Are Science and Religion in Conflict - Essay Example

Topic:  Are science and religion in conflict? Part One: Introduction Science and religion are two important areas in the lives of human being which are not compatible with each other. Both the concepts of science and religion have roots established in different dimensions of human activity sphere. Science is usually defined as a system where knowledge is acquired and this knowledge is utilized to observe and experiment natural phenomena. According to science, everything which happens in the universe has a natural cause and it does not relate it to a God or an unseen force. On the contrary, the religion only believes in God and establishes its foundation on concept of God and in his unlimited powers. Science completely relies on proof and religion is depended on morality, faith and spirituality and hence both remains in conflict forever. All religion in the world is based on God and his attributes and science on other hand is a study of nature. The basis and principles of religion is passed on to people from their ancestors and elders and has strong grounds of belief and faith. But science is developed by studying and researching on elements of nature. Science only believes on fact and evidence based information and cannot rely on imagination and faith. The core reason for the conflict between science and religion is on matter of creation of universe and the former regards creation of universe as accidental whereas religion strongly believes that creation of universe is a planned action of God. Science does not believe in miracle or supernatural powers whereas the religious concepts have many illusionary and superficial thinking attached to it. Part Two: Argument Incompatible Nature of Science and Religion Science and religion has their ideas rooted in different subjects and as a result they conflict with each other on varied platforms. On every sphere of human activity like astronomy, history, medicine, human sexuality and religious practices and events, science and religion maintains different opinions. According to religion, the astronomy is related to the position of planets and the way they influence the everyday life of human beings. Ancient people used to make astronomical observation and understand the position of planets and assess their positive and negative effect on human beings. They integrated rituals and religious ceremonies keeping in mind the influence of planets on human life. As per science, astronomy is the study of various planets and their origin, nature and evolution. Even on history, science and religion contradict each other regarding various events taken place in the past like the creation of earth and flood story about Noah’s ark. The science neglects these stories as they believe in evidence found by fossil excavation and anthropology. Science believes in Darwin’s evolution theory and suggests that man evolved from apes. According to old and New Testament, earth is millions of years old whereas science suggests that earth are not that old as testament indicate. In relation to language, religion believes that it originated among people of Babel in Middle East. However, science point out that language evolved among people who travelled in groups and sub groups during migration. When it comes to medicine, there is also difference of opinion among science and religion .Science believes that medicine is the only means to heal diseases where as religion is of the opinion that faith and prayers to the God helps people to keep away from illnesses. Religion believes in the connection of body with the soul and how God exists in the soul of all human beings. Since faith in religion is something related to mind and grounded in the belief of God, science does not give importance to it. According to (Cray, 2006) “God cannot be completely contained within nature, and therefore Gods existence is outside of sciences ability to really weigh in”. Science mainly relates itself with nature and its activities, whereas religion sees and believes in things beyond nature. In religion there is more focus on enhancing the moral, ethical and spiritual value of people and science only concentrates on improving the living standard or quality of living of people. Even in case of human sexuality, sexual process is just considered as a means of reproduction by science. They consider the pleasurable feelings of sex connected to the working of chemicals in the brain. In case of religion sex is a gift from God and considered as a divine activity. It is supposed to have spiritual connection and is a process by which a soul is born in to earth; even in religion, heterosexuality is believed to be pure and perfect while homosexuals are looked upon as sinners. Science also does not give importance to any rituals or customs whereas religion is based on rituals. Part Three – Counter – thesis and Counter argument Science and religion believes on reality It is not sensible to claim that science and religion has conflict between them as both of it believes in reality and truth. The main common ground in both science and religion is that they give foremost importance to the universal law of nature. Science conducts all the experiments and research keeping in mind the nature’s law and religious rituals and customs have a strong relation to universal law. Both religion and science believe upon the force of nature and depend on it to establish its principles. The science look for proof and evidence as it wants to concentrate on reality and not illusion. In the same way religion establish faith on the ultimate reality of universe which is God. Religion exists to enhance virtues in human kind like goodness, honesty and discipline which are true realities of human nature. According to (Fennema,1990,pg 31)“The science of today is more pragmatic and believes less in truth than in validity. When something can work when applied in useful way then science is satisfied. In that way science and religion believes on powers of nature and relate to each other.” Science is a search for the unknown truth and religion also is a search to find the ultimate truth beyond this realistic universe. Science believes in the creation of God which are a reality and a cause behind the creation which is also a reality.Religion believes in both the creation and the creator and it is strongly rooted in truth and reality. Everything related to science is connected with nature and nothing beyond it and for religion nature is a strong evidence for the existence of God. It is by perceiving this world that religion established the existence of the creator. The religion understands the power of creator is reflected among the things around the universe and assumes the supernatural and immense power of the creator. The religion makes real world as its foundation and this is what gives way to the origination of faith in God and its mysterious power. In science also the basic ground for all the principles and rule is the real world which we live in and the objects and element found in it. Science although look in for proof the real sense behind is that any concept which came out of scientific discovery should have solid connection to nature and its laws. Science does not want to believe in ideas which are impractical and unrealistic and religion also believes in natural laws and the power behind these seen and unseen elements of nature. Science and religion both have the connection to the realistic world which is seen and give utmost importance to its laws and principle and cannot maintain a separate ideology from each other. Reality and truth is the foundation for both religion and science and hence there is no collision between both. Part Four – Response to Counter - Thesis Core differentiation between science and religion The core differentiation between science and religion is that the former is materialistic whereas the latter is spiritualistic. Science has taken a position of cultural activity as it is the basis for industrialization, medicine and agriculture. Science has a neutral view on theology, metaphysics and religion. As per (Popovic,2008,pg25“Spirituality relates to religion in similar way to how science relates to materialism. Religion is an organized set of fixed beliefs, while spirituality is empirical in a sense of transpersonal experiences and consequently more exploratory and less dogmatic”.Religion is not material bound and it focuses on bestowing gratitude to the creator of the universe and respecting and loving him. It is more interested in growing the spiritual connection between the God and human being and forming a wholesome union between both. Science at all time is in an effort to invent new technologies and discover more elements of nature in order to upgrade the living standards of human being. Science solely wants to make life easier for people by making best use of natural resources provided by nature. Science is consistently in the lookout for materialistic benefit whereas religion is all about personality development and remembering God in everything people do. The main aim of religion is to develop an organized lifestyle among communities and societies and help them live in synchronization with nature and its laws. Religion is a practice which shows dedication to God and explains the ways in which to live life according to the rules of the Creator of the universe. The desired for knowledge is innate nature of human beings and in the search for it people have discovered many technologies and devices .Science has given so much comfort and affinities to human that it has become a mode to achieve luxury and convenience . In his article (Lincoln,2011) writes that, “A scientific investigation starts with a question, and tries to reach a conclusion by finding evidence and applying reason. A theological investigation, though, starts with a conclusion, and tries to wiggle around any impediments of evidence and logic in order to justify that conclusion”. Here we can see that science always look out for evidence and proof for the subject of research and religion on the other hand believe in the unseen and establish strong faith in it. Religion has its own sets of beliefs and rituals which gives an organized and disciplined mode to the living style of human beings. Religion focuses on maintaining peace and order throughout the world and delivering mental strength and happiness to people. It does not look for evidence and proof for the existence of creator but firmly believe and respect him. Religion does not rely only on the observable world but go far beyond earth and universe. Religion strongly adheres to the natural laws of nature and keeps God as its Goal and objective. Religion is largely immaterial in its objective and attempts to provide social service and spiritual assistance to human kind. On the other hand, science is materialistic and consistently looks out for material gain from nature. References Cray, D. (2006, November 05). God vs. science. Retrieved from http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1555132-3,00.html Fennema, J. (1990). Science and religion: one world-changing perspectives on reality : papers . The Netherlands: Springer Lincoln, N. (2011). How do science and religion conflict?. Retrieved from http://mwillett.org/atheism/relsci.htm Popovic, N. (2008). The synthesis . London: Personal Well being Centre Read More