It is more than a little bizarre to think that I was actually more interested in my religion courses than my introductory science classes at the beginning of college. The reason for these feelings is quite simple though. At this time, I did not enjoy science. However, I still always knew that I was going to major in one of the hard sciences. This is because many influential members of my family had majored in the sciences, and this route provided them with financial security. It is embarrassing to think that my primary motivation for choosing a major was potential earnings, but in many ways, I was just a stereotypical young kid.
I approached these courses as merely obstacles that stood in the way of my payday. As a result, I was content with my involvement in these classes as long as I received the grades required to make me a competitive applicant for graduate school. To accomplish the goal, I relied heavily on my ability to quickly memorize material. I could rattle off an impressive list of basic biological and chemical principles, but I would have been easily stumped if someone asked “Why do these things occur?” It is upsetting to know that I obtained very little out of my introductory science courses.
Interestingly, I did not find any conflict between what was taught in my religion courses and the basic scientific principles I had memorized. Rather, I felt that God was rooted in every scientific finding and helped explain how the world worked. Even though I realized that much of what the Catholic Church teaches cannot be supported through experimentation, I still found the existence of God to be an absolute truth. These feelings started to waiver as I advanced further into the religion and science curriculum at Loras College.
Such a sad story so far.
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