This is one cultural phenomenon that I haven't actually thought about in a long time until today when I caused an uproar after making the statement that Ouija boards, astrology, etc work due to allowing people to access spiritual powers that we are capable of posessing. Seeing how I'm a "Math and Science person" I couldn't possibly believe that there is a spiritual world or that anything exists beyond the world that we can touch, taste, smell, and hear.
Why is this? Why should it have caused such an uproar when I made such a simple statement that lots of people would agree with themselves.
Tension between science and religion started in the medieval ages. At that point in time the Catholic church had most of the political and social power in the west. The introduction of science was a threat to the power that the Pope held and wielded as kings wielded their swords over peasants' heads. Galileo was imprisoned and died there because he refused to deny that the earth revolves around the sun. In more recent times, creationists are trying to get all talk of evolution removed from the schools and scientists like Richard Dawkins are waging their own war on religion by belittling anyone who is religious.
If God does exist and if he did create the world than we should be able to use science to see evidence of this in creation.
Why should science and religion be mutually exclusive things? Sure, for a couple hundred years there's been a rivalry between religion and science for who's right, but why should that govern our assumptions about the people that we meet on a day to day basis?
I think that part of the problem is also that science has progressed so far that it has left the general population behind. So now only the elite few know how most of our stuff works and what breakthroughs are happening since most people wouldn't understand if the scientists are even speaking English or not.
On the cutting edge of science, namely Quantom theory and mechanics, there is growing debate over whether or not God exists. Albert Einstein once made the statement that "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind."
Do any of you have any other insight into this or any ideas of other causes?
2 comments:
I don't think they are exclusive. Also it surpised me when you said that because you also said something to the effect of relgion is something someone made up (to make others feel bad). There is quiet a "culture war" when it comes to scienece vs relgion. Personal i think why can't a something grander then ourselfs (namely god) make this world what it is..what if he/it whatever god is designed the world to have laws,and evolution and such?I don't see why not since nothing comes from nothing, something has to be started somewhere..or as logic puts it "the unmoved mover" idea. I could go more into this, but then i wouldn't really be answering your question.
The problem with science proving that God does or does not exist is it eliminates the power of God. Now, for science-believers (because when you really think about it, science is a religion itself, people believe everything scientists come out with and use it as truth) this is a hard concept to grasp.
"If God does exist and if he did create the world than we should be able to use science to see evidence of this in creation."
To prove God scientifically exists is to make Him human, to put Him in our realm and graspable. If this is accomplished He ceases to be God and is only another object. Personally, I don’t believe the Creator of the Universe is something that can be boxed into a formula. Religion can be a scary thing and so to feel less intimidated by it we as humans try and define it on our own turns; once this is done we can breath easy. It takes a little faith, faith that there is more to this life than numbers and formulas and that is not an easy thing for people to swallow.
What makes God God is His splendor. As far as tension between religion and science; I don’t think one or the other should be eliminated, it’s up to the individual to decide for himself or herself. So not “all” creationists want or need it removed from school. ("creationists are trying to get all talk of evolution removed from the schools") I don’t understand why religion is met with such hostel opposition, maybe this just comes back to being afraid of the unknown, but when you look at the messages of most, if not all religions, there is good. It’s supposed to offer purpose and happiness. Why would something good be reacted to so strongly? This is not an argument that will be solved overnight, let alone over a class blog, we will all know the answer when we either die on our own or when the world ends.
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