wfn.org | [ENS] Laser's co-inventor affirms intersections of faith,

["Matthew Davies" <mdavies@episcopalchurch.org>]

Daybook, from Episcopal News Service
June 16, 2005 - Thursday Thesis: Meeting People of Purpose

[FEAST: Faith, Environment, Action, Science, Technology]

Laser's co-inventor affirms intersections of faith, science

Physicist Charles Townes wins Templeton Prize, preaches at Cambridge
parish

By Phina Borgeson

[ENS, Cambridge, Massachusetts] -- Not only is reliance on the
scientific
method compatible with Christian faith, faith can provide an impetus for
scientific exploration and shape the career of a scientist.

That was the message of Charles Townes, this year's Templeton Prize
winner,
when he made his preaching debut at Christ Church, Cambridge,
Massachusetts,
on Sunday, June 12.

Townes, who turns 90 next month, based his remarks on the epistle
passage
from Romans. He reflected on his own career. "Suffering has good results
sometimes," he said. "When things do not turn out as we wish in life,
very
often something happens that is better than we'd planned."

For example, while he was a graduate student in physics at Cal Tech, his
eyesight began to fail. The doctor told him that the reading load was
too
much and he would have to give it up. "Give up physics? Give up physics?
That just can't be," he said. "And then I made the decision to become an
experimentalist rather than a theoretician. It was best decision I could
have made for my career. I became an experimental physicist with a solid
background in theory."

Townes went on to invent the maser and co-invent the laser, work for
which
he received the Nobel Prize in 1964.

Twists and turns in life's journey are evidence of God's unfolding care,
he
said.

Biologist Tom Montagno, a parishioner at Christ Church, was glad to hear
Townes affirm "that belief in God in no way precludes belief in the
scientific method." Montagno said he appreciated Townes's witness to
turning-points that confirmed his faith in a loving God, "the times in
his
career where he acted basically only on faith and God provided."

Betsy Schulz, parishioner and a librarian, said she "was glad to hear
him
talking about the importance of embracing our beautiful natural world
and
taking the time to revel in God's creation."

Townes emphasized: "Through science and technology, humans have more and
more responsibility all the time. God gives it to us. We're affecting
the
surface of the planet, and we're getting the point of affecting human
genetics." Townes expressed his hope that we will use this
responsibility
well, in accordance with what we perceive to be God's intentions and
purpose
for the whole of humanity, learned through studying the scriptures.

The Templeton Prize for Progress Toward Research or Discoveries about
Spiritual Realities honors those working at the interface of science and
religion. Townes's 1966 article in the IBM journal THINK, "The
Convergence
of Science and Religion," is recognized as a pioneering contribution to
the
field. Townes is currently a member of the First Congregational Church
in
Berkeley, California. He continues his involvement in scientific
research
and in advising graduate students at the University of California,
Berkeley.

-- The Rev. Josephine Borgeson, a deacon in the Diocese of Northern
California, reports on science and faith for the Episcopal News Service.

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