Science and religion: can they coexist?

Question

Science requires evidence and logic. Religion requires belief without evidence and all possible contradictions are acceptable. The more contradictory a religion is, the stronger the faith must be.

Answer 1

No they cannot. Science has nothing to say about supernatural superstitions.

Also, I keep seeing answers like "science prove the bible right everyday". How? Did I miss some big headlines like "science proves man walked on water" or "science proves god created adam and eve" or something like that? What nonsense!

Answer 2

Religion without science is stupid. Science without religion is meaningless.

Or something similar at least was said by a famous scientist.

Hell, some people have even found a common ground for evolution and creationism to exist side by side (Evolution does occur but the animals we see today are all descended from the survivors on Noah's ark of the original species created by God

So yes, science and religion does not have to be exclusive by any means. Only when those in power try to use religion to further their own aims does it become incompatible as science changes the world and risks upsetting the status quo

Answer 3

Religion, NO! I do believe that science and God can coexist. It is possible that all of the scientific evidence that we have was found by a man who was led by God. Some people believe that there are scientist on the other side also working to advance technology for us. They then bring that ability with them when they come here for a life. Just a theory, I know.

I wonder if God was not the big bang and then evolution took over.

Answer 4

I do not believe that religion and science can, or should co-exist, when they could so easily be integrated.

To be brutally honest, religion has always been the refuge of those who aspire to total knowledge, but fail miserably when they try to quantify their beliefs; thus opening themselves up to scientific ridicule as knowledge unfolds.

Science equally fails, because at the fringes of knowledge are to be found great uncertainties and irregularities.

If religion is merely that which "fills the gaps" between partial knowledge and full knowledge, then it is little better than soothsaying, and this is where I personally take issue with "religion."

Even the idea that "God created all things" is as vague and meaningless as it is possible to get, and tells us nothing....nothing at all in fact. The further suggestion that "God MUST have created all things" is simply the same thing as saying, "I am stupid." (In fact, we are all stupid).

Sticking to the confines of the Christian Religion, the "good book" tells us nothing scientifically which isn't really very primitive. If there are certain parallels between Genesis and the process of creation, then the Bible is the least reliable evidence; mathematics, the biological sciences, astronomy, cosmology, geology and physics far exceeding that particular weight of evidence.

Herein lies the dilemma, because within "the good book" are things of real relevance and great beauty; rather brought down by the pseudo-scientific ramblings of old-men who stared at the night-sky and who could find nothing better to do than guess at the answers.

The great thing about science is the fact that it exposes the shortcomings of religion, and strips away the mythology; which can only be a good thing.

But what if science strips away everything that it is possible to strip away?

We then have an interesting new perspective.

I suspect that when science has done its best (or worst), it will never be able to destroy certain core values and beliefs, which I would list as being essentially faith in love, hope in love and the charity of love. In other words, the one indestructable thing is "love" itself, which transcends all understanding; whether scientific or religious.

Take this further, and what this actually means is that "love" is God, and God is "love," and by loving each other, we become as one with that reality. Driven by love, we have no option but to love one another, love our neighbours and love ourselves; thus expressing a desire for justice, peace and respect for all mankind.

So the real challenge becomes not the "faith" in impossible or unlikely things, but faith in an indestructible reality.....in fact the one reality which makes us human rather than merely animal.

It is a belief which neither seeks for answers, nor needs them.

With that at the core of belief, I see absolutely no conflict between science and religion; people being free to believe what they like, and scientists being free to believe what they find.

Answer 5

Both can co-exist and both do. Just because sometimes religious people deny scientific theories doesnt mean they throw out all science. Even scientists dont always agree with eachothers theories and that's why they continue to study, thats why 20 yr old science books are obsolete now. Scientists have come up with a lot of believable theories but they can change on a dime. It doesnt make it bad, it just means not everything scientists discover can be considered a fact. Years ago, it was believed that gravity was a force pushing us to the earth, scientists and religious people believed this. Now, it is believed gravity PULLS us to the earth, and scientists and religious folks believe this as well. Who knows, tomorrow it might be discovered we're actually sucked to the Earth? Either way, gravity exists, but whether or not we know for a fact how it works is something that remains to be seen.

Answer 6

Science requires evidence and logic and religion actually does have both.
The problem is that most people havnt really read the bible, its actually quite logical when studied the right way. There is only one TRUE religion (there cant be all these choices) and it backs up science. The bible even knew the world was round (not flat) b4 humans had it worked out

Answer 7

Behold: science grew out of religion. Both are attempts to understand our universe. Indeed, Charles Darwin even left on his voyage that ended up documenting evolution in order to prove the factuality of the Holy Bible.

I think people who wrote the Bible did their very best, but they got some things wrong, as humans often do. A literal reading of the Bible has the universe at only 6,000 years old, but with your naked eyes you can see light that left distant stars far, far longer ago than that. So science has revealed an infinitely larger, and an infinitely smaller universe than the human writers of the Bible ever imagined--a greater glory to God, a far more creative and powerful God than any religion has envisioned. In that sense, religion and science can coexist--understanding the universe as the real and wonderous creation that it is, reflecting glory that we have difficulty even imagining upon the Creator.

Answer 8

There is NO CONTRADICTION between science and relgion!

There are, however, a few scientists who don't like God. They are out to prove that God doesn't even exist. But their arguements for a world that happened by accident are not backed by science, by any proof. What they have is a "belief". That is, a religion of their own without our God.

As science progresses, we will see more and more that God is the creator and sustainer of the universe. Don't be afraid to study science. The laws of nature were written by God. Just beware of those who tell you there is no God who created the world when they CAN'T PROVE that life just happend by accident. They can't even create it ON PURPOSE.

Answer 9

They have done so for this long. And I don't necessarily agree that religion requires belief without evidence. I believe you can find evidence for any belief you wish if you dig long enough. It's just a matter of how much evidence you can gather.

Answer 10

God is dead. I wish he'd taken his believers with him.

Or if there's gonna be some 2nd coming why doesnt God take all the christians and muslims to heaven or hell and leave the rest of us to make humanity in to something wonderful.

Religion is rubbish. I wont lower myself to defend evolution or science from the ridiculous claims made here that it requires just as much faith or its another kind of religion. Thats self evidently untrue to any thinking person. Of course, thinking people are often rare in the Religion room.

Answer 11

Back in the Dark Ages, when Science took a back seat to Religion, it was the Church that preserves Science. The two obviously CAN coexist, but both sides have to give up their small-minded preconceptions.