*If* science ever one day explained what God is, wouldn't religion and faith simply become part of science?

Question

Suppose science also explained everything else formerly thought supernatural, such as spirits, the soul, afterlife, and miracles, would there be any need to make a distinction between religion and science?

Answer 1

No. They use two different methodologies. For example, it is often said by many people today that science is proving Buddhism's core idea of the interconnectedness of all things. Even if that is true, we still draw a distinction between buddhism and science. Science relies on an empirical method that must be able to be replicated. Buddhism relies on mystic experiences and meditation. Even if they arrive at the same truth, how that truth is arrived at is different enough for them to be different institutions. For Christianity, even if science did prove the idea of the soul, God, heaven, etc. there would still be a major difference between christianity and science. Science would continue to test those ideas, and would never stop its efforts and simply say that everything has been answered. Christianity uses faith to assume that those things are true. Faith is at the core of Christianity, and it has as little place as possible in science. That is the key difference between the two, not whatever truths they arrive at. Also religion prescribes courses of moral action, but science cannot say what is good or bad. It only says what is, not what ought to be. There are too many differences for modern religion and modern science to ever be the same thing.

Answer 2

Your question is difficult to answer since the bottom line is it is all a matter of faith. On the other hand religious scholars (Christian and Jewish in particular) and pure scientist have studied the creation as described in the Bible and correlated the "first seven days" to events on a very young earth. In other words, altho not measured in days (who can say what a day is to God - the day is just a way for man to grasp a time period) science can match up universal events - such as the big bank theory may correspond to God creating the heavens and the earth...and so on. Many books are available if you want to look deeper into the subject. As a Catholic Christian,,,faith is key so no matter what the ultimate outcome mankind will always need religion and faith.

Answer 3

1. Perhaps the premise of 'god' is all wrong to begin with.

2. Without scaring the heck out of humans, 'god' has been fictionalized into something resembling man, not women, but man. Very curious.

3. If time can be explained as non-existent, and not a way for humans to log physical events, perhaps we may understand how we are all connected together & that everything is happening all at once.

4. If it were all explained, we would most likely not see any point in religion. It may be a map scientifically to using all of our brain, and crossing threshholds that only few have been able to do.

Good Luck and Warm Wishes.

Answer 4

That's a huge "IF". IF it were ever proved there was an intelligent designer, and there is absolutely no hint that there is, then yes, it would become part of science. Science deals with describing reality, not wishes and stories.

Hazy Boy - that's the stupidest thing I have EVER heard. Serious. You have NO IDEA what science is, have you. Science and religion are totally incompatible. No scientist ever believed something because some dweeb in a pulpit told him to. Jeez.

Answer 5

Religion or rather the church is the more ancient so wouldn't it be that science simply became part of religion? Science by definition of it's method of ascertaining truth can not entertain subjective truths so it would be very difficult for it to discover any thing mystical. Indeed this has happened. In quantum mechanics the discovery of "entanglement" and other phenomena seem to be "spooky" but there has been little effort to marry the two into one philosophy. Scientists just dismiss it as "spooky." Many frankly believe Quantum Theory to be incomplete and wait for a new discovery to explain this mystic aspect away.

Answer 6

If you put water on the stove in a pot and turn on the burner, what makes you so sure it will eventually boil? Did the first humans think water would boil over a fire? Did they think it would just get warm or hot? Or did they say, "Nah, that's impossible, the water would just put out the fire".
I have seen water boiled in a paper bag over an open fire. It's pretty cool. Sometimes it takes "FAITH" to get man to the point where he will try the right thing the right way long enough for it to work.

I think it was either Carl Sagan or Ray Bradbury who said: "Any significantly advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic".

Answer 7

Religion will becomes part of History...Faith iwill be major tool to create. So far religion and science in contradiction.Probably both will cease to exist by merging one into another and dissapear.. That gives a birth to a new entity which is not named yet...By the way the major driving force in both is Belief which is exising only because we invest Faith in it....

Answer 8

In the the end philosophy, science and religion will be all in one as they are now. Most of us are to closed minded in one or the other to see it. Science without faith is just numbers and equations, without a soul. Faith without science is just pure ignorance.

Answer 9

Sounds reasonable to me, science is always open for new paradigms to be investigated....but i doubt whether the circumstance you describe will ever come about.

Answer 10

Probably so but I believe that their could be a new job for "God" believers who will actually will look into the new discovery more

But I believe this will never happen. But who knows?