Should we seperate science from religion?

Question

I cannot agree with Jeremy Callahan completely. The Bible may have a few scientific facts but it's also full of unscientific ideas. Not just the bible, almost all religious books.

And there are scientific facts in other religious books too, does that prove anything?

To dezmodnar,

The Earth has four corners :
173. “1. And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.”
Is this scientific?

God creates light and separates light from darkness, and day from night, on the first day. Yet he didn't make the light producing objects (the sun and the stars) until the fourth day (1:14-19). And how could there be "the evening and the morning" on the first day if there was no sun to mark them?

In Genesis 1 the entire creation takes 6 days, but the universe is at least 12 billion years old, with new stars constantly being formed. 1:31

3 examples, there are plenty of scientific inaccuracies in the Bible, or for that matter any other religious book.

Answer 1

A Resounding NO!
Both can (Should) compliment each other

Answer 2

The Bible has science in it?? Get real. People in Old Testament times believed the Earth was a flat circle, and that the sky was a big dome overhead with the stars, planets, comets, moon, etc. embedded in it. They believed that, above the sky, was a big storage place for water and that's where the rain came from. It is for these reasons that we have God "opening the floodgates of heaven" to let the Earth get flooded, and causing the moon and sun to stand still. They really believed that the heavenly bodies could be moved about at God's will, like puppets on a string.

There is a story about Jacob acquiring some of Laban's spotted and speckled sheep. He cuts streaks in some tree branches and places them in and near the water troughs, so that when the sheep look at the branches, they'll bear more streaked and spotted young. This is in keeping with primitive beliefs that an animal's (or person's) offspring could be influenced by what the mother sees while pregnant. Such beliefs existed even in the modern-day Western world, when women were discouraged from viewing certain objects or eating certain foods lest their babies be born with birthmarks. This is not science, it is folklore.

The Bible tells us that a flood covered all the mountains of the entire world. There is not, nor has there ever been, nor ever will be, enough water to cover the Earth to that extent. It would have to not only fill the ocean basins to a depth of roughly 35,800 ft. below sea level (the Marianas Trench), but rise to the highest mountains at about 30,000 ft. above sea level (Mt. Everest). It cannot happen.

Donkeys and snakes cannot talk. They do not have the human vocal apparatus, tongue, and facial muscles to make speech possible.

The Bible mentions dragons, unicorns, and cockatrices (in the KJV, at least). Anybody have any fossil evidence for these creatures?

Jesus made a stupid statement about salt losing its saltiness. This is not possible. You can mix salt with water or other materials, but it is STILL SALT. It cannot lose its chemical composition. He also stated that the mustard seed is the smallest of all seeds, which it is not--there are orchid seeds that are much smaller. Thus, Jesus shows his stupidity in both chemistry and biology.

In the Book of Hallucinations, we are told that, in the end times, the stars will fall from the heavens. If they were small balls of light attached to the dome of the sky, I suppose this would be possible, as God could simply knock them down with a rake or something. As we know that this is not the case (and surely the Greeks and Romans knew it, too), one wonders exactly what drugs the author was taking when he saw this "prophecy."

And aside from all of these examples, science and religion simply are not compatible. Religion tells us to be satisfied with "God did it" as an explanation for whatever we can't immediately understand. Science tells us to never be satisfied until we find the REAL answer, to keep digging for the truth. If there were no science, we'd still be living the way the OT authors did--in ignorance of the world around us, ascribing the will of God to every strange and inexplicable thing. Scientists throughout history have had to fight against ignorant religious folk who believed that to ask questions was to defy the will of God. They are still doing it, fighting against those who insist that creationism be taught in schools. The Christians' reasoning usually goes something like, "Science can't explain everything, therefore science explains nothing, therefore Godddit." They are content to remain ignorant, and this is an attitude that has no place in the real world. If society is to advance, then it must leave behind these primitive, myth-based notions.

Answer 3

As Christians we believe that God is responsible for Creation. As such, there is absolutely nothing wrong with people seeking to know more about the world that God created.

Science is the result of our human intellect. Human intellect, in turn, is a great gift from God.

Like all gifts, it can be used for good or for evil. By using our intellect for beneficial scientific pursuits, we are really giving glory to God.

There are some things that religion was never meant to explain -- but even things for which we must rely on science, God plays a part.

That's because, again, He blessed us with the gift of intellect that makes scientific study possible. Without that God-given gift, science would be impossible.

Answer 4

Science and Religion are two seperate, yet interconnected, spheres.

Religion is all about the why. Why are we here? Why did God allow evil in the world? Why did he give us free will if he wanted obedience? Etc.

Science is all about the how. How does mixing two highly poisonous chemicals (sodium and chlorine) make something harmless and, indeed, necessary for life to exist (table salt)? How are the seasons timed? How does the moon keep showing us the same side? etc.

Why and How questions tend to help explain each other.

Answer 5

Yes, the two cannot co exist.
Science is about theorizing and explaining that what we cannot understand. Religion is just accepting that it is Gods will.

This goes far beyond the evolution creationism debate. It effects all forms of science.

To add to the thought, different religions have different view on science and the boundaries of what is fact and fiction. There is no standard to abide by.

It is almost as silly as asking if you should combine PHYS ed and Calculus.

Answer 6

Nope. The Bible has science within. Before people knew the earth wasn't flat, God told Job that the earth was round and held up by nothing. So it goes in conjunction...now those little big bang theories...are just that...not even scientific basis.

Answer 7

Definitely not. If you believe that Religion is Truth, then you'd also have to believe that God is also behind Science...the pursuit of truth by means of measurement and experimentation.

Therefore, we should try to prove religion true by means of science...it can be done, maybe not all done now, but with better techniques, certainly possible

Answer 8

Absolutely, for science and religion are two opposites of the subjective human mind. Both are aposteriori truths to people. Neither are apriori truths. Thus is madness spread if this is said.

Answer 9

oh definitely! then the facts that are found out by science wont be censored for anti god information. look up book called forbidden archeology! can you imagine how much truth is being hidden because it goes against the teachings of religion?

Answer 10

The two should walk merrily hand in hand.
They should compliment each other.
BTW don't say the Bible has unscientific stuff in it.
That's opinion.
If it is true, give 3 examples.

Answer 11

Religion and science have nothing to do with one another. Actually, religion and faith could be viewed as opposites, since one goes by blind faith and the other goes by evidence, observations and experimentation.