Abstract
Catholics believe Transubstantiation is the process of converting bread and wine into Jesus’ body and blood. There are no physical signs of change, but the substance changes. From a scientific perspective, there is no application of heat or light and no physical sign of change, therefore there is no change. Physics as we understand at an undergraduate level assumes Earth is a closed system. This assumption no longer applies if there can be substance change without physical modification from an energy source. I refuse to believe that science and religion are unrelated entities, yet I accept that this unexplainable phenomenon occurs every time Mass is celebrated. Miracles are consequential to faith due to their lack of worldly explanation, but science makes decisions based on reproducible, tangible data, therefore, the dissonance is evident.
Transubstantiation and Physics: Validity in Science Vs. Validity in Religion
Catholics believe Transubstantiation is the process of converting bread and wine into Jesus’ body and blood. There are no physical signs of change, but the substance changes. From a scientific perspective, there is no application of heat or light and no physical sign of change, therefore there is no change. Physics as we understand at an undergraduate level assumes Earth is a closed system. This assumption no longer applies if there can be substance change without physical modification from an energy source. I refuse to believe that science and religion are unrelated entities, yet I accept that this unexplainable phenomenon occurs every time Mass is celebrated. Miracles are consequential to faith due to their lack of worldly explanation, but science makes decisions based on reproducible, tangible data, therefore, the dissonance is evident.