Saint Joseph’s College of Maine invites all Maine Catholics to a free online presentation set for Tuesday, March 23, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

“Catholic Teaching & Science” will feature a conversation with Dr. Stephen Barr about the Catholic Church’s relationship to science, including the theory of evolution.

“The conflict is not between religion and science but between religion and ‘scientific materialism.’ Science proceeds by a winding road, but that road leads in the end to the truth and, therefore, closer to God,” said Dr. Barr, who is a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Delaware.

Dr. Barr has written 170 research papers and has lectured widely on the relation of science and religion. Many of his articles and reviews have appeared in national publications like National Review, The Weekly Standard, and The Wall Street Journal. He is the author of Modern Physics and Ancient Faith: A Student’s Guide to Natural Science, Science and Religion: The Myth of Conflict, and The Believing Scientist: Essays on Science and Religion. He received the Benemerenti Medal, given for service to the Church, from Pope Benedict XVI. Dr. Barr is also the founding president of the Society of Catholic Scientists, an international organization that started in the summer of 2016 and has grown to over 1,100 members in 44 countries.

On March 23, he will discuss how fundamental Catholic beliefs dovetail with the basic assumptions of science, how the Church powerfully contributed to the founding and development of science, the creation of the universe from the viewpoint of both Catholic theology and modern cosmology, the doctrine of the human “spiritual soul” and how it does not conflict with modern science, and how the idea of biological evolution is consistent with a Christian conception of the universe.
“I was troubled by the fact that so many people seem to lose their faith and fall away from the Church because they think there is a conflict between science and belief in God. I felt that I could help such people as a scientist who has reflected upon these questions for many years,” said Dr. Barr. “I feel privileged to work in a very fundamental field of science where I can see some of the deepest inner harmonies of nature. The contemplation of such things is a form of prayer.”
To receive the online link for the event, register at https://forms.gle/WtgoFzwSbmcKToHP9. For more information, call (207) 893-7705.