Science vs. Religion

Religion and science do not have to be mutually exclusive. Sure, there are some things where ideas just don’t intersect (i.e.: Earth and all of its species being created in 6 days, the earth being 4.5 billion years old, first humans appearing about 100,000 years ago, etc.) as evolution and creationism are primarily where conflict arises. However, scientists can be religious too. Surveys show that scientists are just as likely to believe in God as anyone else. 

Making peace with both views is easier when biblical scripture is taken symbolically rather than literally, or when it is taken for the broad, underlying moral lesson rather than for the factual accuracy. (I don’t wish to say that this is the right way to interpret the bible; whether or not you think Joshua really stopped the sun in its tracks is up to you, genuinely.) This view of religion seems to be what makes it possible for scientists to connect their scientific and religious beliefs. 

“Like other scientists of faith, Primack [Joel Primack, astrophysicist] who is Jewish and reads the Bible regularly, argues that the Bible must not be taken literally, but should be read allegorically.

          ‘One simply cannot read the Bible as a scientific text, because it’s often                     contradictory,” Primack said. “For example, in the Bible, Noah takes two animals and puts them on the Ark. But in a later section, he takes seven pairs of animals. If this is the literal word of God, was God confused when He wrote it?’” – National Geographic

Another scientist claims that science and religion can coexist because they answer the two fundamental questions of life, in their own ways. 

“Science and religion can operate in different realms. “Science is very good at answering the ‘how’ questions. How did the universe evolve to the form that we see? But it is woefully inadequate in addressing the ‘why’ questions. Why is there a universe at all? These are the meaning questions, which many people think religion is particularly good at dealing with.” –Brian Greene, a world-renowned physicist and author of The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality.

In class, it was asked how we as individuals approach this conflict. Personally, I do not identify with a religion, though I was raised Catholic. When I think of the divine source and the origin of the universe in the way that I see it, I think in terms of energy, vibrations, and frequencies. I see a higher power without form. For me, this is both spiritual and not at all separate from science. For scientists like Einstein and Tesla, it wasn’t separate either. 

However, I realize that not everyone holds the same beliefs. And I think that the most important way to approach that is to realize that disagreement is okay. In most cases, middle ground can be found. Conflict and arguments arise when strong, narrow sighted egos clash. Many people, scientists and religious zealots alike, will try to demonize their opponent in an argument, and that is where any chance of agreement or understanding is lost. I think the only way to bridge the gap is to have an open mind and respectfully discuss ideas. After all, religion can’t physically prove anything to be true, and the cardinal rule of science is that a hypothesis can be proven false, but never true with 100% certainty. 

Katie Clontz

Sources:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/10/1018_041018_science_religion_2.html

http://www.davidlose.net/2012/06/four-good-reasons-not-to-read-the-bible-literally/