Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
The Relations Between Religion and Science
essay on the theory of the origin of life
differences and similarities between religion and science
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: The Relations Between Religion and Science
Religion is a concept that has been around us ever since we first became self-aware. Whenever the first human realized that there were: earthquakes, heavy winds, volcanoes, and tornadoes, humans immediately tried to find an explanation for it and at the end they decided that only a god could do such things. This was the creation of religion. Throughout the ages, humans developed different beliefs and explanations for seemingly inexplicable things and thus several different types of religions appeared. In the other hand, in recent years we have studied the universe and the world through science. We have reached a point in which we are capable of explaining the origin of the universe, origin of life on earth, evolution of life on earth and the cause for natural disasters. Although science and Religion might seem like two completely different things, the only way where the human race can leap to new horizons is through the unification of both ideas into one.
Science tries to make sense of everything that’s around us. With science we were able to understand things from the origin of the universe to the end of the universe. The study of science is the quality that I most remarkable on mankind, the fact that we try to explain something that we shouldn’t understand is simply mind boggling. Scientists seek answers deeper than just saying “because God wanted to.” This doesn’t mean that religion is bad or that science is more important, instead it means that science is the logical explanation of God’s work. Both ideas don’t have to constantly fight each other but rather make them coexists. A perfect example of such fusion between science and religion would be the theistic evolution theory, in the words of Francis Collins, author of The Lan...
... middle of paper ...
...rg/compellingtruth/does-religion-cause-war.html
FARRELL, J. (n.d.). catholics and the evolving cosmos. the wall street journal. Retrieved December 18, 2013, from http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052748703846604575447493644515142
Ferngren, G. B. (2002). Science and religion: a historical introduction. Baltimore, Md.: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Framingham Police Department: Gun Control. (n.d.). Framingham Police Department: Gun Control. Retrieved December 18, 2013, from http://framingham-police.org/gun-control.html
Rudolf J. Rummel Quote. (n.d.). LibertyQuotes. Retrieved December 18, 2013, from http://quotes.liberty-tree.ca/quote_blog/Rudolf.Rummel.Quote.F93C
What is the Relation between Science and Religion. (n.d.). ReasonableFaith.org. Retrieved December 19, 2013, from http://www.reasonablefaith.org/what-is-the-relation-between-science-and-religion
Science and faith are generally viewed as two topics that do not intermingle. However, Andy Crouch’s work, Delight in Creation, suggests that there is an approach to both faith and science that allows support of scientists in the church community. There is an approach that can regard science as a career that can reflect the nature of God.
Price, Tom. "Science and Religion: Can Their Conflicts Be Resolved?" Science and Religion: Can Their Conflicts Be Resolved? 23.12 (2013): 281-304. Print.
The history of opposition between science and religion has been steady for about half of a century. As early as the 1500's, science and religion have been antagonistic forces working against each other. Science was originally founded by Christians to prove that humans lived in a orderly universe (Helweg, 1997). This would help to prove that the universe was created by a orderly God who could be known. Once this was done, science was considered by the church to be useless. When people began to further investigate the realm of science, the church considered them to be heretics; working for the devil. According to Easterbrook (1...
In order to continue our discussion of the legitimate philosophical, scientific, and religious aspects of the science and religion quagmire we need a frame of reference to guide us. What I present here is an elaboration on a classification scheme proposed by Michael Shermer. (5) Shermer suggests that there are three worldviews, or "models," that people can adopt when thinking about science and religion. According to the same worlds model there is only one reality and science and religion are two different ways of looking at it. Eventually both will converge on the same final answers, within the limited capabilities of human beings to actually pursue such fundamental questions. The conflicting worlds model asserts that there is only one reality (as the same world scenario also acknowledges) but that science and religion collide head on when it comes to the shape that reality takes. Either one or the other is correct, but not both (or possibly neither, as Immanuel Kant might have argued). In the separate worlds model science and religion are not only different kinds of human activities, but they pursue entirely separate goals. Asking about the similarities and differences between science and religion is the philosophical equivalent of comparing apples and oranges. "These are two such different things," Shermer told Sharon Begley in Newsweek's cover story "Science Finds God," "it would be like using baseball stats to prove a point in football."
Religion has existed since the dawn of civilization and over time has evolved into the religions we have today. Today the most prominent religions are monotheistic, having one omnipotent god, and despite having many differences they share basic tenets of respect and kindness. Religions, such as Judaism, give explanations for the unknown, provide hope, and bring about a sense of community.
...ween science and religion regarding the creation of the earth; however these disconnections were recognised when the churches found reason in scientific findings and vice versa. Although the creation of earth can be broadly defined by creationism and the big bang theory, both have created a connection in one another through the endeavour of defining the creation of the same world. Though beliefs are still held regarding religion and science to be separate fields of inquiry, the youth of today’s 21st century believe that there are connections between religion and science regarding the creation of earth, with the gap between both academically challenging concepts is becoming smaller through time. Scientist Albert Einstein once said, A legitimate conflict between science and religion cannot exist. Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.”
...wever, in the best interest of advancing education and an enlightened society, science must be pursued outside of the realm of faith and religion. There are obvious faith-based and untestable aspects of religion, but to interfere and cross over into everyday affairs of knowledge should not occur in the informational age. This overbearing aspect of the Church’s influence was put in check with the scientific era, and the Scientific Revolution in a sense established the facet of logic in society, which allows us to not only live more efficiently, but intelligently as well. It should not take away from the faith aspect of religion, but serve to enhance it.
The relationship between science and the Christian Church has never been viewed as a positive one. The Christian Church has often been ostracized for their role in the history of science, and to some degree is most commonly held responsible for most, if not all the struggles that science had to undergo to achieve it's status today. In David Lindberg's article titled "Science and the Christian Church" Lindberg explores this idea by not taking sides with the Christian church, or the sciences, but by examining other possible explanations as to why the scientific struggle was so hard.
While some people may believe that science and religion differ drastically, science and religion both require reason and faith respectively. Religion uses reason as a way of learning and growing in one’s faith. Science, on the other hand, uses reason to provide facts and explain different hypotheses. Both, though, use reason for evidence as a way of gaining more knowledge about the subject. Although science tends to favor more “natural” views of the world, religion and science fundamentally need reason and faith to obtain more knowledge about their various subjects. In looking at science and religion, the similarities and differences in faith and reason can be seen.
Barbour, Ian G. Religion in an Age of Science. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1990. Print. (BL 240.2 .B368 1990)
Religion itself can mean many different things and is interpreted differently by each group of people. The literal meaning of the word “religion” is “a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects.” Religion is divided into different secs such as Christians, Muslims, Jews, etc. Although religion is aimed to unite people and bring them together, I believe there are certain aspects that divide people or make them “different” from everyone else. The factors that have caused religion to divide are war and violence, the caste system, and rituals.
...eveloped, and especially during the Enlightenment, God and religion were relegated to a lesser role because it was thought that science could explain everything. Now, though, the farther we plunge into science, the more questions we find that can only be answered by religion. When science and Christianity are both studied and well understood, especially in the context of their limitations, it is possible to integrate them, or at least for them to complement each other, in my view of the world.
A religion is a system of beliefs usually involving the worship of supernatural forces or beings. Religious beliefs provide shape and meaning to one's perception of the universe. In other words, they provide a sense of order in what might otherwise be seen as a chaotic existence. Religions also provide understanding and meaning for inexplicable events such as a loved one being killed in an earthquake or some other unpredictable force of nature. For most religious people, their beliefs about the supernatural are at the very core of their world views.
Religion began as a way to explain unfathomable gaps in understanding how the world and the things within it worked. It became a fundamental part of many lives because it gave the population faith and understanding as to why things functioned the way they did. Unexplainable events were concluded as the will of a higher being, as it was the simplest rational. Nonetheless, time has shifted, and with different ages comes change. However important they were when our kind had no other explanation for the universe or way to be governed; religious beliefs have become undermined by our development and advancement in the understanding of our morals and needs to provide order and reason: law.
The relationship between science and religion has been debated for many years. With strong personal opinions and beliefs, it is not surprising that no progress has been made in this argument. In my opinion, I feel as though religion and science have to be related in some way. There is no possible way people can separate two things that attempt to prove the same facts. My belief is that a metaphorical bridge has to be formed to connect the two. Personally, I feel as though science can be a compliment to religion, and that the scientific discoveries can and should be used to prove that God exists, not disprove it. If science did this, then the relationship between science and religion could be a friendly one. If that happened, people could stop debating and fighting over the two, allowing priests and scientists to talk and work together peacefully.