Could secular science ever oust religious belief?

Question

And should it even try?

Answer 1

Secular science has already ousted religious belief. After all, there used to be a god of lightning, of alcohol, and of all the other things we didn't understand, and thus attributed to the gods. And yet, as science explained the causes, so the gods fell into disuse.

There were those in ancient Greece and Imperial Rome, who burned their equivalent of heretics at the stake for daring to suggest that Jupiter, Bacchus, Neptune and Saturn didn't exist, just as our forgiving church burned heretics at the stake until comparatively recent times. But just as in earlier ages, when science won and religion was proved to be simply another name for superstition, so it will happen again as science explains more and more of what used to be known as god. Don't forget that the Inquisition condemned Gallileo for daring to suggest that the earth was not the centre of the universe, and branded him a heretic for it.

Should science try and oust religious belief? That is the nature of scientific progress. To not try is to arrest the advance of science and maroon mankind in a stagnant 21st Century bereft of original thought and technological progress. It is not a question of consciously trying, but a natural effect of increased understanding of the world around us.

Answer 2

The noumenal always exists and cannot be explained by empirical means. Theologies attempt to explain this through spiritual beliefs. If this is so then no, secular science can not oust religion beliefs. Whether they should try or not should not be a focus, if it is what drives scientists to learn new things than so be it, but the pursuit of knowledge should be the focus in my humble opinion.

Answer 3

Why do so many people assume science must always be secular?

In my opinion, science can only be against something ocne it has been fully disproved. The existance of a supreme being has not been disproved in any way (merely some of the beliefs of humanity) and so there is no reason why science should be secular.

And anyone assuming that science is secular and that all scientists are atheists is (no offense intended to them) quite ignorant

Answer 4

Science does not need to oust religious belief. When people become educated they no longer need mysticism, and so oust it without thinking.

It is no coincidence that countries with the highest levels of education have the lowest numbers of religious followers.

Answer 5

It is not the job of the scientist to take faith away from people...after all, faith means to believe without requiring proof...in contrast, science requires factual evidence, through testing and observations....the two, in that context are mutually exclusive.

However, having said that, there are a lot of religious people that use scientific theories to back up their religious teachings of how the world began, works etc...

so no, I don't think it will ever happen

Answer 6

Yes, but unfortunately not in our lifetime. Current estimates indicate about 300 years, which is so long into the future that we'll probably be exinct.

Personally I think that there is enough evidence to argue for the non-existance of God today. Some of the reasons why religion will continue to rumble on is, tradition, ignorance, lack of education, fear and inertia (to name just a few).

However, I believe the religious movement is running out of steam, and is therefore slowly but surely heading for a grinding halt.

This doen't mean that when we die we cease. Our understanding of the world we live in and the universe is very limited indeed, whats 'beyond the veil of death' is currently beyond our knowledge but I believe that science is now turning its attention to examine this question seriously and that there are plenty of accounts to indicate something more.

What that is and the mechanisms behind it are still out of reach, but maybe not for very much longer.

LT

Answer 7

Probably not. Some of the latest thinking in physics seems more akin to religious belief than secular science though.

Answer 8

I wouldnt think so myself. Religion has too much of a grip on the imaginations of some people. Richard Dawkins is trying to push the cause against religion. I really dont think he will have a huge amount of success. People take alot of comfort in their beliefs and some of them are pretty unshakeable.

Answer 9

What is "secular" science. Do you mean science that lies ?

If so it has already ousted religious belief.

It has to "try" or else renounce it's secularity.

Answer 10

Probably not, they would say that God put this there to test us and such and so forth. I would guess that some people may move away from faith if some groundbreaking evidence came out to disprove God, but not enough to cause the downfall of the church or stop people bombing everyone.