2024 ISSR Boyle Lecture - The Very Revd Professor David Fergusson, OBE
International Society for Science and Religion ISSR
1,194 views
The International Society for Science and Religion (ISSR) is pleased to present the 2024 Boyle Lecture, which was given by The Very Revd Professor David Fergusson, OBE, FRSE, FBA, Regius Professor of Divinity at the University of Cambridge, Dean of the Chapel Royal in Scotland and Dean of the Order of the Thistle, with the Lecture titled
“Is religion natural?”
The Response was given by Professor Fiona Ellis, Professor of Philosophy, and Director of the Centre for Practical Philosophy, Theology, and Religion at the University of Roehampton, London.
The original Boyle Lectures were given as a series of sermons at several churches in London and Westminster following their establishment in 1692. The ‘original Boyles’ lasted until about 1730, although sporadic later ‘Boyle Lectures’ continued to be given in the centuries since then. The lecture series was revived in 2004 at one of its original locations, the Wren church of St Mary-le-Bow on Cheapside in the City of London, where it continues to be hosted each year. We are grateful to St Mary-le-Bow the Rector, Revd George Bush, the Parish Council, and the Boyle Lecture Trustees for their continued support and guidance.
Since the COVID-19 global pandemic, the Boyle Lectures (available on our channel) have been offered online for all to listen, learn, and enjoy this most prestigious lecture series.
Prior Boyle Lectures before 2021 can be found on St Mary-le-Bow’s YouTube channel here:
stmarylebow
The International Society for Science and Religion was founded in 2002 for the promotion of education through interdisciplinary learning and research in the fields of science and religion, conducted in an international and multi-faith context. To find out more about ISSR, please visit our website here: https://www.issr.org.uk/
ISSR is thankful to all who continue to make the Boyle Lectures possible each year.
Anthony K Nairn
www.anthonynairn.com
ISSR Executive Assistant
www.issr.org.uk
2 Comments
2024 ISSR Boyle Lecture - The Very Revd Professor David Fergusson, OBE
International Society for Science and Religion ISSR
1,194 views
The International Society for Science and Religion (ISSR) is pleased to present the 2024 Boyle Lecture, which was given by The Very Revd Professor David Fergusson, OBE, FRSE, FBA, Regius Professor of Divinity at the University of Cambridge, Dean of the Chapel Royal in Scotland and Dean of the Order of the Thistle, with the Lecture titled
“Is religion natural?”
The Response was given by Professor Fiona Ellis, Professor of Philosophy, and Director of the Centre for Practical Philosophy, Theology, and Religion at the University of Roehampton, London.
The original Boyle Lectures were given as a series of sermons at several churches in London and Westminster following their establishment in 1692. The ‘original Boyles’ lasted until about 1730, although sporadic later ‘Boyle Lectures’ continued to be given in the centuries since then. The lecture series was revived in 2004 at one of its original locations, the Wren church of St Mary-le-Bow on Cheapside in the City of London, where it continues to be hosted each year. We are grateful to St Mary-le-Bow the Rector, Revd George Bush, the Parish Council, and the Boyle Lecture Trustees for their continued support and guidance.
Since the COVID-19 global pandemic, the Boyle Lectures (available on our channel) have been offered online for all to listen, learn, and enjoy this most prestigious lecture series.
Prior Boyle Lectures before 2021 can be found on St Mary-le-Bow’s YouTube channel here:
stmarylebow
The International Society for Science and Religion was founded in 2002 for the promotion of education through interdisciplinary learning and research in the fields of science and religion, conducted in an international and multi-faith context. To find out more about ISSR, please visit our website here: https://www.issr.org.uk/
ISSR is thankful to all who continue to make the Boyle Lectures possible each year.
Anthony K Nairn
www.anthonynairn.com
ISSR Executive Assistant
www.issr.org.uk
"At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will."
This lecture epitomises the lost state of the elites John 5:44 English Standard Version
"How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?"
Animals are not made in the image of God!
The professor started with Rom 1 but failed to take heed of what it actually said. What topic will be next after you all realise [abiogenesis, evolution and the Big Bang] have all been falsified and the truth hidden by the naturalists running science and education since 1900.
NATURALISM = Materialism = Atheism in disguise;
1. Nature is comprised of only that which can be measured
2. What can be measured is made of matter or energy
3. Matter and energy always obey the laws of physics
4. Decoherent matter and energy obey the law of cause and effect
5. Causes may be predicted by measuring their effects
6. Naturalism assumes no miracles all causes are natural
7. Causes which violate laws of physics are miracles
8. The cause of nature cannot be nature ‘circular’
9. Therefore nature is a miracle contradicting the assumption of naturalism
Naturalism is falsified and you've got God! Q.E.D!
MATERIALISM contradicts itself and proves God
1. Materialism assumes reality is composed of only MATTER and ENERGY
2. INFORMATION is always instantiated in or on matter or energy
3. So materialists assume information originates from mass + energy
4. But from Claude Shannon information is a COMMUNICATION of MEANING ENCODED in a LANGUAGE
5. But language only comes from a MIND
6. So matter + energy cannot be the source of information (Norbet Weiner)
7. Therefore the origin of information can only be a mind
8. Therefore if nature includes information we know it originated from a mind
9. DNA's only function is to store, transmit and copy information
10. Therefore that mind must be outside of our reality ie GOD!
Why does God call Atheists fools?
1. Atheism is foolish because it demands that gibberish = information! (Ref C Shannon 'The Bit Player')
2. Atheism is unscientific because it believes order emerged from disorder in violation of the second law of thermodynamics! (Ref Cambridge Encyclopaedia 'Entropy')
3. Atheism is inconsistent because it believes non material universal concepts like art, music, literature and mathematics came from a material universe ! (Ref Any Chemistry textbook)
4. Atheism is fraudulent because it hides the truth about entropy and information! (Boltzmann, Shannon)
5. Atheism is self contradicting rejecting the real God but falls for a demigod called Mother Nature! (D Attenborough)
6. Atheism is evil because in rejecting God it ends up playing God by assuming authority over truth in science and education excluding all criticism challenging its unscientific philosophy! (R Lewontin, C Sagan, S Hawking, J Wheeler etc)
Well it seems that God is being rather gracious in this judgement, perhaps because he loves them.
PROTEINS Falsify Evolution:
1- Evolution proceeds in small increments (Dawkins)
2- Each small change must be tested by natural selection for its contribution to fitness of the creature
3- Proteins are essential for all life and new features require new proteins
4- Therefore proteins must have evolved in small increments
5- But essential functional DNA sequences of proteins are conserved across species
6- The PLOS database lists 23 million proteins as unchartered ie they have no ancestry
7- Thus no evidence proteins evolved incrementally and dysfunctional parts have no selection value
8- Hence proteins must have been created functionally complete
9- That means proteins contradict the first assumption of evolution
Therefore evolution by natural selection is falsified! Q.E.D.
LUCA Falsifies Abiogenesis:
1) All of life is cellular so the first life can only be a complete cell
2) The minimum DNA for life is a precise string of 63 base pairs conserved across all of biology
3) That string must be present in LUCA complete for cellular life to begin
4) That string therefore cannot evolve by natural selection because the cell cannot reproduce without it
5) The improbability of 63 RH base pairs is (2 x 4)^63 = 8^63 = average entropy cost of 63 all at once
6) Thus average number of point mutations by the second law = 63 x 8^63 = 4.9e58
7) Time for mutation per BP substitution is about one second and ~1e17 seconds in 4.5 Ga (billion years)
8) Radius of earth 6.37e9 mm. Surface area = 1.28e20 sq mm
9) Total event capacity of earth = 1.28e20 x 1e17 sq mm seconds = 1.28e37 sq mm seconds
10) Not enough time in 4.5 Ga to perform 4.9e58 BP mutations at 1/sec in every sq mm of earth surface
11) 36 throws of two dice = the entropy cost of double six (average periodicity in infinite throws)
12) But the earth system needs 4.9e58 sq mm seconds to pay the entropy cost by the second law
Theory of chemical origin of life is falsified as a violation of the second law of thermodynamics! Q.E.D
BIG BANG Falsified by Karl Schwarzschild (1917):
1. Big Bang assumes energy and matter from nothing in a quantum singularity or fluctuation
2. The density is quoted variously as extreme to infinite
3. The total mass of the universe curves space and shapes the universes destiny
4. Black Holes have an escape velocity at their event horizon equal to the speed of light
5. The size of a Black Hole is measured by its mass which gives the diameter of the event horizon
6. The mass of the universe is ~1e80 protons = 6.7e53 Kg
7. The formula for escape velocity = (2GM/r)^0.5 Therefore r = 2GM/v^2
8. Given M = 6.7e53 Kg and v = 3e8 m/sec therefore Dia = 2.r = 52.5 billion light yrs
9. The universe cannot at any time have been smaller than 52.5 billion light yrs in diameter and that is without Dark Matter!
10. This is called the Schwarzschild's Radius of any mass and is well known
11. Adding Dark Matter to this only compounds the problem so is also falsified
12. Hence the matter in the universe can only have been created after the expansion of space..
13. The separation of space and mass is unique to the Genesis account of creation!
The Big Bang is falsified as a violation of the law of gravity! Q.E.D.