SCIENCE and RELIGION: Overview

Last month I introduced you to the book, Science and Religion, and indicated that I would begin to provide some insights from that publication.  The Amazon kindle version is $11.99, but the softback is only $2.99.  Here are the upcoming chapters:

• Introductory
• Cosmology and God
• Intelligent Design:  Creationism versus Science
• Religion and Science in Conflict
• Science and Ethics
• The Scientific Investigation of Paranatural Claims
• Scientific Explanations of Religious Beliefs
• Accommodating Science and Religion

Today I will start with An Overview of the Issues by editor Paul Kurtz:

• While science had precursors in ancient Greece and Rome, it was not until the 16th/17th century that scientists and philosophers developed a new method of inquiry, abandoning tradition, mysticism, revelation and faith.

• The Book of Nature began to prevail.
• Hypotheses and theories were verified by empirical observation, experimental prediction and mathematics.
• New knowledge continuously modified accepted tenets.
• The early days of science were treacherous, for censorship, inquisitions and heresy trials influenced by The Church made life difficult for fundamental pioneers.

• Much of this suppression continues today on something as obvious as evolution, and, certainly lifestyles in Muslim countries.  In the U.S., reproductive freedom and therapeutic cloning are only two issues compromised by religion.  In America, no one in his right mind will run for a political election as an atheist.

Curiously enough, this stigma is not necessarily of import in many countries, for atheistic leaders include:

• Xi Jinping and his predecessors in China
• Jawaharlal Nehru of India
• David Ben-Gurion of Israel
• Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin in Russia
• Julia Gillard of Australia

• Francois Hollande of France
• Karl Marx of Germany
• Olaf Palme of Sweden
• Winston Churchill of Great Britain

While not in this book, let me add that today, as much as has been accomplished, science still remains at a high level of ignorance on the most basic of knowledge:

1. How was the Universe created?
2. What are Dark Matter and Dark Energy?
3. How does gravity work?
4. How did life begin?
5. Are we the only intelligent life in the Universe?
6. Why do we need sleep?

There is no scientific consensus on any of those questions.  Science is ever changing.  Religion?  In many ways, that is the fatal long-term flaw.  But, then, how can anyone explain how faith continues as long as it has?

Here is only one list of science accomplishments.  While this series is on religion versus science, there is a lot more to the link between science and society:

• Human rights
• Democracy
• Cultural masterpieces
• Technological achievements
• Medicine
• Environmental concern

Thus, as much as this book might seem limiting by title, it actually involves the larger picture, noting that scientific methodology affected advancements in the social/behavioral sciences, economy, technology, moral values and social institutions.

Then, of course, this growing conflict between science and religion is nothing compared to the hostilities within the various religious communities themselves.  The clash of civilizations affecting society today are religious/cultural conflicts. 

I'll close with a minor something that has been at the periphery of my thoughts.  Why did Jesus, if he was Jewish and from Galilee, look almost Scandinavian?  While researching this post, I stumbled across a comparison indicating that early Renaissance paintings mostly portrayed people and backgrounds similar to their culture.  Then, history has shown that there is a tendency to accept early versions, or shape them over time to your advantage.  Thus, the person to the right is probably a more accurate depiction of Jesus.

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