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Scientists of Faith


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                           L Louis Pasteur (1822-1895)
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               Pasteur is one of the greatest figures in the history of science and
            medicine, chiefly because of his establishment of the germ theory of
            disease, and his strong opposition to the theory of evolution. He was the
            first to explain the organic basis and
            control of fermentation, and as his             Louis Pasteur
            research led him further and further
            into bacteriology, he isolated a
            number of disease-producing
            organisms,     and    developed
            vaccines to combat them – notably
            the dreaded diseases of rabies,
            diphtheria, anthrax, and others –
            as well as the processes of
            pasteurization and sterilization.
               Pasteur, who was a firm
            believer in God, was the object of
            fierce opposition because of his
            resistance to Darwin's theory of evolution. He was a defender of the
            compatibility of science and religion, which he would often emphasize in
            his writings. As he put it:
               The more I know, the more does my faith approach that of the Breton
               peasant (i.e., the faith which is serene, complete, unquestioning) 110
               Little science takes you away from God but more of it takes you to
               Him. 111




             W   i l l i a m   T h o m p s o n   ( L o r d   K e l v i n )   ( 1 8 2 4 - 1 9 0 7 )
             William Thompson (Lord Kelvin) (1824-1907)
               Lord Kelvin is recognized as the leading physicist of his time, and is
            also known for his strong faith in God. He is held in high regard in the
            scientific community for his contributions to physics and mathematics, as
            well as his practical inventions. He developed a successful method to
            liquefy hydrogen and helium. He established the scale of absolute





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