Paul Chalus
Mr. Corso
Astronomy
December 19th 2017
Religion and Science
Religion can help answer questions that could not be answered from a scientific standpoint. Religion and science do not contradict each other but they can be used together to benefit science. If religion is correctly applied it can give science a purpose. An example of this how the earth was formed or how life developed on it . Religion can be used as a starting point for science, religion gives science something to prove or disprove.
Many people believe that science and religion contradict one another but this is not the case. Religion can be used as a basis for science. There are several examples of religion leading to scientific discoveries. An example of religion and science working together is the theory of theistic evolution. “Theistic evolution represents one response in an attempt to solve the perceived conflict between the Bible and firm scientific evidence. Theistic evolutionists attempt to resolve this conflict by accepting mainstream science. They accept an old age for the universe and Earth, in addition to evolutionary theory. They accept natural cause as a viable explanation for how the universe came to its present state. They want to be accepted as men of science, yet desire to be viewed as Christians. They believe in some type of god. Despite claims to the contrary, their belief conflicts with the Bible and its teaching about God as creator. The term “theistic evolution” is an
He tries to relate science and religion by proclaiming, “...the
It is brought to the attention by John Calvin when he proclaims that even though these advances are great, they are done by the work of God only. Calvin, later on, describes that subjects like astronomy are only able to be possible because of the “wisdom of God”, which distinguishes how effective religion was at the time(Doc 2). In most cases, this document was more deliberate for the people to realize that even though these advancements were being made, one shall not lose faith for this is done by the power of God. A further explanation is done by Marin Mersenne for she is able to indicate that if things are not collaborative with the church, it is within conscious to not display these disagreeable discoveries. This is done by the use of Mersenne explanation that even though a discovery has gone several experiments, but the church disagrees it is within the righteous actions to not publicize this new thinking (Doc 5).
Have you considered additional ancillary texts to help you? An additional ancillary source is “Evolution and Religion Can Coexist.” This article explains that religion and science are able to balance each other in principles or theories. The author states, “Religion is about ethics, or what you should do, while science is about what’s true.
For centuries, religion and faith—Christianity, in particular—consistently clashed with scientific ideas and theories. The controversy and debate, beginning from the Middle Ages, ranged from issues about the position of the Earth in the solar system, to the practice of medicine. Still, creationism and evolution, sparked immense disagreement amongst the religious and scientific communities, in comparison to any other issue. While major systems of faith strongly declare that their respective God created the universe and the earth, scientists such as Charles Darwin and George Lemaitre proposed theories of evolution and the Big Bang. Unable to come to a consensus, religion and science often do not associate with each other.
Secondly, each creationist’s view faith and science as a peaceful co-existence in order to not cause any disturbance amongst the God of creation. Lastly, amongst young and old earth creationists, the One true God is responsible for creating human reason with an ordered, natural
This is a very unusual thing. In most cases, scientist struggle with this topic when publishing as Michael J. Reiss described in his article, “The Relationship between Evolutionary Biology and Religion”. On the topic he said, “For many scientists, whether or not they have any religious beliefs themselves, the relationships between science and religion, that is the “science/religion issue,” may appear outside the scope of a serious science journal” (Reiss). However, Dawkins does not shy away from such a topic, he chose a theory and stuck by
Calvin, the founder of Calvinism, wrote that science is an art that “unfolds the admirable wisdom of God” (Doc 2). This shows that while the Church disapproves of science, it can still help people understand the phenomena that occur in the Bible, and consequently, strengthen people’s religious beliefs. Calvin supported both religion and science and believed they should not conflict with one another. Bacon, one of the contributors to the scientific method, wrote that the goal of science was “that human life be endowed with new discoveries and powers” (Doc 4). This shows that the intention of science was to help people understand the world, not to cause harm to others.
Science addresses questions of fact while religion addresses those of morality (Horgan, John). There are believers of science on one side and those who believe in religion on the other side. However, this fact does not mean that individuals cannot believe in both the science and the religion. The fact is that both religion and science are tools from God intended to bring about some form of benefit to people. They both provide knowledge about different aspects of life by explaining their behavior.
When the renaissance emerged from the middle ages, it brought new ideas of thought to the surface. Individuals like Leonardo Da Vinci proposed that to achieve a fuller understanding of God and the universe one must understand the natural laws and mathematics that govern it. During the 16th and 17th century in Europe, religion and politics affected the Scientific Revolution because there was no separation of the two in science, this is why the Church restricted scientific progress and politics pushed for scientific improvements for personal gain. Up until this point, religious scripture was undisputed.
Although scientist’s work can be displayed as factual, valid and relevant many religious, political, and social factors contributed to the work publishings of these scientists. Religion and religious figures included the extent of scientist’s finding that where made public. A majority of this was due to the Catholic church’s belief in God. Science was a secular matter and did not involve God, which was a problem for the presently heavily religious Europeans. This also lead to the reason of why Catholics did not experience science until much after the Protestants did, due to their different beliefs.
The research that does not show the impact of Christianity on the scientific Revolution mostly question if it was even necessary on the Birth of Science. Also, the
Historical knowledge and science provide a point where biblical and cultural stories collide (Goheen & Bartholomew, p. 130). Culture is communicated through common stories and events. Science or the human desire to explain what is seen can be identified within Greek mythology throughout history to the postmodern views of today. The Christian worldview provides a basis for belief in a creator, not dependent on human action continue existence (Goheen & Bartholomew, p. 23). Scientific exploration and discovery is a part of God’s creation.
When incorporating both science and religion to explain the physical, chemical, and biological origins, one must look at the origin of the cosmos, Earth history, the origin of life, and biodiversity. In doing so, one must maintain a balance between science and religion so that one does not supersede the other. Furthermore, by examining both sides, it will establish an answer that is mutually beneficial for both parties. Starting with the origin of the cosmos, Genesis 1:1 states that God created the universe, Earth, day, and night for nothing. While this story is accepted based on faith, science shows a similar event that resulted in the creation of the universe.
“There is no gulf between the logic of religious thought and the logic of scientific thought, both are made up of the same essential elements”. Ultimately, religion gave the people a way to create a division from what is considered sacred and profane in
But based on your religion and beliefs may reflect on whether you may think science and religion contradict or believe in one more than the other. Your religion is may very from where you come from in the world and how your religion perceives on life. Maybe cause of the way you grew up as a child may contradict of you believing in religion and science more. Plus religion is way older than science if you really think about it. It has been past down from generation to generation.