If all holy books were destroyed, wouldn’t only science reappear — not religion?
The Devotional Answer
This scenario is a great thought experiment that helps us clarify the essential difference between discovery and revelation. It's largely correct that the specific laws of science would reappear, but the premise that religion would not reappear ignores key aspects of human nature and the foundation of Christian truth.
The Simple Answer
Science would reappear because it deals with discoverable laws of the universe (God’s General Revelation). Religion, however, would likely reappear because two core aspects of human existence would be immediately obvious: a sense of moral law and the evidence of a Creator in nature (also General Revelation). But Christianity itself would be lost because its core truth depends on an unrepeatable, historical event: the Resurrection of Jesus Christ (God’s Special Revelation).
The Deeper Dive: The Three Types of Knowledge
The Christian worldview posits three ways humans know things, which explains what would and wouldn't be recoverable.
1. Discoverable Knowledge (Science)
Science deals with the reproducible laws of nature. If all books were destroyed, scientists in different parts of the world could still drop an apple or study the stars. They would eventually arrive at the same laws of gravity and motion because these laws are objective, universal, and constantly observable.
Source: The objective laws of the created universe.
Example: Isaac Newton discovered gravity, but he didn't invent it; he just described a truth that has always existed. Future humans would inevitably rediscover the formula F=ma.
2. General Revelation (Religion's Starting Point)
This is the non-book source of religious truth that is available to all people simply by existing in the world. It’s why religion is a universal human phenomenon.
The Universe Points to a Creator: Every culture throughout history has looked at the universe and concluded that a powerful entity must be behind it. This inherent sense that things were made is difficult to shake.
Romans 1:20 (NIV) speaks of this: "For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse."
Moral Law is Inherent: Humans have an internal moral compass—a conscience that tells them certain things are wrong (murder, theft) and certain things are right. This universal, unwritten law is one of the seeds from which religious practice and law spring.
3. Special Revelation (Christianity's Uniqueness)
This is the knowledge that cannot be rediscovered because it is based on a specific, non-repeatable historical event. This is the core difference.
The Unrepeatable Event: The central claim of Christianity is that God, in the person of Jesus Christ, died on a cross and rose again (the Resurrection). No amount of observing stars or contemplating morality will ever reveal the historical fact that Jesus of Nazareth rose from the dead or that He is the Son of God.
The Need for Testimony: These specific, saving truths require a witness or a record (which is what the Bible provides). If the Bible were destroyed, the world would still have people looking for a Creator, but they would have no way of knowing how to be reconciled with that Creator. The path to salvation would be lost until God chose to reveal it again.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (NIV) summarizes this specific, non-discoverable truth: "that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures."
God’s Assurance
The beauty of the Christian message is that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is powerful enough to cover the entire spectrum of sin—from the slightest thought of envy to the most heinous act of murder. Grace is the ultimate equalizer, covering the guilt of all who turn to Him.
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
— 1 John 1:9 (NIV)
Your Takeaway Thought
All sins are equally damning (because any sin breaks God's perfect Law), but they are unequally destructive (because their effects on people vary greatly). Only the equalizing power of God's grace can save us from both the small sins and the great ones.
