A lot of people seem to think that science has proven that there is no God. Finally some scientist are admitting that existing scientific theories may be wrong. Included among these is the universe starting with a big bang. I fully realize that this still does not prove the existence of God(my belief), but I was hoping to get some intelligent responses from other perspectives.
2006-07-25 14:49:46 · 14 answers · asked by unicorn 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Jeffin: your theory of hundreds of millions of years is also on shaky ground. So where God was or wasn't is irrelevant.
2006-07-27 16:17:49 · update #1
likeskansas: It is well established that religion requires faith, though it should not be a blind faith. Therefore religion does not require empirical evidence. Some in the scientific community have been presenting their theories as fact. Often there is no more empirical evidence to support these claims.
2006-07-27 16:26:50 · update #2
wires: Geocentricity is a great comparison to modern day science. When society relies too heavily on the opinions and conclusions of a very small group of people we can end up with false theories. The bible has never stated that the earth was the center of the universe. Still, scholars read it or put another way, they looked at the evidence and came to a false conclusion. How did they do this? They assumed that they knew more than they really knew. The same thing is happening today in our scientific community. They believe the evidence says more than it really does. They lack humility very much like the Catholic church lacked it in the days of Copernicus.
2006-07-27 16:44:10 · update #3
wrathpuppet: I am beginning to think that part of what is happening involves our incredible access to information. As fast as scientist develop theories they are spread around the globe and the masses consume the the information. These theories are then treated as fact prematurely. They may not always be subjected to the same amount of criticism as they once were. Certainly the general public seems capable of this error. The biblical account of creation has been exposed to many centuries of critical thinking. Theories such as abiogenesis, string theory, and the big bang have not. I'm not suggesting that the information era is a bad thing, just that we need to be aware of this change.
2006-07-27 17:02:25 · update #4
"Finally some scientist are admitting that existing scientific theories may be wrong."
This hardly comes as a shocker, you know. This is how science works. A question arises, theories follow, peer-review ensues, sometimes theories become laws, sometimes theories are replaced by better theories.
It's not exactly a news flash. The important thing to realize is that this is how science has always gone about discovering the answers to things.
The fact, which you point out, is that this has no bearing on whether or not there is a god, so what are you getting at?
ADDED: You are absolutley right that the speed at which we communicate has affected this situation. Whether it's for the better or the worse remains to be seen. What you're basically referring to is the tendency of people, whether they are scientists, plumbers, or stay-at-home-moms, to jump to conclusions. It seems to be a natural part of the human condition. Coupled with the "publish or perish" reality of many scientific fields we see many, many premature ideas put on the record for public consumption.
The answer to this is not to rush to judgement and to develop, especially in the US, better critical thinking skills. Just because a paper is published does not make it a fact. News agencies need to allow time for peer-review to happen before presenting these "ground breaking discoveries" as anything other than theories. The public needs to be more skeptical (and I mean really "skeptical," not the "skeptical" that most people believe is synonymous with "cynical.") Most importantly, I feel that school-aged children need to be taught real, serious critical-thinking skills. And let's not forget that 99% of people need to be reeducated on the definition of the word "theory."
In the end I think we'll end up with more of the answers we are looking for. Regarding the "was the Earth created in seven days" argument, the truth is that there really is no debate. If one cares to see Genesis as a metaphor, that is fine, but taking it literally ignores a pile of evidence that dwarfs Olympus Mons.
2006-07-27 14:28:49 · answer #1 · answered by wrathpuppet 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
So far as I am aware no one thinks science has proved there is no God. Or even tried to. It's very hard to prove a negative, God is insufficiently defined, and its hard to see how you would apply the experimental method. Science doesn't deal with proofs of the existence of anything.
Of course some scientists will think some current scientific theories are wrong. That's the whole point of science. They are theories. They haven't been proved. None of them. If Scientists don't prove their own theories, why would they go round proving the nonexistence of God. But they aren't matters of belief either. Or shouldn't be. It would be very unscientific to believe in a scientific theory, but I suppose some scientists, being human, may get emotionally involved in the work they have done.
This is always difficult for some people to understand. God/no God is a matter of faith, belief, opinion. Science is something quite different, it is a process. The last word is never said. If scientists never found anything new, or a better explanation, or a fault in an old one, there would be no point in it, they would all have to give it up and get a different job.
I am an atheist. This is a matter of faith. That is what I believe. That, to me, is the best way to live and the best way of looking at things. It has nothing to do with science.
2006-07-25 15:33:43 · answer #2 · answered by hi_patia 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Pbs String Theory
2016-11-07 08:45:46 · answer #3 · answered by buentello 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A theory is just that, a theory. It's a possible way things work, not a given or hard truth. As more data is derived from experiments, theories are either changed to fit the additional evidence or even dropped altogether. Just because one theory is altered or dropped doesn't mean all science is wrong. Religious people had their theory that the earth was the center of the universe. They had to drop it but I don't see them saying all other religious theories are now wrong.
2006-07-25 15:02:54 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
a lot of religionists seem to be at war with science at the moment viewing it as some kind of threat. Religion is about faith so should have no concern with science. Scientists have their own personal opinions about religion but I've never heard of one who claimed he could prove that god didn't exist.
On the contrary, if scientists could find any evidence for the supernatural, or devise an experiment to test it, they would be falling over themselves to do it.
2006-07-25 15:55:28 · answer #5 · answered by richy 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The simple fact is that there is absolutely no proof either way. NOTHING that scientists have discovered either suggests or precludes the possibility of God. We are no nearer knowing that than we were 1,000 years ago.
It is all a matter of faith. Some top level scientists are religious, others aren't.
Personally, I am agnostic. I don't believe that it is within human capacity to ever understand whether God exists or not.
2006-07-25 15:18:50 · answer #6 · answered by Hello Dave 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
why not try and bring all the scientific theories in but thay will not prove god is a story to controle the brainwashen chritian to pay the wages of the priest and try to run the planet and the poor little christians paying for it the big con nothing for somthing the big god con
2006-07-27 23:17:31 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
That's just it, the "big bang" is, and always will be (until further evidence), JUST a THEORY. I don't believe any of it not until I hear some solid proof! Nobody knows yet, and it's possible that they never will! It's complex, very complex, too complex to explain! GRR
2006-07-25 14:53:50 · answer #8 · answered by miss_gem_01 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If there is a God where was he for the hundreds of millions of years before man. Man created God not the other way around.
2006-07-25 14:54:28 · answer #9 · answered by Jeffin 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What makes you think all Atheists believe in all science.
I don't believe in God but it has nothing to do with science
2006-07-26 00:57:52 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋