How should a Christian relate to pseudoscience?
score:18
The Bible advises wisdom, not naiveté:
1 Thessalonians 5:20-21 (ESV):
20Do not despise prophecies, 21but test everything; hold fast what is good.
9Then you will understand what is right and just and fair—every good path. 10For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. 11Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you.
Although the scientific method, properly applied, is simply a rigorous way to test everything and hold fast what is true (note: not necessarily good, but similar in spirit), one can decorate all sorts of whims and falsehoods with the appearance of science. Pseudoscience delivers no more wisdom and knowledge than superstition simply because it pretends to be science; you have to actually rigorously apply the scientific method for it to work.
Thus, Christians should adopt the same stance towards pseudoscience--that it is not knowledge, not wisdom, and not to be held fast--as they do towards superstition.
Upvote:-4
As this question is based on things which are not generally accepted as sound science, we should first look for a solid answer as to how Christians should relate to things which are generally accepted as sound science. And that's a bit of a tricky question, because "sound science" is not even well-settled by the scientists themselves.
To give a dramatic example, just last week some new experiments called into question the principle of the speed of light as the Absolute Speed Limit, which is one of the cornerstones of modern physics. They're still working on verifying the data, but if it's right, they might need to rethink a huge amount of what was previously considered to be settled, non-controversial "sound science."
Also, remember that a lot of things that are today considered sound science were once derided and mocked as pseudoscientific nonsense. (Plate Tectonics is the most famous example, but certainly not the only one.)
Keeping that in mind, Christians should deal with "pseudoscientific" claims in basically the same way as we deal with "scientific" claims: review the evidence for and against them as impartially as we can and come to our own conclusions based on their validity. And remember that, when necessary, we can take these questions to a higher source, whose views won't end up changing or being invalidated by the discovery of new, previously-unknown evidence.
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
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