'Science, Theology and the Ontological Quest' is an alliance of top academics, scientists, theologians and philosophers working to bridge the divide between faith and reason, both real and imagined. It is an urgent task and an exciting project whose time has come.
From the time of the Enlightenment, the debate over man's identity and purpose has elevated science and reason while marginalizing theology, religiously informed voices and even the existence or relevance of God. The unnecessary tension it created between faith and reason grew into a public perception that the Church abhors science, and scientists scorn religion.
This is the reason for STOQ, to bring together the disciplines of science and theology in a dialogue of mutual appreciation with the goal of promoting study and knowledge that affirms human dignity.
Pope John Paul II dedicated his pontificate to confronting cultural threats to modern man's understanding of himself and the universe, and to restoring order in the world through a renewed appreciation of the human person. In 1981, John Paul launched a little known project called the "Galileo Commission" to study and clarify that scientist's complex theories. The commission brought experts together to discuss the relationship between science and religion, which has grown into the international STOQ project.
After the Fall 2005 workshop in Rome, STOQ published proceedings that filled over 300 pages with complex theory and critical thinking on quantum physics, philosophical concepts and "Theories of Everything". On the first page of the introduction, it said this: "...according to modern science, theology is completely detached from knowledge."
That is the heart of the problem and the public perception that STOQ aims to change. Science and theology are not mutually exclusive. Pope Benedict warns that reason alone can be an oppressor, and faith alone can be a superstition. Together, they lead to the fullness of what we can know.
Faith and reason are mutually supportive, a truth that animates the STOQ project.
The alliance of experts from the disciplines of science, theology and philosophy that form the International STOQ Project provokes a renewal of thinking about God and man, creation and providence. We challenge the public perception that there is a conflict between the Church tradition and science, and prove the compatibility of faith and reason in the pursuit of knowledge.
The purpose of STOQ is to promote and conduct an interdisciplinary dialogue in order to build a culture that promotes the full dignity of humanity. Our mission is to build a bridge between science and theology and challenge the growing ideology of secularism in modern society.
We conduct study through joint research projects, conferences, courses and programs. These are held in Rome at one of the Pontifical universities in the alliance, or in North America at the John J. Reilly Center of the University of Notre Dame. We continually inform the public, thought leaders and opinion makers through publications, public relations and media resources of the STOQ Network.
Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI have forcefully addressed the growth of secularism as an ideology that removes God from the exploration of the meaning of life. Both popes have eloquently expressed the need to understand the spiritual and moral dimension of humanity - the 'new humanism' - as the necessary framework to study the meaning of it all.
That is the centerpiece of Benedict XVI's addresses, the 'new humanism', much like the 'personalism' of John Paul II. It is the focus on man as an essentially spiritual and moral being before considering anything else he does. It is reclaiming 'being' before 'acting', restoring order after the Enlightenment stripped society of religiously informed voices.
The denial of God is an urgent issue spanning longer than the past two papacies but absorbing both. At the World Meeting of Families in Valencia July 8, 2006, Pope Benedict addressed the gathered bishops of Spain. "Continue dauntlessly to proclaim that prescinding from God, acting as if he did not exist or relegating faith to the purely private sphere, undermines the truth about man and compromises the future of culture and society," he told them. "Lifting one's gaze to the living God, the guarantor of our freedom and of truth, is a premise for arriving at a new humanity."
With modern culture denying the existence of natural law and doubting Church teaching and tradition about the human person, the prevailing questions are: How sure are we of what we know? And what is knowledge?
STOQ exists to answer these questions. Conferences, workshops and seminars are offered to present and deepen the true relationship between the Catholic tradition and science. The Church fully respects the competence of science to explain the world, while understanding that it provides partial knowledge of a much deeper mystery of creation and providence. Science is a way of exploring that mystery and serving the cause of human dignity.
Through our work and communications, STOQ International intends to reach those who influence science, academia, public policy and public opinion, to dispel myths about creation and evolution, faith and reason, and provide a source of ongoing information on news and issues.
The denial of God is an urgent issue spanning longer than the past two papacies but absorbing both. At the World Meeting of Families in Valencia July 8, 2006, Pope Benedict addressed the gathered bishops of Spain. "Continue dauntlessly to proclaim that prescinding from God, acting as if he did not exist or relegating faith to the purely private sphere, undermines the truth about man and compromises the future of culture and society," he told them. "Lifting one's gaze to the living God, the guarantor of our freedom and of truth, is a premise for arriving at a new humanity."