What Our Understanding of the Human Brain Contributes to the God vs. Science Debate

An intensive study of the human brain and its function has yielded some important insights into an age-old debate - a debate that has been characterized in a number of different ways, but most often in terms of faith vs. reason, faith vs. science, religion vs. science, or God vs. science. Like most debates these days, it is framed as an either-or proposition and is vociferously debated by the extremists in both camps. Nevertheless, with what we now know about the way that the human brain functions, we can see that the debate has largely devolved into a classic example of the false dichotomy or false dilemma.

Neurologists have long understood that the human brain is divided into two hemispheres. Moreover, they have understood for some time now that the right and left hemispheres have different responsibilities in terms of the brain's overall function. For instance, the left hemisphere contributes more to speech/language, and the right hemisphere is more focused on emotion. It is also true that the right brain controls the left half of the body and vice versa. Unfortunately, this has led to a rather popular misconception that some folks are "right-brained" and others are "left-brained." The most recent and comprehensive research, however, suggests that both hemispheres are used by all of us, and that neither one is dominant. In other words, our minds need both logic and emotion to function properly. Indeed, research suggests that all of the lobes of our brains specialize in different areas, but they all also work together and function as a WHOLE!

For me, all of this calls to mind something that the Apostle Paul wrote to the Christians at Corinth and Ephesus almost two thousand years ago. He compared the different people within the Church to the various parts of the body in his epistle to the Corinthians (I Corinthians 12:14-27). Paul concluded that EVERY part was needed for the whole to function properly. Likewise, he wrote to the Ephesians: "He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love." (Ephesians 4:16, NLT) Our brains function logically AND creatively. It is NOT one or the other. They work together to supply that which the human needs to exist and thrive! Hence, I believe that the way that the human brain functions has much to suggest and contribute to the philosophical debate mentioned at the beginning of this post. It's NOT faith vs. reason or science vs. God! To function as God (or Nature) intended for us, we NEED both!

Sources:

Medical News Today, Left brain vs. right brain: Fact and fiction, March/December 2022

WebMD, The Difference Between the Left and Right Brain, April 15, 2021

healthline, Left Brain vs. Right Brain: What Does This Mean for Me? May 9, 2022