Does religion play a part when discussing the Universe?

Question

Or does religion only apply here on Earth?

Answer 1

All religion is 'belief'. The Universe is a fact. Many if not all 'religions' believe that their God created the Universe. Christians generally do not subscribe to the idea that there MAY be 'life' as we know it outside the Earth. But then very few Christians (or Jews for that matter) have considered the 6th Chapter of Genesis, verses 1-4.

If they did they would be less arrogant about how 'right' they are.

There may well be space travellers as that text suggests

Answer 2

Second question first: There were one or two religious men walking on the moon a few decades ago, so I expect they took their religion with them there! Your first question, however, might have been better put as "SHOULD religion play a part when discussing the Universe?" It should not if arguments and bad feelings are aroused. It should if both parties are open to all possibilities.

I like to think of the Universe as a kaleidoscope. (Greek kalos = beautiful + teidos = form). Gazing at the symmetrical movements of the stars and the planets is to behold beauty and order - and just consider those spectacular photos we now have! But when we take our eye away from the lens and understand how the kaleidoscope actually works, we know there's nothing but tossed and tumbled particles of coloured bits in the chamber, and that's a form of chaos. However, does that mean that the Universe can only be EITHER order, OR chaos? The Kaleidoscope is both, depending on how you're looking at it. If you are the maker of the Kaleidoscope you're more clever than those who see only chaos and dismiss the idea that it could fulfil a design purpose. You're also pleased when others look through the lens and enjoy the beauty of your creation (even if it's only an illusion - it's still real enough for the purpose it was designed for.)

So why don't we enjoy the beauty around us, consider the chaos that might be at back of it, and thank God for the wonder of how he's put everything together? Our time here on Earth is so short, and away we fly. Where to? A parallel Universe? Sounds exciting to me!

Answer 3

Religion (or Christianity at least) has a bit of a problem here, because the way the Old Testament describes the earth it sounds as if God made the whole universe with the Earth at the centre of it. Now we know this is not true.
Also there are 'infinite regress' "proofs" of God. An example is:
1. Everything is caused.
2. Therefore everything must have a cause.
3. But that cause in turn must have a cause etc.
4. There is a base cause, which is God.
Hence, God is thought to have caused the Big Bang, by more liberal and scientifically-aware Christians. By fundamentalists, God is thought to have created the whole universe anyway.
So, in Christianity, YES is the answer. Other religions I don't know about but I assume so. In around the 13th century the way it worked was that there were specific pagan Gods - for example, the god Apollo (also called Phebus) had power over life in nature, and Diana (also called Lucina) was the God of the moon and tides and chastity (and also hunting, sometimes). However, over all these specific Gods, the Christian God ruled over everything and the universe.
So for religions that have many Gods, they tend to have very specific earth-related tasks but in monotheism (religions with one God), God tends to be the ruler of the whole universe.
Hope this helps!

Answer 4

Well some facinating answers!

Simple answer is yes it plays a part and will do for many centuries to come. As long as there are people with religeous beliefs.

Why people still have religeous beliefs is much harder to answer.

In the 19th century our science was growing fast and if you didn't understand science you just assumed it was beyond your education. Its success forced many people to turn from religion, lets face it when engineers use science to design a great steam engine you can't argue that it works! When Marconi spoke over the radio for the first time it was seen as the work of mankind not god.

Unfortunately, 20th century science became more remote from the general population. You could not see quarks or black holes, but you could popularize them, so just as people understood less and less there were more and more "black holes made easy" books on the shelf. This resulted in more and more people believing they understood physics especially and feeling happy to talk about it because they had read a few popular books. Now the pseudo scientists with religeous inclinations felt they could talk comfortably about quarks and how they could see gods handiwork there thinking they didn't need to spend the many years in university studying how physicists arrived at these theories. So nowdays the religeous views are growing again full of confidence that they know all about quantum mechanics and have seen through relativity. In reality nothing has changed in the battle between scientific reasoning and belief, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink.

Answer 5

Because the idea of the Creation of the Universe by God according to most Religious Scriptures comes in direct contradiction to DARWIN'S THEORY OF EVOLUTION. According to Darwin, life emerged from tiny uni molecular living beings to complex creatures such a human beings. Life has advanced with the Survival of the Fittest.
Religious scriptures on the other hand, believe in ideas such as a 'soul', re-incarnation, karma, Good v/s. Evil, etc which have no connection with Darwin's Theory.

AND NOW TO YOUR QUESTION:

Earlier, the Pope, Imam and other respective religious Heads held a very strong hold on the people and the ideas that they followed. Remember that there was a time when people believed that the Earth was the Centre of the Universe. Naturally, as science began to explain many phenomenas that were previously mystical, the magic of having Faith in Religion began to dwindle as can be seen from the drop in the no. of people following rituals and attending masses across the World.

Obviously this has upset people who would still want everyone to blindly follow religious leaders.

Answer 6

Religion should only play a part when discussing religion.

Since it is entirely irrational - i.e. no religion can be discussed in the context of any method of testing the claims made - it cannot be usefully associated with anything other than itself. This is true of all religions, regardless of the claims made by "believers". Believer is the operative word here, because without the "belief" there is nothing left to consider!

In discussing the universes, including the one we inhabit, or the Universe, which contains all universes, it is essential to avoid religious beliefs entirely. In fact when discussing anything pertaining to what we call reality, it is essential to avoid religion.

Most religions attempt to inflict themselves on everyday life, making various claims usually attributable to old documents of dubious origin and ultimately claiming the word of "god". Since they all conflict in many very critical ways, they cannot all be right - in fact they are all clearly wrong.

All the documentation I am aware of relating to religious beliefs was concocted many years ago, usually by old men and usually for the sole purpose of maintaining a particular power structure or introducing an alternative power structure.

Therefore, in discussing the universe or anything concerning reality, it is absolutely critical to avoid religion at all costs.

Answer 7

Religion does have a role in the discussion of the universe for a couple of very simple reasons that most "modern" thinkers refuse to accept.

Everything in the universe is made up of the same substances or elements. We know there is a numbered amount of elements (although we might not have discovered a couple yet, most have been identified) At the subatomic level everything, EVERYTHING is made up of atoms/electrons/quarks/strings etc. right? The question then becomes this "what causes one group of subatomic particles to form an iron molecule and another to forma sulful molecule? What causes the particles that makes up rubber to bounce or stretch yet the same particles to also form concrete? The deeper you look into the world the more evident God becomes. Is he the man in the Bible? I dont know, and concidering my up-bringing it almost hurts to admit that but it is easy to see God and acknowledge his presence. He is in the details of the universe and even in the most chaotic environment, if you look close enough, his is there, holding everything together. Since religion revolves around someones idea of God then I would say that the avoidance of Him is impossible.

Answer 8

I personally think religion should not be used to play a part in any discussion on any subject other than itself. Whenever religion is brought into a discussion it normally ends up as an argument, or worse a war !

Answer 9

well if you're not religious, then why should it? unless you're talking about the origins of the universe with a religious friend, then undoubtedly, it will become part of the discussion/debate.

If you're not religious and discuss the issue with a fellow non-believer, then it probably wont even crop up

although saying that...there are people who have faith in God, yet don't really follow any religion as such but still believe in some supranatural purpose

I'd say, it all depends on who you're discussing the universe with

Answer 10

Of course it does, if only on the basis that so many people believe that the U. was made by god. As they cannot come to terms with the idea of its just BEING and have to attribute it to a "maker", the idea of a discussion about it is a bit futile. You can discuss what is known about it but that's all.