spectrum which result in a blue sky.

“Why is the sky blue?” and “How is the sky blue?” are complementary questions and not questions designed to foster dissention between science and Christianity.  Perhaps we should open our eyes and let God speak to us through science.  Perhaps we should stop compartmentalizing our lives into different “subjects” and learn to use their differences to provide insights into God’s character.  Perhaps we should learn how and why to praise Him in all things.  This was Galileo’s goal and Da Vinci’s and Newton’s.

“Mommy, why is the sky blue?”  Well, that is a divine question, isn’t it?  How should we answer it?  Now, we are talking science.  Remember, the answer to all questions – even the scientific ones – contain insight into God’s character.  When we open our minds and hearts to the answers thereof, we can grow in Him.  Isn’t that the goal of every Christian:  to grow in Him?  Shouldn’t we use every nutrient and means to do so?  Bask in the glory of God by asking how and by asking why, and you will gain a fuller understanding of Him.

Dr. T. Brian Cavitt has taught in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Abilene Christian University since 2002, after completing a B.S. in chemistry and missions at ACU and a Ph.D. in polymer science and engineering at the University of Southern Mississippi. He’s an editor of the RadTech Report, a professional chemistry publication, and often leads groups of college students on mission trips to Southeast Asia. You may contact him via the ACU website.

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