The Technological Advance of Religion - Essay Example

?The Technological Advance of Religion Something within us as humans responds to the mystery of God and concepts greater than those which can be explained through our five senses alone. As time has advanced so has technology with it. As more and more obscurities have been revealed, vastly enhancing our understanding of countless areas previously unfathomable to comprehension, the greater the potential of suppressing that natural impulse inside us all is to believe blindly in something; to have faith. As people gain more technology they gain also a sense of independent conceit that there is no need to depend on God for provision, or to look to God for answers. The more people discover and learn about the things that surround them the more they take for granted they can control and be in charge of these things. Before the time science saved lives through medicine and people were instilled with a God complex because of such triumphs, there was a time when people had less answers, but more certainty; the type of assurance that came from the heart and not from experiments. The era of life lived with more emphasis placed on spiritual meditation than rational inquisition. Before Christianity came onto the scene, paganism was the primary religion which practiced an earth based worship of all aspects of nature. There was a god of rain, a god of sun, a god of harvest, and many other gods they prayed to for prosperity. Polytheistic religion is a religion that believes in multiple gods as pagans did. This practice was the result of the human need to explain what could not readily be understood in the absence of science. Phenomena such as weather and fertility were attributed to these different gods and could explain the instability in nature. The separate deities needed to be persuaded to provide for humanity, or pacified into not harming them. Polytheistic religions, therefore, had many customs and rituals intended to accomplish this. Worship practices of all sorts were designed, literally, to manipulate pagan gods into making the world habitable, granting its people success. It was also necessary for everyone to follow those practices, since even just one person apparently snubbing their idol might cause that idol to become angry and lash out or fail to provide some needed gift to all humanity. As religion developed, science did too. Because of the exalted nature of religion, questions regarding its validity, especially in its earliest days of expansion were unwelcome. As science advanced in its expeditions however, more questions regarding the validity of religion arose. One thing religion and science have in common is that neither has all the answers. In religion that is because faith is the platform it stands on. Science in their criticisms and arguments of religion continuously fails to appreciate this. Religion acknowledges a creator, science strives to recreate and comes up short at times in its endeavors to do so. Like Darwin when he proposed his theory of evolution to describe the origin of our species, how we came to exist! Evolution can be briefly summarized in five stages. 1) Variation- there is variation in every population. 2) Competition- organisms compete for limited resources. 3) Offspring- organisms produce more offspring than can survive. 4) Genetics- organisms pass on genetic traits to offspring. 5) Natural selection- Organisms with the most beneficial traits are more likely to survive and reproduce. In every population a mutation in the gene pool will cause a mutation in the development of the species resulting in a change of the species itself overtime. Survival of the fittest is a Darwin doctrine stating that the strongest will outperform the weaker for available resources such as food and habitat subjecting the weaker of its species to death. The more offspring you have, the more success for your genes to be passed down and to thrive in the specific environment. The claim Darwin makes from evolution suggests humans share its ancestry with apes. The theory of evolution has been a tiresome one for theologians who believe we are created by God in His image. This case for a creator is further strengthened by the fact that science has not yet accounted for the origin of life. Evolutionary biology can explain adaptation and descent, but there remains to be seen a scientific consensus on how natural selection and other living processes began in the first place. Until such a time biologists can demonstrate an entirely material origin for life, God will remain a contender. Says Francis Collins, “I am unaware of any irreconcilable conflict between scientific knowledge about evolution and the idea of a creator God. Why couldn’t God have used the mechanism of evolution to create?” (Collins 22). Another scientific theory initially challenging God as creator is the big bang theory. The big bang theory sought to state that the universe was not created but eternally existed. The big bang itself created the perfect atmosphere for life to spontaneously begin. Scientists failed once more in their effort to prove the universe always existed and was not created. Both Einstein’s theory of general relativity and Hubble’s observance of starlight shifting to the red galaxy which mean not only that stars and galaxies are moving away from each other, but the space between them is stretching prove that the universe did not always exist. For a balloon to inflate someone first has to fill it with air to expand. Same also is true of the earth to be able stretch. “We define the universe as comprising time, energy, matter and space. Science is the field of observing how each of these phenomena act and react. Outside of the observable universe science must be silent; one cannot apply the scientific method without observable data. But this is exactly what we have in some type of big bang event. What exactly was it that "banged" to cause the universe to come into existence? If matter, space and time are all a part of our universe, then what was before that? Out of nothing, nothing comes is the logical dictum, so there must have been something out there, but that something must not be material, it must not be spatial and it must not be time-constrained. Well, God fits these criteria. He is spirit, not matter and as spirit He transcends space. Also God is defined as eternal; therefore He can be outside of time.”(ComeReason, 2010). “At the edge of science there is the unknown and that leaves room for a creator” (Ledrmon, 14). The more science takes such matters as life and creation into its hands, the more empty handed it becomes. I suppose that is why religion is more supportive of science than science can be of religion. In Islam, “science is a method that verifies the absolute truths provided by religion. The clash between religion and science can only hold true for certain religions that incorporate some superstitious elements as well as divine sources. However, this is certainly out of the question for Islam, which relies only on the pure revelation of God.  Moreover, Islam particularly advocates scientific enquiry, and announces that probing the universe is a method to explore the creation of God. The Quran always urges people to think, to reason and to explore everything in the world in which they live.  This is because science supports religion, saves the individual from ignorance, and causes him to think more consciously; it opens wide one’s world of thought and helps one grasp the signs of God self-evident in the universe.” (A.O. 1).   Reflecting on religion today, I feel tangled between the positive and negative impacts science and technology have had. Positively, in my opinion, science has upheld religion unintentional as its intent may have been. In its endeavors to disprove God as creator, through theories like evolution and big bang, it has failed therefore endorsing the stance of theologians. The scientific retaliation thereby reinforces the faith of many believers. Negatively, science has encouraged the disbelief of those who look only to the world and observations of fellow humans for answers to moral and philosophical questions. These questions do not belong in the realm of science. Science can only answer what is seen, physically present and what can be explored by our five senses. I said at the beginning of this paper, we as humans instinctively respond to mysteries greater than our five senses can explore. So using our five senses to satisfy the discovery of our exploration is futile at best. How many times has something labeled scientific proof been disproven? Yet in religion, there is no relevance between faith and evidence! This modern world we live in forgets that true faith is not about finding God in science. Yisroel Cotlar wrote the following, “God manages every aspect of creation at every given moment. There are no rules He must follow. There are no forces He must contend with. All is in His hands. Nonetheless, He chose to create a system called "nature." An arrangement of fixed rules. An order of causes and effects. Why did he create nature? In order to conceal His identity and hide His footprints. He wanted a world in which things would appear as if they run on their own, and thus, force Man to discover God on his own. In fact, the very word for nature in Hebrew, "tevah," also translates as "sunk." Nature is God's way of submerging His presence under a sea of scientific laws and patterns. And Man is a deep-sea diver given the task of finding God's hand which lurks behind the veil of nature. And so, life is very similar to a game of "Hide and Go Seek." But every now and then, God emerges from His hiding place and breaks through the self-imposed shackles of nature. The sea is split. A scientific rule is broken. Mother Nature is proven wrong. Perhaps, a child is cured from an incurable disease. Or our nation is saved from a seemingly hopeless situation. And it is through these supernatural events that we realize that nature too is merely a creation of God.” (Cotlar, 2009). The more atheists and people uncertain about their faith seek the world for answers, the more worldly they become. Then the more blinded they are to anything but the created itself. This is another negative aspect of technological advances and scientific progress. They have shaped us and made us more worldly in our views when the Bible tells us to be in the world but not of it. It is the standard of modern living to measure our lives by what we possess and how technically advanced and new our possessions are. Success in life is determined not by spiritual principles but if we have the latest car or stereo system etc. Technology and science dictate to us that we need to keep up with the times and the most current trends to be a success, to be worthy of recognition. Technology can also be considered diverting, casting people’s view away from religion and church. Some facets of technology was invented to make life easier for us, and to time save so we can focus on what really matters to us. Negatively it distracts us from religious persuits, yet positively it also brings religion closer to those seekers of it. The internet has many religious websites, bible discussions, and christian dating sites and chat sites that teenagers and young adults find fun, inspirational and beneficial to their lives. While they may not feel like attending church with their parents, the word of God is still accessable in their home and right at their finger tips. So I think the debate is always a spilt down the center. As much as technology can distract, it can also provide those seeking what it has to offer. Religion is offered mainstream now and can reach more people than ever possible before. Technology is the application of science that defines the way human beings live and because technology threatens traditional ways of life, as a reaction some people feel the need to express their religiosity by going to church. Technological advances like cell phones are intrusive to worship. For instance during bible reading or prayer, and even on an annual pilgramage to Mecca where you leave the world and its entaglements behind and you are in the middle of spiritual repose and then a cell phone rings intruding upon ceremonial rituals. Some people will text message in church during a sermon and this is not focusing on God, but sometimes it is easy for us to be somewhere physically but not mentally. Churches utilize technology in their servives with fantastic sound systmes, screens, videos, and musical instruments for worship. And to bring visual stimulation to inspire young worshippers. Technology used in a right way benefits religion. Science hasn’t disproven religion its only success has been in shifting our view, our perspective from the potential of what can be, to only that which is. While I commend science for the positive discoveries and improvements it has made to our way of life, I am disturbed by the fact arrogance comes as a cost of intelligence. One of my concerns about technology is that it may lead us to think that we can be self-sufficient, that we can control our universe, and that we need not be dependent or humble. One of the most fundamental things about people who are religious is they do not see themselves as their own master, they are dependent upon something other than themselves. I really appreciate is this quality of humility, that I'm not my own, that I belong to a higher power, whatever that higher power may be, and I do fear that technology may tempt us to think that we can be self-sufficient. Technology breeds this false sense of empowerment. I am not convinced that scientific information has enhanced the virtues of love, forgiveness, compassion, consoling the afflicted, charity, dedication, and righteousness that religion employs. No matter how far science and technology take us, there is a place within us they cannot reach. The place of our soul, our spirit, and our conscience that knows we have more than facts to examine in this life. Science cannot fill this void in us. “Long after postmodern intellectual fads have exhausted themselves, science and religion will still be here and still be searching.” (Peacocke 26). Works Cited Cotlar, Y. (2009, april 28). chabad.org. Retrieved april 4, 2011, from chabad: http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/557651/jewish/Do-Jews-Believe-in-Miracles.htm ComeReason. Come Reason Ministries. Does the Big Bang Contradict Creation? Web. (2010) Easterbrook, Greg. Science and Religion. Science and God: A warming Trend? Web. (Aug,1997) A.O.The Religion of Islam. Scientists and Religion: Religious Scientists. Web. (Mar. 13 2006) Read More