Religion and Science; A Conflict of Interests
I feel like the conflicts between religion and science will never be resolved. Science is defined as the study of the natural world. It is knowledge of the physical, tangible world gained through observation and experimentation. Conversely, one could define religion as the study of the supernatural world. Religions are sets of beliefs regarding the creation, nature, and purpose of our universe.
Religion seems to conflict so much with science, to me, what's fact and what can be proven. For example, according to the Bible the Earth is only a mere 4,000 years old. On the other hand, scientific proccesses, specifically carbon dating, disproves this assertion with ease. The problem then, is that religion places it's basis on faith, not fact and direct observation. My opinion is that religions are doctrines, set of principles, created and divulged by individuals. These ideas spread, become popular, and morph into the world religions we see today. As time goes on and on, and the technology we have becomes more and more advanced, an increasing number of religious beliefs are disproved. It's much like a principle that applies often in math, some things are disproved because of the proof in another. Because some things are inherently, positively, and always true, others simply cannot, ever, be true.
But religious people often deny the truth and fact in science because it does contradict and render erroneous their beliefs. Religion is based on faith in intangible things. When tangible things are proven that directly disprove religious faith, the religion is put in jeopardy, and people lose faith.
Religion seems to conflict so much with science, to me, what's fact and what can be proven. For example, according to the Bible the Earth is only a mere 4,000 years old. On the other hand, scientific proccesses, specifically carbon dating, disproves this assertion with ease. The problem then, is that religion places it's basis on faith, not fact and direct observation. My opinion is that religions are doctrines, set of principles, created and divulged by individuals. These ideas spread, become popular, and morph into the world religions we see today. As time goes on and on, and the technology we have becomes more and more advanced, an increasing number of religious beliefs are disproved. It's much like a principle that applies often in math, some things are disproved because of the proof in another. Because some things are inherently, positively, and always true, others simply cannot, ever, be true.
But religious people often deny the truth and fact in science because it does contradict and render erroneous their beliefs. Religion is based on faith in intangible things. When tangible things are proven that directly disprove religious faith, the religion is put in jeopardy, and people lose faith.
posted by Hayley at 1:22 AM
1 Comments:
Another perspective on this issue is that science can strengthen ones faith. Actually, many famous intellectuals and scientists of both the past and present are in fact very religious themselves. Some would say that "many scientists are now driven to faith by their very work" (Strobel 71). Other men of science might say that with all the evidence that they have compiled up to this point, the sciences actually "provide a robust case for theism" (75). If you're looking for a more detailed response to many scientific scholars' reactions between science and faith, I really recommend Lee Strobel's "The Case for a Creator." This author, a graduate from Yale, is a very respectable writer who presents both sides of the case. It is really interesting how he relates science and religion. In his text, he writes, "My road to atheism was paved by science...but, ironically, so was my later journey to God." I found this quite interesting because like Hayley posted, many people today see science and religion as a 'conflict of interests.'
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